ACM MemberNet - June 28, 2007
Welcome to the June edition of ACM MemberNet, bringing you the world of ACM and beyond. Explore the many facets of ACM with our newsletter of member activities and events. Read MemberNet online at http://membernet.acm.org/
Read TechNews, ACM's digest of news and information for IT professionals published three times a week.
Published biweekly, ACM CareerNews provides summaries of articles on career-related topics in the computing field.
Awards
- ACM Awards Banquet Celebrates Computing’s Top Achievers
- ACM, IEEE-CS Honor Leader of Computer Architecture Research Center
- Call for ACM Senior Member, Distinguished Engineer/Scientist/Member, Fellows Nominations
- ACM SIG Awards Recognize Achievements in Diverse Fields
Conferences and Events - SIGGRAPH 2007 to Feature Experts from “Spider-Man 3” Special Effects Team
- Apply for Grants to Attend SC07 Supercomputing Conference
- GECCO 2007 to Explore Genetic and Evolutionary Computation
- KDD 2007 to Cover Data Mining
Member Benefits - Online Books and Courses: What's Popular
- ACM Adds Four New Offerings to Insurance Program
- Take Advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership Plan
- Member-Get-A-Member Drive Closes June 30; New Drive Coming Soon!
Public Policy - USACM Members Neumann, Anton Warn Congress of Security Risks to Privacy of Personal Data
Publications News - Great Summer Reading: Classic Books in the Digital Library!
- New Editors-in-Chief for interactions
- ACM Queue Reveals "Seven Deadly Sins of Linux Security"
- ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage Call for Papers
- ACM Seeks Missing SIG Newsletters for Digital Library
Student News - Graduating Students Eligible for Special Transition Rate
- SC07 Supercomputing Conference Cluster Challenge Open to Undergraduates
- Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions Call for Submissions
- ACM-W Student Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences
ACM in the News - "Planned Worker ID Called Vulnerable"
- "SSNs at Risk in Government Records, Lawmakers Say"
Awards
ACM Awards Banquet Celebrates Computing’s Top Achievers
The annual ACM Awards Banquet, held at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California on June 9, celebrated the best and brightest computing innovators and innovations.
ACM, IEEE-CS Honor Leader of Computer Architecture Research Center
ACM and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) jointly presented the Eckert-Mauchly Award to Mateo Valero for his leadership in building a world class computer architecture research center and his research in computer architecture. Valero, who teaches at the Technical University of Catalonia in Spain, is director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, which opened in April 2005. He received the 2007 Eckert-Mauchly Award, known as the most prestigious award in the computer architecture community, at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) on June 12 in San Diego, California. The Eckert-Mauchly Award comes with a $5,000 prize. Read the press release and award citation.
Call for ACM Senior Member, Distinguished Engineer/Scientist/Member, Fellows Nominations
ACM now has three member grades to recognize achievement:
Senior Member recognizes ACM members with at least 10 years of professional experience and 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who have demonstrated performance and accomplishment that set them apart from their peers. Nominations are accepted on a quarterly basis. The next deadline for nominations is August 31, 2007.
The Distinguished Engineer/Scientist/Member designation recognizes ACM members with at least 15 years of professional experience and 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who have demonstrated significant accomplishments or made a significant impact on the computing field. The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2007.
Fellows are outstanding ACM members with at least 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who are recognized for their technical, professional and leadership contributions that advance the objectives of ACM and the field as a whole. The deadline for nominations is September 9, 2007.
ACM SIG Awards Recognize Achievements in Diverse Fields
ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) regularly cite outstanding individuals for their contributions in more than 30 distinct technological fields. Some awards presented at recent conferences were:- SIGDA Awards for Best Paper, Distinguished Service, Outstanding Dissertation, and Outstanding New Faculty
- SIGMOD Awards: Innovations (Edgar F. Codd), Contributions, Test of Time, Best Paper, and Doctoral Dissertation
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- SIGPLAN Awards: Programming Language Achievement, Distinguished Service, Most Influential PLDI Paper, and Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation
Conferences and Events
SIGGRAPH 2007 to Feature Experts from "Spider-Man 3" Special Effects Team
"Face Tomorrow" is the theme of SIGGRAPH 2007, the conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH. With its paper presentations, exhibits, Computer Animation Festival, art gallery and technical and creative workshops, the conference is expected to draw more than 25,000 attendees. Speakers will include experts from the special effects team for “Spider-Man 3”; Glenn Entis, Senior Vice President, Chief Visual and Technical Officer, Electronic Arts; Scott McCloud, author and comics artist; and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, Director, Center for Brain and Cognition and Professor of Psychology and Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego. SIGGRAPH 2007 is scheduled for August 5 to 9 in San Diego, California.
