ACM Special Interest Groups Guide

ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in 34 distinct areas of information technology address your varied interests - programming languages, graphics, computer-human interaction, and mobile communications, just to name a few.  Each SIG organizes itself around those specific activities that best serve both its practitioner- and research-based constituencies. Many SIGs sponsor conferences and workshops and offer members reduced rates for registration and proceedings.  SIGs also produce newsletters and other publications, or support lively e-mail forums for information exchange.  Choosing to join a SIG may be one of the most important decisions of your career.

Accessibility and Computing SIGACCESS

The ACM Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing promotes the professional interests of computing personnel with disabilities and the application of computing and information technology in solving relevant disability problems. The SIG also strives to educate the public to support careers for people with disabilities.

Algorithms and Computation Theory SIGACT

The ACM Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory is an international organization that fosters and promotes the discovery and dissemination of high quality research in theoretical computer science (TCS), the formal analysis of efficient computation and computational processes. SIGACT, through its awards program, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field in research and service. TCS covers a wide variety of topics including algorithms, data structures, computational complexity, parallel and distributed computation, probabilistic computation, quantum computation, automata theory, information theory, cryptography, program semantics and verification, machine learning, computational biology, computational economics, computational geometry, and computational number theory and algebra. Work in this field is often distinguished by its emphasis on mathematical technique and rigor.

Ada Programming Language SIGAda

The ACM Special Interest Group on Ada Programming Language provides a forum on all aspects of the Ada language and technologies, including usage, education, standardization, design methods, and compiler implementation. SIGAda's annual conference addresses Ada's role in building industrial-strength applications that support mission-critical, safety-critical, real-time, distributed, high-assurance, and high-integrity requirements. Supporting technologies that SIGAda focuses on include software engineering, software development processes, object technology, computer science education, tools, Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), and Java.

APL Programming Language SIGAPL

The ACM Special Interest Group on APL Programming Language fosters the development and application of the APL language via a lively exchange of ideas and techniques. Each year APL sponsors or co-sponsors an international APL conference at which leading-edge material in the field is presented.

Applied Computing SIGAPP

The ACM Special Interest Group on Applied Computing ACM's primary applications-oriented SIG, offers practitioners and researchers the opportunity to share mutual interests in innovative applications, technology transfer, experimental computing, strategic research, and the management of computing. This SIG also promotes widespread cooperation among business, government, and academic computing programs. Members receive reduced rates to the SAC Conference.

Computer Architecture SIGARCH

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture serves a unique community of computer professionals working at the forefront of computer design in both industry and academia. It is ACM's primary forum for interchange of ideas about tomorrow's hardware and its interactions with compilers and operating systems.

Artificial Intelligence SIGART

The scope of SIGART, ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence, consists of the study of intelligence and its realization in computer systems. SIGART's mission is to promote and support AI-related conferences. Members receive reduced registration rates to all affiliated conferences. Members also receive proceedings from the major SIGART-sponsored conferences.

Embedded Systems SIGBED

SIGBED is intended to be a focal point within ACM for all aspects of embedded computing systems, including both software and hardware. Embedded systems has come to be recognized as a key discipline, which includes new computer and systems science foundations, new design technology, and new hardware and software frameworks. Members of the SIGBED community serve on the editorial board of ACM's publication, ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems and the upcoming ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks.

Computers and Society SIGCAS

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Society brings together computer professionals, specialists in other fields, and the public at large to address concerns and raise awareness about the ethical and societal impact of computers. As part of its ongoing efforts to gather and report information, thus stimulating the exchange and dissemination of ideas, SIGCAS publishes an online magazine and co-sponsors national and international conferences such as the International Symposium on Technology and Society, the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference, the Computers and Quality of Life Symposium, and the Computer Ethics and Philosophical Enquiry Conference.

