ACM MemberNet - March 30, 2017

Welcome to the March 2017 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 past issues of MemberNet online at http://www.acm.org/membership/acm-membernet-archive and older issues at http://membernet.acm.org.

Read coverage of ACM in the news media.

Is there a person, event, or issue you'd like to see covered? Please email [email protected].

March 30, 2017

TOP STORIES

AWARDS

MEMBER RECOGNITION

SIG AWARDS

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

PUBLIC POLICY

MEMBER PROGRAMS

LEARNING CENTER

ACM CAREER & JOB CENTER AND CSTA JOB BOARD

EDUCATION

STUDENT NEWS

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS PROGRAM

CHAPTERS NEWS

ACM-W NEWS

PUBLICATIONS NEWS

ACM FYI

ACM IN THE NEWS

TOP STORIES

50 Years of the ACM Turing Award Celebration to Be Live Streamed

For the 50 Years of the ACM Turing Award Celebration, June 23 to 24, 2017, ACM has planned lively moderated discussions exploring how computing has evolved and where the field is headed. Panel sessions that include Turing Award laureates and other ACM award recipients and experts will cover a range of topics, from Moore's Law to quantum computing. We hope you can join us via the web—we will be live streaming the sessions in real time. More information is available on the Turing Award 50 program website.

AWARDS

ACM and CSTA Announce Cutler-Bell Prize Student Winners

ACM and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) have announced the 2016-2017 winners of the Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing. Three high school students were selected from among a pool of graduating high school seniors throughout the US. Eligible students applied for the award by submitting a project/artifact that engages modern technology and computer science. A panel of judges then selected the recipients based on the ingenuity, complexity, relevancy and originality of their projects.

The winners—whose work ranged from using data to study refugee migration models; to determining type and quantity of protein components in biological samples; to a software program that evaluates students' understanding of curriculum components—were:

  • Elizabeth Hu, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)
  • Avi Swartz, Cherry Creek High School for Computational Biology (Colorado)
  • Aaron Walter, Yorkville High School for Computer Science (Illinois)

David Cutler, a software engineer, and Gordon Bell, an electrical engineer, established the award in 2015. Each Cutler-Bell Prize winner receives a $10,000 cash prize. This year's recipients will be formally recognized at the Computer Science Teachers Association's annual conference, July 8-11. Read the news release.

NCWIT Honors Turing Award Laureate Barbara Liskov with Pioneer in Tech Award

The National Center for Women & Information Technology has named MIT's Barbara Liskov the 2017 recipient of the NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award. The award recognizes technical women whose lifetime contributions have significantly impacted the landscape of technological innovation. She will receive the award at the 2017 NCWIT Summit on Women and IT. Liskov is the 2008 ACM A.M. Turing Award laureate.

Award Nomination Deadlines: Gordon Bell and George Michael

The ACM Gordon Bell Prize is awarded each year to recognize outstanding achievement in high performance computing. Finalists present their work each November at the annual SC Conference, and the award is presented at the SC Awards Ceremony accompanied by a prize of $10,000. Nominations are due April 15.

The ACM-IEEE-CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowship honors exceptional PhD students throughout the world whose research focus is on high-performance computing applications, networking, storage, or large-scale data analysis using the most powerful computers that are currently available. The awards are presented each November at the annual SC Conference. Each fellowship is accompanied by an honorarium of $5,000 plus travel expenses to attend the conference. Nominations are due May 1.

MEMBER RECOGNITION

Call for ACM Senior Member Nominations

The Senior Member advanced grade of membership 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 deadline for nominations is June 3.

