[Swarm Announce] SwarmFest 2008 Preliminary announcement and call for papers

[announce]

Swarm Development Group is happy to make the first announcement and call for 
papers for SwarmFest 2008, our 12th annual conference of agent-based modelers 
and platform developers. Keep your eye on www.swarm.org for additional 
information and a PDF version of this announcement for you to circulate!

PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
SWARMFEST 2008

Conference of Agent-based Modelers and
Developers of Tools for Agent-based Modeling

Special Focus Areas:
"Agent-based Approaches to Systems Biology" and
"High Performance Computing Platforms for Agent-based models"

Hosted by:
Division of Trauma/Critical Care
Department of Surgery,
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois USA

Opening Reception: May 11, 2008
Technical Sessions: May 12-13, 2008

The Division of Trauma/Critical Care in the Department of Surgery at 
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Swarm Development 
Group (SDG) are pleased to announce the 12th Annual SwarmFest to be held at 
Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the heart of the Gold Coast in downtown 
Chicago, May 12th and 13th, 2008.

The purpose of SwarmFest is to bring together scientists, modelers, programmers 
and computer scientists working in a wide variety of domains to share their 
research, knowledge and experience with agent- and individual-based modeling. 
Our experience is that this type of "intellectual cross-pollination" has been 
very stimulating and productive in the establishment of multi- and 
trans-disciplinary relationships and collaborations.  We encourage the 
participation of users of software toolkits such as Swarm, RePast, Netlogo, 
Starlogo, MASON, Ascape, AgentSheets, Cormas, EcoLab and Metascape.

SwarmFest is an informal conference that provides the opportunity to present and 
discuss innovative modeling work, and new tools and techniques for agent-based 
modeling (ABM).  We especially encourage presentation of work that my be too 
new, too esoteric, too innovative or too method-specific 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 ABM 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.

This year the conference will include two special emphasis sessions on areas 
that have the potential for explosive growth in the ABM community.  The first is 
in the area of Systems Biology.  While this field has been around for a while, 
the growing application of ABM techniques to the problems of cellular metabolism 
and control, gene regulation, and their effects on the pathophysiology of 
disease offers the field a powerful paradigm for looking at these issues from a 
true system-wide approach.  The second is the area of applying the advances in 
High Performance Computing to the current computational constraints on truly 
mega-scale ABMs. We are inviting researchers from several organizations to 
present their work on low-cost, high-performance platforms for ABMs.

Schedule and Amenities:
SwarmFest will open in the evening of May 11 with a reception at Timothy 
O'Toole's, a local watering hole near Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 
Conference sessions will take place all day May 12-13 at the Conference Center 
at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, ending with the traditional awards ceremony 
at approximately 4 PM 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 
and museums; Navy Pier; the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute of 
Chicago, outdoor art and free concerts at Millienium Park; shopping on the 
Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue; and the diverse dining and nightlife 
options in the Gold Coast and River North areas.

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.

Abstract submittal:
To propose a presentation, 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

Abstracts should be submitted by April 4, and selections will be announced by 
April 14. (Early decisions can be accommodated if necessary to support travel 
funding, etc.)

Registration, fees, housing, and deadlines:
Registration fees and an on-line registration site will be announced soon. 
Housing will be via a special conference rate at a hotel near Northwestern 
Memorial Hospital.

International attendees requiring a visa to travel to the US are urged to apply 
soon!

Additional information:
Additional information will be available via the Swarm Development Group’s wiki: 
www.swarm.org. Questions can be emailed to: address@hidden