Computer-Human Interaction SIGCHI

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, is the world's largest association of professionals who work in the research and practice of computer-human interaction. We are an interdisciplinary group of computer scientists, software engineers, psychologists, interaction designers, graphic designers, sociologists, and anthropologists, just to name some of the domains whose special expertise come to bear in this area. What brings us together is a shared understanding that designing useful and usable technology is an interdisciplinary process, and when done properly it has the power to transform persons' lives. SIGCHI has over 60 active local chapters across five continents, to promote local support networks for HCI professionals. SIGCHI members receive registration discounts to SIGCHI-sponsored and co-sponsored conferences, a subscription to "Interactions" magazine, and a print and online subscription to the "SIGCHI Bulletin." SIGCHI membership also grants access to all SIGCHI publications in the ACM Portal.

Data Communication SIGCOMM

The ACM Special Interest Group on Data Communication provides a forum for computing professionals involved in the vital field of data communication. SIGCOMM is also a community resource for those interested in network research, network standards, network history, and the educational aspects of networking. SIGCOMM and IEEE co-sponsor the "ACM/IEEE Transactions on Networking" journal.

Computer Science Education SIGCSE

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education provides a forum for educators to discuss the problems concerned with the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of computing programs, curricula, and courses, as well as syllabi, laboratories, and other elements of teaching and pedagogy.

Design Automation SIGDA

The ACM Special Interest Group is organized and operated exclusively for educational, scientific, and technical purposes in design automation. The mission of SIGDA and its activities includes collecting and disseminating information in design automation through a newsletter and other publications; organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM; sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops; organizing projects and working groups for education, research, and development; serving as a source of technical information for the Council and subunits of the ACM; and representing the opinions and expertise of the membership on matters of technical interest to SIGDA or ACM.

Design of Communication SIGDOC

The ACM Special Interest Group for Design of Communication provides a forum on the design of communication for computer-mediated information products and systems. The SIG fosters the study and publication of processes, methods, and technologies for communicating and designing communication artifacts such as printed documents, online text, and hypermedia applications. Members include technical communication professionals, software engineers, educators, researchers, Web designers, system developers, computer scientists, information technology professionals, usability specialists, and managers responsible for producing or supervising the creation of technical materials, online information systems, Web sites, and user interfaces.

Electronic Commerce SIGecom

The scope of SIGecom is dedicated to the advancement of electronic commerce, principles, and practice. As the leading computing-centric professional organization in the field, SIGecom seeks to promote the informed development of commerce automation technology, employing the best available engineering methods and economic understanding.

Genetic and Evolutionary Computation SIGEVO

The ACM Special Interest Group on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation operates an annual Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO) (combining the formerly held International Conference on Genetic Algorithms and Genetic Programming Conferences), supports and periodically operates other specialized conferences and events, provides support for student participation in the activities of the organization and educational activities, and promotes public information about the field of genetic and evolutionary computation.

Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques SIGGRAPH

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques mission is to promote the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Members include researchers, developers, and users from the technical, academic, business, and artistic communities. Membership in SIGGRAPH includes a subscription to the "Computer Graphics Quarterly," a siggraph.org email address, and full access to SIGGRAPH publications in the ACM Portal.

nformation Retrieval SIGIR

The ACM Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval welcomes members working in all aspects of information storage, retrieval, and dissemination, including research, development, evaluation, and education. The mission of SIGIR has expanded to cover a variety of search-related research topics applied to a broad range of unstructured data including text, images, video, audio, and recorded speech. SIGIR sponsors its own conference on research and development in information retrieval and co-sponsors several other conferences and workshops.

Information Technology Education SIGITE

SIGITE's mission is to provide a forum for the interaction of practitioners, educators, and others in the field of Information Technology Education to exchange ideas and engage in activities that advance the knowledge of its members, the curriculum and teaching on Information Technology Curriculum, and the development and transfer of innovative concepts and applications in technology and pedagogy. We currently have a focused effort on the development of a model curriculum and guidelines for accreditation. Educators from two and four year universities and colleges as well as high school teachers are welcome and would benefit from our activities. We also feel practitioners in the field would benefit from some of our technical tracks and offer valuable input for content for future employees.