SIG AWARDS

ACM President Vicki Hanson Elected to 2017 CHI Academy

ACM President and Rochester Institute of Technology Distinguished Professor Vicki Hanson has been elected to the ACM CHI Academy, an honorary group of individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of human-computer interaction. With this honor, Hanson joins principal leaders of the field whose efforts have shaped the disciplines and industry of HCI. Read RIT's news release.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

CPS Week 2017, April 18 to 21, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Cyber-Physical Systems Week brings together five top conferences: Hybrid Systems, Cyber-Physical Systems (with IEEE), IoT, Information Processing in Sensor Networks, and Real-Time and Embedded Technology and Applications (with IEEE). In addition, there will be 11 workshops covering cyber-physical systems research and competitions and various exhibitions from both industry and academia.

L@S 2017, April 20 to 21, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Fourth Annual ACM Conference on Learning at Scale promotes scientific exchange of interdisciplinary research at the intersection of the learning sciences and computer science. Topics covered will include creative learning, equal opportunities in MOOCs, and coding. Bror Saxberg, Chief Learning Officer at Kaplan, Inc., will keynote.

CHI 2017, May 6 to 11, Denver, Colorado

This year's ACM CHI Conference on Human-Computer Interaction will feature CHI Stories, a new venue where researchers will share unique experiences and ideas that have transformed and inspired them. Scheduled keynoters are Neri Oxman (MIT Media Lab), Ben Shneiderman (University of Maryland; ACM Fellow), Wael Ghonim (Harvard University and Quora), and writer Nicholas Carr on "Computers, Automation and the Human Future."

ICSE 2017, May 20 to 28, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The 39th International Conference on Software Engineering will convene the top minds in software engineering research, practice and education to discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and experiences. Scheduled keynoters include Communications of the ACM Editor-in-Chief Moshe Vardi, Executive Director of the Eclipse Foundation Mike Milinkovich, and ACM Fellow Pamela Zave, of AT&T Laboratories-Research and Princeton University.

DocEng 2017, September 4 to 7, Malta (Call for Papers)

The ACM Symposium on Document Engineering is seeking original research papers that focus on the design, implementation, development, management, use and evaluation of advanced systems where document and document collections play a key role. DocEng emphasizes innovative approaches to document engineering technology, use of documents and document collections in real world applications, novel principles, tools and processes that improve our ability to create, manage, maintain, share, and productively use these. This year's conference in particular seeks works pertaining to historical documents related, but not limited to, archives, restoration, digitization and processing of large volumes of documents. Visit the website for deadlines and the submissions page for more information.

ACM Europe Conference 2017, September 6 to 8, Barcelona, Spain

The inaugural ACM Europe Conference will be a truly international event, bringing together computer scientists and practitioners from around the world. A celebration of the ACM European Fellows and a talk by 2012 Turing Award laureate Silvio Micali are also planned. The two main themes of the conference are High Performance Computing and Cybersecurity. In addition, co-located meetings will include:

  • ACM Europe Celebration of Women in Computing: WomENcourage 2017 (Requires registration fee)
  • European Network on High Performance and Embedded Architecture and Compilation (HiPEAC)
  • European Extreme Data & Computing Initiative (EXCDI)
  • Eurolab-4-HPC

For more information and to register for this free event, please visit the ACM Europe Conference website.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2017, November 27 to 30, Bangkok, Thailand (Call for Papers)

The 10th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia invites professionals in research, animation, art, hardware, software, visualization, games, visual effects, virtual reality, augmented reality, high performance computing, computer graphics and interactive techniques to submit papers, posters, art, animation, courses, workshops and other creative works. Visit the submitters page for more information and a complete list of deadlines.

PUBLIC POLICY

USACM Comments on NTIA Green Paper on Internet of Things

On March 13 USACM issued comments on the the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's green paper, “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things.” It expressed support for the Department's principle to ensure the IoT environment is inclusive and widely accessible to consumers, workers, and business, and affirmed its commitment to working with the Department to ensure that IoT policy approaches foster digital inclusiveness, accessibility, and usability.

