[Swarm Announce] SwarmFest 2007 Call for Papers

[announce]

**Call for Papers**

SwarmFest 2007
Conference of Agent-based Modelers and
Agent-based Modeling Platform Users

Hosted by:
DePaul University School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and 
Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois USA
July 12 - 14, 2007

A PDF of this CFP is at: 
http://condor.depaul.edu/~slytinen/SwarmFest2007/SwarmCallforPapers/SwarmFest2007CallForPapers.pdf

The School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information 
Systems at DePaul University and the Swarm Development Group (SDG) are 
pleased to announce the 11th Annual SwarmFest to be held on at DePaul's 
campus in the heart of downtown Chicago, July 12-14, 2007.

The purpose of SwarmFest is to bring scientists, modelers, and 
programmers working in a wide variety of domains together to share their 
research, knowledge, and experience with agent-based and 
individual-based modeling. The focus is on both the science and tools of 
agent-based modeling. We encourage participation by users of software 
toolkits such as Swarm, RePast, NetLogo, StarLogo, MASON, Ascape, 
AgentSheets, Cormas, EcoLab, and MOBIDYC.

SwarmFest is an interdisciplinary, informal conference that provides the 
opportunity to present and discuss innovative modeling work and tools 
and techniques for ABM. We especially encourage presentation of work 
that may be too new, esoteric, or methods-oriented for other scientific 
forums. SwarmFest is valuable both for inexperienced and experienced 
researchers and software toolkit users, and provides a unique 
opportunity to meet people working on similar problems but in different 
domains. Swarm Development Group also uses SwarmFest to gather feedback 
from the modeling community on development and support priorities.
Presentations at SwarmFest can address basic research, applied modeling, 
software, or other topics related to agent- and individual-based modeling.

Schedule and Amenities:
SwarmFest will open with a rooftop reception at the DePaul Center, a 
historic downtown building that housed Goldblatt's flagship department 
store for more than 30 years, on the evening of Thursday, July 12. 
Conference sessions will be all day July 13-14, ending with the 
traditional awards ceremony at approximately 4 pm on the 14th. We will 
have a banquet with keynote speaker on the 13th.

Attendees are encouraged to stay and enjoy the amenities of downtown 
Chicago, one of America's most attractive and lively urban areas. Among 
the many attractions within walking distance are: the lakefront with its 
parks, beaches, museums, Navy Pier, etc; the Art Institute, one of the 
best art museums in the country; outdoor art and free concerts at the 
new Millenium Park; the famous Michigan Avenue shopping district; and 
the near north side's dining and nightlife.

Keynote and invited speakers:
We will invite several especially interesting scientists to give 
extended presentations. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Tim Kohler, 
speaking on "The Making of a Catastrophe: How Agent-Based Modeling is 
Helping Archaeologists Unravel the Last Century of Farming Occupation in 
the Northern US Southwest". Dr. Kohler is a Regents Professor in 
Anthropology at Washington State University and an external professor at 
the Santa Fe Institute. A Swarm user since the mid-1990s, he also 
directs an NSF-funded IGERT at WSU and the University of Washington 
entitled "IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling." As a modeler, he 
worships at the twin altars of CVOTW and KISS.

Types of Presentations Requested:
1) Oral presentations: Talks are typically 20 minutes including questions.
2) Posters: Posters will be displayed in a special poster session and 
during breaks.
3) Panel discussions: In the past, panel discussions have addressed 
topics such as publishing agent-based research and teaching agent-based 
modeling. We welcome proposals to organize, or even suggest, panel 
discussions.

Submission Formats:
To present at SwarmFest, please submit the following information: your 
name and affiliation; your email and mailing address; which type of 
presentation you prefer (oral, poster, panel); a title; and a brief 
(~<300 words) abstract of your presentation. Your submission can be in 
plain text or PDF format, and should be emailed to: 
address@hidden

Tutorial Classes:
We expect to offer training classes in the Repast and (tentatively) 
NetLogo platforms on July 12. For up to date information, see the 
SwarmFest web site.

Housing and Transportation:
Low-cost accommodation will be available at University Center, a student 
housing and conference facility adjacent to DePaul. You must register 
for this accommodation via the SwarmFest web site; please do so as early 
as possible. Discounted rates at downtown hotels, including the historic 
Palmer House, are also available. The conference and housing is a short 
walk from the Chicago Transit Authority trains which provide direct 
service from both O'Hare and Midway airports. See the SwarmFest web site 
for information on housing and transportation.

Registration:
Registration fees are $125 for students (through graduate school), and 
$250 for non-students. Members of Swarm Development Group (see: 
http://www.swarm.org/wiki/SDG_membership ) receive a $25 discount.

Deadlines:
Submissions are requested by June 1, 2007. Notice of acceptance will be 
send by June 7. Early review and acceptance decisions will be made on 
request. Late submissions may be accepted if space in the schedule is 
available.

Conference registration should be made by June 16, 2007 (a late 
registration fee of $25 will be required after that date).
Reservations for University Center housing must be made by June 16.

E-mail submissions and questions to: address@hidden

Additional information:
The conference web site is 
http://condor.depaul.edu/~slytinen/SwarmFest2007 or follow the link from 
the Swarm wiki http://www.swarm.org