Apply for Grants to Attend SC07 Supercomputing Conference
The Broader Engagement Initiative seeks to broaden the engagement of individuals from groups that have traditionally been under-represented in high performance computing. In addition to complementary registration to SC07, the International Conference for High Performance Computing Networking, Storage and Analysis, taking place November 10 to 16 in Reno, Nevada, grant recipients will be reimbursed for expenses for lodging and transportation, up to an agreed-upon amount. Applications are encouraged from those in all computing-related disciplines, including those with backgrounds in research, education, and industry. The deadline is June 29. Successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance by August 1. For more information, visit the BE Web site or send email to .
GECCO 2007 to Explore Genetic and Evolutionary Computation
GECCO 2007, the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, will present the latest high-quality results in the growing field of genetic and evolutionary computation.Topics include genetic algorithms, genetic programming, evolution strategies, evolutionary programming, real-world applications, learning classifier systems and other genetics-based machine learning, evolvable hardware, artificial life, and adaptive behavior. The conference will be held July 7 to 11 at University College London and is sponsored by SIGEVO, ACM’s Special Interest Group on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation. Onsite registration is available.
KDD 2007 to Cover Data Mining
The International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining KDD 2007) will offer workshops on many aspects of Data Mining, including applications in the fields of advertising and bioinformatics; knowledge discovery from sensor data; privacy and security; Web mining and social network analysis; and multimedia. The conference will be held August 12 to 15 in San Jose, California and is sponsored by SIGKDD, ACM’s Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. Registration is now open.
Member Benefits
Online Books and Courses: What's Popular
Several thousand ACM members have already taken advantage of the 2,200 online technology and business courses, available through SkillSoft. Some of the most popular technology courses are:- Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with UML
- Web Service-Oriented Architecture
- Web Design
- GUI Java
- J2EE Architecture
- Linux-related
- XML
- C#
Thousands of members also reference the 1,100 electronic books available from Books 24x7 (for ACM Student and Professional Members) and Safari (for ACM Professional Members). Some of the most widely referenced Books 24x7 E-Books are on contemporary technology and techniques, such as:- Ruby on Rails
- Ajax
- UML
- Python
- software architecture
- design patterns
Visit the Online Books and Courses home page for more information.
ACM Adds Four New Offerings to Insurance Program
ACM is pleased to announce the addition of four new plans to the ACM Insurance Program. The new offerings are Group 10 or 20 Year Level Term Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Group Dental Insurance. Visit the insurance page to learn more about these programs, and all of ACM’s Insurance Program plans.
Take Advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership Plan
ACM Professional Members can enjoy the convenience of making a single payment for their entire tenure as an ACM Member, and also be protected from future price increases by taking advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership option. Pricing for ACM Lifetime Membership is based on age and current dues rates, and the option to include the ACM Digital Library is also available. ACM Lifetime Membership dues may be tax deductible under certain circumstances (please consult with your tax advisor).
Member-Get-A-Member Drive Closes June 30; New Drive Coming Soon!
ACM’s 2006/2007 Member-Get-A-Member Recruitment Drive will be coming to a close on June 30, 2007. Many thanks to all who participated and helped to make this our most successful drive to date! Look for our new 2007/2008 Member-Get-A-Member Recruitment to launch later this summer! Visit the ACM Member-Get-a-Member Drive page for updates.
Public Policy
USACM Members Neumann, Antón Warn Congress of Security Risks to Privacy of Personal Data
At two Congressional hearings, ACM US Public Policy Committee (USACM) members Peter G. Neumann and Ana Antón warned of potential threats to the privacy and integrity of personal data. On June 7, Neumann stressed that many risks confront the complex systems requiring employers to submit identifying information on current and prospective employees, as envisioned in pending legislation. He urged Congress to create the right incentives for operators and employers to maximize US immigration laws that mandate employee eligibility verification while minimizing privacy and security risks to individuals. The pending legislation includes provisions to expand the Employee Eligibility Verification System (EEVS). Read the press release.
On June 21, Antón, an advisor to the Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, proposed policies that combine business procedures and information technology to help protect social security numbers (SSNs) and reduce the nation’s reliance on them for personal identification. She urged Congress to strengthen the privacy of SSNs to prevent the resulting fraud that has become increasingly commonplace. Read the press release.
More information on these testimonies can be found on USACM’s Web site.