ACM Cybersecurity Education Group Testifies at Congressional Hearing

On February 14, the ACM Joint Task Force on Cybersecurity Education received public policy attention at a congressional hearing on “Strengthening US Cybersecurity Capabilities.” The hearing before the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology aimed to review and discuss cybersecurity policy recommendations provided by recent reports. In her testimony, Joint Task Force Co-Chair Diana Burley strongly urged the federal government to leverage the efforts of the ACM Joint Task Force, namely the CSEC2017 curriculum guidance.

ACM Sponsors Data Sciences Education Roundtable at NAS

ACM is sponsoring a new three-year initiative by the National Academies of Sciences on data science postsecondary education. A series of roundtable discussions will bring together representatives from academia, industry, funding agencies, and professional societies to explore the transformative impacts of data, the needs of the diverse data science communities, the implications for employers, and ways to define and strengthen postsecondary education programs and opportunities for students.

MEMBER PROGRAMS

Become an Ambassador for ACM—You Could Be a Grand Prize Winner!

The Ambassadors for ACM program rewards ACM members like you for encouraging new members to join. Your first-hand experience with ACM's valuable career development and continuous learning programs makes you a perfect envoy to share your ACM experiences with prospective members. The Ambassadors for ACM program offers opportunities for you to earn new prizes, rewards and bonus gifts with each referral. Submit the ACM Referral Form, and your referrals can join ACM at a special discount rate. Our members are our greatest asset. Your support of ACM is critical to our continuing efforts to advance computing as a science and a profession. Please consider becoming an Ambassador for ACM.

FreshBooks is refreshingly easy-to-use, small business accounting software that makes billing painless. Designed with a non-accountant in mind, easily create and send invoices, track time, automatically import expenses and accept payments online, all from your phone or the web. To sign up for an extended 60-day trial of FreshBooks, click here. Feel free to call FreshBooks at 1-866-303-6061 for a free orientation or email [email protected] with any questions you may have.

ACM and SocialCoder Team Up for Positive Impact through Computing

You can use your technical skills for social good and offer volunteer support on software development projects to organizations who could not otherwise afford it. SocialCoder connects volunteer programmers/software developers with registered charities and helps match them to suitable projects based on their skills, experience, and the causes they care about. Learn more about ACM's partnership with SocialCoder, and how you can get involved.

LEARNING CENTER

Watch April 7 Webcast on Blockchain and Cybersecurity with Mark Mueller-Eberstein

Register to watch the next free ACM webinar, The Next Radical Internet Transformation: How Blockchain Technology Is Transforming Business, Governments, Computing, and Security Models, to be presented by Mark Mueller-Eberstein, entrepreneur, investor, consultant, best-selling author, and professor at Rutgers University's Business School, on April 7 at 12 p.m. ET. ACM Learning Webinars are free with registration, available for streaming on all major mobile devices, and are recorded for on-demand viewing.

New Skillsoft Books and Videos

New books covering the latest IT skills and technologies are always being added to the ACM Skillsoft Learning Collections. New titles recently added to our library cover Algorithms and Models for Network Data and Link Analysis; CompTIA A+ Certification; Raspberry Pi GPU; LinkedIn Profile Optimization; Windows 10 for the Internet of Things; and much more.

ACM members have access to thousands of IT and productivity videos from Skillsoft. Covering a variety of today's hottest topics, these videos offer "on-the-job" support and "just-in-time" solutions for busy practitioners. Recently, Skillsoft added significant video content in the following knowledge areas: Hibernate with Oracle; Microsoft Windows 10; and QlikView.

Visit the Skillsoft Learning Collections page for more information on books and videos. Visit the Skillsoft videos page for a more comprehensive list of recently added book and video titles (see sidebar).

ACM CAREER & JOB CENTER AND CSTA JOB BOARD

ACM's Career & Job Center and CSTA Job Board Offer Indispensable Job Search Tools

Be sure to visit ACM's Career & Job Center to update your résumé or create a new one in the Résumé Bank, so that employers can find you. ACM members' résumés include an ACM logo on their entry, highlighting their ACM membership to employers. You can also upgrade to a Preferred Résumé to keep it at the top of the Résumé Bank, highlighted with a star next to it for increased visibility ($25 for 90 days). Log in to ACM's Job Board and post your résumé today.