Knowledge Discovery in Data SIGKDD

SIGKDD's primary mission is to provide the premier forum for advancement, education, and adoption of the "science" of knowledge discovery and data mining from all types of data stored in computers and networks of computers. SIGKDD promotes basic research and development in KDD, adoption of "standards" in the market in terms of terminology, evaluation, methodology and interdisciplinary education among KDD researchers, practitioners, and users.

Measurement and Evaluation SIGMETRICS

The ACM Special Interest Group on Measurement and Evaluation fosters research in performance analysis techniques as well as the advanced and innovative use of known methods and tools, seeking a balance between theoretical, methodological, and practical issues. Members' interests include advancing the state-of-the-art, as well as applying new performance evaluation tools and techniques in practice.

Microarchitecture SIGMICRO

The ACM Special Interest Group on Microarchitectural Research & Processing specializes in computer microarchitecture, especially features permitting instruction-level parallelism and their related implications on compiler design. Members include microarchitects, microprogrammers, advanced compiler designers, and researchers/developers of super-scalar, pipelined, and MIMD computer architecture. For more than 35 years, the annual MICRO conference has been a key forum for presenting major breakthroughs in computing architecture. SIGMICRO also sponsors other distinguished conferences, namely, CGO (Code Generation and Optimization), CASES (Compilers, Architecture, and Synthesis for Embedded Systems), and CF (Computing Frontiers). SIGMICRO has recently initiated an online newsletter, that not only allows timely publication of high quality refereed articles, but also features virtual lectures (or e-Seminars) by the authors, that can be attended all over the world, with an opportunity to ask technical questions during the live presentation.

Management Information Systems SIGMIS

The ACM Special Interest Group on Management Information Systems promotes best-practice and research in the management of information systems and technologies and the use of these systems and technologies. SIGMIS is a founder of ISWorld Net at www.isworld.org, and a sponsor of several conferences on information systems and technology. As one of the oldest of ACM's SIGS, SIGMIS traces its beginning back to 1961, and for decades has been instrumental in defining and developing the field of management and information systems. The annual Computer Personnel Research (CPR) Conference is unique in its role of gathering together MIS professionals.

Multimedia SIGMM

The ACM Special Interest Group on Multimedia provides a forum for researchers, engineers, and practitioners in all aspects of multimedia computing, communication, storage, and applications. SIGMM sponsors the ACM Multimedia Conference series and ad hoc workshops on emerging areas of multimedia. In addition, SIGMM supports the upcoming "ACM Transactions on Multimedia, Applications, and Computing" (TOMCCAP, early 2005) and the SIGMM Website which contains forums and other relevant material. All SIGMM publications are available through the ACM Digital Library. SIGMM members receive a copy of the ACM Multimedia Conference proceedings on CD and a significant discount on registration fees for SIGMM sponsored events.

Mobility of Systems, Users, Data and Computing SIGMOBILE

The purpose of ACM SIGMOBILE is to promote research and development by bringing together researchers and practitioners and fostering interest in the mobility of systems, users, data, and computing. SIGMOBILE addresses the above spectrum of topics, sharing one common theme - mobility.
The group's technical scope reflects the emerging symbiosis of portable computers and wireless networks, addressing the convergence of mobility, computing and information organization, its access, services, management, related technologies, and mobile user services, alongside more "classical" topics in wireless and mobile networking.

Management of Data SIGMOD

The ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data is an association for students and professionals interested in research, development, and deployment of solutions to large-scale data management problems. The scope of interests that members bring to SIGMOD is wide, with an almost equal mix of people from industry and from academia. SIGMOD sponsors an annual conference that is regarded as one of the most important in the field.