Publications News
Great Summer Reading: Classic Books in the Digital Library!
Many of the 25 computer science Classic Books you voted for as your "favorites" are now available in a special collection in the Digital Library. ACM members can log in with their Web account user name and password to read the full texts in PDF format. Abstracts and bibliographies are also available. Summer is the perfect time to read (or re-read) classic works by Kenneth Iverson, Edsger Dijkstra, Seymour Papert, Dorothy Denning, E. F. Codd, and other authors. More titles will be added as they become available.
New Editors-in-Chief for interactions Named
Jon Kolko and Richard Anderson have been named Co-Editors-in-Chief for ACM’s interactions magazine for a three- year term beginning January 1, 2008. Kolko has been a professor of industrial and interaction design at Savannah College of Art & Design and an interaction designer for various companies. He has also been involved in the CHI conferences. Anderson is a user experience management consultant.
ACM Queue Reveals "Seven Deadly Sins of Linux Security"
Security is always a hot topic at ACM Queue, but things really heat up this month in Bob Toxen’s article, The Seven Deadly Sins of Linux Security. Adapted from chapters in his acclaimed book Real World Linux Security: Intrusion, Detection, Prevention, and Recovery, Toxen discusses seven, easy-to-avoid security no-nos for Linux and Unix system administrators.
ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage Call for Papers
ACM's new Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage (JOCCH) is seeking papers on the use of information and communications technology in support of Cultural Heritage, such as on-site and remotely sensed data collection; metadata, classification schema, ontologies and semantic processing; and intelligent tools for digital reconstruction. Visit the JOCCH Web site for more information.
ACM Seeks Missing SIG Newsletters for Digital Library
ACM is seeking to complete its Digital Library archive of Special Interest Group (SIG) newsletters. Please review the spreadsheet of missing SIG newsletter issues and, if you have any of the ones on the list, contact Craig Rodkin with your list and for shipping details. Be sure to let Craig know if you'd like the newsletters returned to you.
Student News
Graduating Students Eligible for Special Transition Rate
ACM offers a special ACM Professional Membership for $49 USD (regularly $99) to help graduating students make the transition to professional careers, and take advantage of continuous learning opportunities. This one-year-only transition rate includes all the benefits of Professional Membership plus the option of purchasing a Digital Library subscription for $50. Recent graduates can access this special transition offer through ACM's convenient online renewal, or by following the instructions on the paper renewal form.
SC07 Supercomputing Conference Cluster Challenge Open to Undergraduates
SC07, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, taking place November 10 to 16 in Reno, Nevada, is inviting teams of undergraduate students to participate in the inaugural Cluster Challenge. The SC07 Cluster Challenge is an opportunity for university teams to show off their cluster piloting skills in an international competition. Teams of up to six undergraduates, along with their vendor partners and the cluster architecture the teams, will design and run open source simulations in a head-to-head event to solve real-world computational problems. The deadline to apply is July 31. For more information, visit the Cluster Challenge Web site or send email.
Student Volunteers are also needed for SC07; applications are due August 3. For more information, email [email protected].
Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions Call for Submissions
ACM Student Research Competitions take place at ACM-sponsored conferences throughout the year. The following Student Research Competitions have open calls for participation. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to submit abstracts by the stated deadlines. Students must have valid ACM membership at the time of submission.- MOBICOM (Mobile Computing and Networking), September 9-14
Submission deadline: June 29, 2007 - OOPSLA 2007 (Object-Oriented Programming), October 21-25
Submission deadline: July 2, 2007 - ASSETS (Computers and Accessibility), October 14-17
Submission deadline: July 13, 2007
A program launched by ACM's Committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W) provides support for undergraduate or graduate women students in Computer Science programs who are interested in attending research conferences. It is not required that the student present a paper at the conference she attends. High school students will also be considered for conference support. Initially, up to 12 scholarships of up to $500 each will be awarded annually. ACM-W also encourages the student's home department to match the scholarship award and recognize the student's achievement locally within her department. Applications will be evaluated in four groups each year, in order to distribute awards across a range of conferences, with two to three awards given each quarter. For application form, notification dates and more information, please visit the scholarships page.
ACM in the News
"Planned Worker ID Called Vulnerable"
San Francisco Chronicle, June 25, 2007
USACM member Peter G. Neumann cites failure of government to curtail identity theft.
"SSNs at Risk in Government Records, Lawmakers Say"
SearchSecurity.com, June 22, 2007
USACM Member Ana I. Antón urges stronger authentication methods in place of Social Security numbers for identification.
Read more ACM in the News.
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