Computer Science Teachers Association members: Be sure to visit the CSTA Job Board to create and upload your résumé to the Résumé Bank so that employers find you. Log in and post your résumé today!

ACM and CSTA members: Set up job alerts specifying your skills, interests, and location to receive email notifications when a job is posted that matches your criteria. For more information about the ACM Career & Job Center or CSTA Job Board, please email [email protected].

EDUCATION

CRA Report Shows Surge in Computer Science Enrollments

In 2015-16, the Computing Research Association (CRA) conducted a survey to examine enrollment trends and their impact on CS programs. The survey was administered in parallel with CRA’s Taulbee Survey of doctoral-granting programs and ACM’s NDC Study of non-doctoral programs. The report, Generation CS: CS Enrollments Surge Since 2006, is now available.

STUDENT NEWS

Applications for ACM SIGHPC/Intel Computational and Data Science Fellowships Due April 30

If you are a graduate student in data science and computational science, you are encouraged to apply for an international program of graduate fellowships created by SIGHPC, ACM's Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing, and Intel. The ACM SIGHPC/Intel Computational and Data Science Fellowships aim to increase diversity in these fields. The deadline for applications is April 30. Each fellowship recipient will receive a stipend prior to the start of their first academic term after August 1, and will be recognized formally at the annual SC conference awards presentation in November.

Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions: Submission Deadlines

ACM Student Research Competitions (SRCs), sponsored by Microsoft Research, offer a unique forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original research at well-known ACM sponsored and co-sponsored conferences before a panel of judges and attendees. The most recent SRC winners presented at SIGCSE 2017. The next conferences accepting submissions are:

Learn more about competitions on the SRC submissions page and SRC guidelines for students.

ACM Scholarships for Women Computing Students to Attend Research Conferences

The ACM Women's Council (ACM-W) provides support for women undergraduate or graduate students in computer science and related programs who wish to attend research conferences. This exposure to the computer science research world can encourage a student to continue on to the next level (Undergraduate to Graduate, Masters to Ph.D., Ph.D. to an industry or academic position). For application form, notification dates and more information, please visit the scholarships page.

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, including free online books and courses and access to ACM's Career & Job Center. 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 form, or by following the instructions on the paper renewal form. For more information, visit the Reasons to Transition to Professional Membership page.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS PROGRAM

About the ACM Distinguished Speakers Program

Book the speaker for your next event through the ACM Distinguished Speakers Program (DSP) and deliver compelling and insightful content to your audience. ACM will cover the cost of transportation for the speaker to travel to your event. Our program features renowned thought leaders in academia, industry and government speaking about the most important topics in the computing and IT world today. Our booking process is simple and convenient.

This month's featured speaker is Haitham S. Hamza. Haitham is an Associate Professor of Information Technology at Cairo University, and the R&D Department Manager at the Software Engineering Competence Center of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency. In 2015, he established the first ACM professional chapter in Cairo and currently serves as its treasurer. He also served as the Program Chair of the 2nd Africa and Middle East Conference on Software Engineering (AMECSE 2016) organized in cooperation with ACM SIGSOFT. Haitham established and currently manages the Open Data Institute (ODI) Cairo Node in Egypt as part of the ODI HQ in London, and serves as the National Contact Point (NCP) for ICT for the H2020 EU funding progam in Egypt. He is a Senior Member of ACM.
For more information on Haitham, please visit his DSP speaker information page.
Haitham Hamza's Digital Library author page.

ACM, IEEE Computer Society Share Distinguished Speakers Programs

IEEE-CS and ACM are sharing their invited speaker programs, to further the dissemination of technical knowledge of computing fields that greatly benefit both memberships. IEEE-CS chapter volunteers can host a speaker from ACM's Distinguished Speakers Program (DSP), with access to top technology leaders and innovators from nearly every sector of the computing industry, by following the instructions on the DSP site. Make sure you identify yourself as an IEEE Computer Society Chapter.

