NIPS 2010 Call For Workshops

CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
http://nips.cc/Conferences/2010/CallForWorkshops

Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) — Natural and Synthetic
NIPS*2010 Post-Conference Workshops — December 10 and 11, 2010
Whistler Resort & Spa and Westin Hilton, BC, CANADA

Following the regular program of the Neural Information Processing
Systems 2010 conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada, workshops on a
variety of current topics in neural information processing will be
held on December 10 and 11, 2010, in Whistler, BC, Canada. We invite
researchers interested in chairing one of these workshops to submit
proposals for workshops. The goal of the workshops is to provide an
informal forum for researchers to discuss important research questions
and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons
of competing approaches are not only encouraged but preferred as
workshop topics. Representation of alternative viewpoints and
panel-style discussions are also particularly encouraged. Potential workshop
topics include, but are not limited to:

Active Learning, Attention, Audition, Bayesian Networks, Bayesian
Statistics, Benchmarking, Biophysics, Brain-Machine Interfaces, Brain
Imaging, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Biology and
Bioinformatics, Computational Complexity, Control,
Genetic/Evolutionary Algorithms, Graphical Models, Hippocampus and
Memory, Human-Computer Interfaces, Implementations, Kernel Methods,
Mean-Field Methods, Music, Network Dynamics, Neural Coding, Neural
Plasticity, Neuromorphic Systems, On-Line Learning, Optimization,
Perceptual Learning, Robotics, Rule Extraction, Self-Organization,
Signal Processing, Spike Timing, Speech, Supervised/Unsupervised
Learning, Time Series, Topological Maps, and Vision.

Detailed descriptions of previous workshops may be found at:
http://nips.cc/Conferences/2009/Program/schedule.php?Session=Workshops
There will be six hours of workshop meetings per day, split into
morning and afternoon sessions, with free time between the sessions
for ongoing individual exchange or outdoor activities. Selected
workshops may be invited to submit proceedings for publication in the
post-NIPS workshops monographs series published by the MIT Press.

Workshop organizers have several responsibilities, including:

* Coordinating workshop participation and content, including arranging
short informal presentations by experts, arranging for expert
commentators to sit on discussion panels, formulating discussion
topics, etc.

* Providing the program for the workshop in a timely manner for the workshop
booklet.

* Moderating the discussion, and reporting its findings and conclusions
to the group during the evening plenary sessions.

* Writing a brief summary and/or coordinating submitted material for
post-conference electronic dissemination.

Submission Instructions

A nips.cc account is required to submit the Workshops application. Please
follow the url below and check the required format for the application well
before the deadline for workshop proposals. You can edit your application
online right up until the deadline.

Interested parties must submit a proposal by 23:59 UTC on July 2, 2010
(note that this deadline is earlier than previous years, to allow
workshops more time for their calls for submissions). Proposals should
be submitted electronically at the following url:

https://nips.cc/Workshops

Preference will be given to workshops that reserve a significant
portion of time for open discussion or panel discussion, as opposed to
a pure “mini-conference” format.

We suggest that organizers allocate at least 50% of the workshop
schedule to questions, discussion, and breaks. Past experience
suggests that workshops otherwise degrade into mini-conferences as
talks begin to run over. For the same reason, we strongly recommend
that each workshop include no more than 12 talks per day.

NIPS does not provide travel funding for workshop speakers. In the
past, some workshops have sought and received funding from external
sources to bring in outside speakers. In any case, the organizers of
each accepted workshop can name two individuals to receive free
registration for the workshop program.

Neil D. Lawrence
University of Manchester
NIPS*2010 Workshops Chair