 

Operating Systems SIGOPS

The ACM Special Interest Group on Operating Systems addresses a broad spectrum of issues associated with computing systems research and development, focused on operating systems but also including distributed systems and middleware. Members are drawn from a broad community spanning industry, academia, and government. SIGOPS supports many conferences and workshops, including the Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP), Operating Systems Design and Implementation (OSDI), Networked Systems Design and Implementation (NSDI), ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, and the SIGOPS European Workshop.

Programming Languages SIGPLAN

The ACM Special Interest Group on Programming Languages explores programming language concepts and tools, focusing on design, implementation, and efficient use. Its members are programming language users, developers, implementers, theoreticians, researchers, and educators. The monthly newsletter "ACM SIGPLAN Notices" publishes several conference proceedings issues, regular columns, and technical correspondence. This SIG offers an additional newsletter, "FORTRAN Forum", on a subscription only basis. SIGPLAN sponsors four major annual conferences: the OOPSLA Conference on Object-Oriented Technology, the Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI)-the major professional conference in the field, the Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL), and the International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP).

Security, Audit and Control SIGSAC

The ACM Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control mission is to develop the information security profession by sponsoring high quality research conferences and workshops. SIGSAC conferences address all aspects of information and system security, encompassing security technologies, secure systems, security applications, and security policies. Security technologies include access control, assurance, authentication, cryptography, intrusion detection, penetration techniques, risk analysis, and secure protocols. Security systems include security in operating systems, database systems, networks and distributed systems, and middleware. Representative security applications areas are information systems, workflow systems, electronic commerce, electronic cash, copyright and intellectual property protection, telecommunications systems, and healthcare. Security polices encompass confidentiality, integrity, availability, privacy, and survivability policies, including tradeoff and conflicts amongst these.

Symbolic and Algebraic Manipulation SIGSAM

The ACM Special Interest Group on Symbolic and Algebraic Manipulation provides members with a forum in which to exchange ideas about the practical and theoretical aspects of algebraic and symbolic mathematical computation. Its scope of interests includes design, analysis and application of algorithms, data structures, systems, and languages. Worldwide, SIGSAM is a primary international society in its area and sponsors the International Symposium on Symbolic and Algebraic Computation (ISSAC), the premier annual meeting in this field.

Simulation and Modeling SIGSIM

The ACM Special Interest Group on Simulation and Modeling seeks the advancement of the state-of-the-art in simulation and modeling. Simulation and modeling cut across a broad range of interests. SIGSIM joins each year with a variety of other organizations in co-sponsoring the Winter Simulation Conference, the premier conference in the field, and the Parallel and Distributed Simulation Conference (PADS).

Software Engineering SIGSOFT

The ACM Special Interest Group on Software Engineering seeks to improve our ability to engineer software by stimulating interaction among practitioners, researchers, and educators; by fostering the professional development of software engineers; and by representing software engineers to professional, legal, and political entities.

University and College Computing Services SIGUCCS

The ACM Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) is an association of professionals who support and manage the diverse aspects of information technology services at higher education institutions by providing professional development opportunities for our members and other individuals in the field.
SIGUCCS focuses on issues surrounding the support, delivery and management of information technology services on college and university campuses. Our primary goal is to offer individual members professional development opportunities through a series of volunteer member organized annual conferences.
SIGUCCS sponsors two annual conferences, one each fall is focused on front-line support services (User Services Conference) and the other in the spring on senior and middle management issues (Management Symposium).

Hypertext, Hypermedia and Web SIGWEB

The ACM Special Interest Group on Hypertext, Hypermedia and Web supports the multi-disciplinary field of hypermedia and other network-based approaches to modeling knowledge, including the World Wide Web. SIGWEB conferences provide opportunities for the promotion, dissemination, and exchange of ideas concerning research and application among scientists, practitioners, and users, with an emphasis on the development of methodologies and standards and the promotion of consensus within the field.