IEEE-CS provides a popular offering of first-quality speakers serving its professional and student chapters. The Distinguished Visitors Program (DVP) owes its success to the many volunteers and staff members of the Computer Society who generously contribute their time and talent. Organizers of an ACM chapter, conference, or event can host a speaker from IEEE-CS's DVP by following the instructions on the DVP site. Make sure you identify yourself as an ACM chapter or event.

CHAPTERS NEWS

Applications for ACM Student Chapter Excellence Awards Due April 20

The ACM Student Chapter Excellence Awards recognize outstanding ACM student chapters. All student chapters in good standing are encouraged to apply for this award in five key areas:

  • Chapter Activities
  • Chapter Website
  • Recruitment Program
  • Community Service
  • School Service

Winning chapters in each of these categories will receive $500 and a "best of" icon to proudly display on their chapter's website. Also, these chapters will be recognized on the ACM website and in ACM MemberNet. To be considered for one or more of these awards, ACM student chapters must submit an application to [email protected] by April 20. Please be sure to abide by the 500-word maximum for the essay portion. If your essay is longer, it will be truncated and only the first 500 words will be submitted to the judges. For complete details, please visit the ACM Student Chapter Excellence Awards page.

Welcome New ACM Chapters

Chapters are the "local neighborhoods" of ACM. The regional ACM Professional, Student, ACM-W, and Special Interest Group (SIG) chapters around the globe involve members locally in competitions, seminars, lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities. ACM welcomes new chapters that were chartered February 8 to March 14, 2017:

ACM Student Chapters:

  • Amrita School of Engineering/Bangalore ACM-W Student Chapter, Bangalore, India
  • Arkansas State University ACM Student Chapter, Jonesboro
  • Cogswell College ACM Student Chapter, San Jose, California
  • CSU Monterey Bay ACM Student Chapter, California State University, Seaside
  • DYPCOE ACM-W Student Chapter, D.Y. Patil College of Engineering, Pune, India
  • Fisk University ACM-W Student Chapter, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Johns Hopkins University ACM-W Student Chapter, Baltimore, Maryland
  • M.J.P. Rohilkhand University ACM Student Chapter, Bareilly, India
  • SKCET ACM Student Chapter, Sri Krishna College of Engineering & Technology, Coimbatore, India
  • St. Joseph's College of Engineering and Technology, Palai ACM Student Chapter, Kottayam, India
  • Suez Canal University ACM Student Chapter, Ismailia, Egypt
  • Transylvania University ACM Student Chapter, Lexington, Kentucky
  • Union County College ACM Student Chapter, Cranford, New Jersey
  • University of California San Diego ACM-W Student Chapter, La Jolla
  • University of South Asia ACM Student Chapter, Lahore, Pakistan
  • University of Tulsa ACM SIGGRAPH Student Chapter, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Utah State University ACM Student Chapter, Logan
  • Valley City State University ACM Student Chapter, Valley City, North Dakota

ACM Professional Chapters:

  • China ACM SIGAI Chapter, Chengdu
  • Dhaka ACM SIGCHI Chapter, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • German ACM SIGCHI Chapter, Stuttgart
  • Harbin ACM-W Chapter, Harbin, China
  • SIGHPC Systems Professionals ACM Chapter, Argonne Illinois
  • Singapore ACM SIGKDD Chapter, Singapore

ACM-W NEWS

Ohio Celebration Sees Record Attendance

Two hundred women studying computer science at 40 universities and colleges across Ohio were among the record-setting 300 attendees of OCWiC 2017 who gathered in Huron on February 24 and 25. Community college, undergraduate and graduate students connected with other female students, networked with women mentors from industry, learned about career challenges and job opportunities, and advanced their technical knowledge.

In keynote talks, Margaret Burnett spoke about her 10 years of research on gender-inclusive software, specifically the GenderMag project. She is a Distinguished Professor at Oregon State University, an ACM Distinguished Scientist, and an ACM CHI Academy member. Ruthe Farmer's talk was titled "Championing Change: Building the Movement for Computer Science for All." Since 2001, Farmer has focused her career on diversity and inclusion in tech and engineering. She previously served as Chief Strategy and Growth Officer and K-12 Alliance Director at the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).

Panel sessions focused on career options for women in industry, academia and research. A career fair allowed students to talk directly with industry sponsors about internship and job opportunities. At the student research poster competition, students showcased their research, exchanged ideas, and improved their communication skills, while competing for prizes. Winners in the undergraduate and graduate student categories won scholarships to the Grace Hopper Celebration in October. Informal birds-of-a-feather sessions, workshops, and technical papers allowed students to learn about efforts to improve diversity, teach computer science to youth, and gain technical skills from their female peers. Friday evening events concluded with a dance party, complete with games and a photo booth.

OCWiC 2017 concluded with an announcement of the formation of a new project, the Ohio Community of Women in Computing. This new community will serve as a resource and clearinghouse for companies, schools and clubs that want to broaden participation in computing and provide ongoing activity and support for Ohio women in computing between Celebration events. Learn more about this exciting new venture by visiting the OCWiC website.

If you are considering organizing an event or you would like to know more about ACM Celebrations, please feel free to contact Wendy Powley, Chair of the Celebrations Committee.

Join ACM-W's Membership Email List

Did you know that ACM-W offers a general email distribution list for its members? This ACMW-public list is a communication channel for disseminating general information about ACM-W, bulletins and upcoming events. To join the list: http://signup.acm.org/listserv_index.cfm?ln=ACM-W-PUBLIC. Also read the ACM-W Connections newsletter for updates on ACM-W programs: local celebrations, scholarships and awards, chapters, and more.

PUBLICATIONS NEWS

ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software Welcomes New Editor-in-Chief

ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS) welcomes Daniel Kressner as its Editor-in-Chief. The appointment is from March 1, 2017 to February 29, 2020. Daniel is an Associate Professor and Chair of Numerical Algorithms and High-Performance Computing at EPF Lausanne.

ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems and ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems Seeking New Editors-in-Chief

ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems (TAAS) is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief. Nominations are due April 7. For more information please visit the TAAS nominations page.

ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (TMIS) is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief. Nominations are due April 15. For more information please visit the TMIS nominations page.

ACM Transactions on Social Computing Accepting Submissions

The new ACM journal ACM Transactions on Social Computing (TSC) is accepting submissions on work that covers the full spectrum of social computing including theoretical, empirical, systems, and design research contributions.

acmqueue Presents: "MongoDB's JavaScript Fuzzer"

Robert Guo at MongoDB describes the fuzzing tool they built in JavaScript as part of their EverGreen testing system. "Fuzzing, or fuzz testing, is a technique for generating randomized, unexpected, and invalid input to a program to trigger untested code paths. As people have attempted to make fuzzing more effective, two philosophies have emerged: smart and dumb fuzzing. As the state of the art evolves, the techniques that are used to implement fuzzers are being partitioned into categories, chief among them being generational and mutational. In many popular fuzzing tools, smart fuzzing corresponds to generational techniques, and dumb fuzzing to mutational techniques, but this is not an intrinsic relationship."

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM, the computing industry's most trusted source for news, analysis and insights! Non-members can use our online form and receive a new ACM membership with your 12-month subscription, or request a sample issue using our online free trial issue form.

ACM FYI

ACM's Copyright Policy: "Permission to copy and distribute this document is hereby granted provided that this notice is retained on all copies, that copies are not altered, and that ACM is credited when the material is used to form other copyright policies."

Copyright © 2017, ACM, Inc.