SwarmFest:2008
From SwarmWiki
Contents |
SwarmFest 2008
SwarmFest 2008 is coming very soon! Here is everything you need to know.
Back to the main SwarmFest page
Vital information
- Dates: May 11, 2008: Opening Reception. May 12-13, 2008: Scientific Sessions.
- Location: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (see SwarmFest:2008#Location.2C_amenities.2C_and_activities below). The Conference Center is on the 3rd Floor of Feinberg Pavillion, 251 East Huron. Just go up the escalators and you will see it on the 3rd floor.
- Host: Dr. Gary An, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University School of Medicine.
Conference themes and featured speakers
SwarmFest 2008 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. This session will take place on Monday, May 12, and will discuss the growing application of ABM techniques to the problems of cellular metabolism and control, gene regulation, and their effectson the pathophysiology of disease offers this field a powerful paradigm for looking at these issues from a true system-wide approach. Invited speakers in Systems Biology include:
- Gordon Broderick of the Department of Medicine, University of Alberta. Dr. Broderick was the lead developer of the CyberCell Project, and is a pioneer in the application of agent-based modeling in the characterization of intracellular signalling and membrane dynamics.
- Kathleen Sprouffske of the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sprouffske is a member of the Maley laboratory at the Wistar Institute, and is applying evolutionary and ecological theory to neoplastic progression and cancer therapy in order to modulate the evolution of neoplastic cells and thereby prevent cancer and its relapse.
The second special session will take place on Tuesday, May 13, and will address 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. These speakers are expected to include:
- Roshan D'Souza of Michigan Tech. Dr. D'Souza is pioneering the development of software for agent-based modeling on graphics processor units, which feature low cost, high processor performance, and high memory bandwidth.
Members of IBM's Blue Gene Development Team:
- Rajiv D. Bendale, Americas Group Leader for BlueGene Systems. Dr. Bendale will give an introduction to Blue Gene P, one of the most advanced and powerful supercomputers in the world.
- Kirk Jordan, Emerging Solutions Executive, Deep Computing Branch, Systems and Technology Group. Dr. Jordan will discuss some of the specific issues related to ABM model design and implementation on BlueGene P.
Current Program
Click here for the current Program
Location, amenities, and activities
The conference location is within a short walk of both the "Magnificent Mile" shopping and cultural center of Chicago's near north side and the beaches and parks of Lake Michigan. This area is Chicago's most popular visitor destination. Among the attractions nearby are the Museum of Contemporary Art, Water Tower Place and Michigan Avenue stores, Navy Pier, the Chicago Art Institute, Millenium Park, and countless restaurants.
A map of the immediate neighborhood and driving directions are at: http://www.nmh.org/nmh/hospitalguide/map.htm
Information on events and destinations is at: http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_events.htm
Conference registration
Our host has worked very hard to keep the conference cost low. The registration fee is $250 for non-students and $100 for students (through graduate school). Registration includes an opening reception, all conference sessions, coffee and refreshment breaks, lunch for both days and an evening banquet on May 12.
To register for SwarmFest, please [http://www.northwesternevents.com/profile/form/index.cfm?PKformID=0x1977e352 click here to go to our on-line registration system].
We will be accepting on-site registration, however there will be an additional $25 charge to each catagory.
Hotel reservations-- To get Swarmfest rate you must book by April 30, 2008!
Lodging for SwarmFest will be at: Inn of Chicago - Magnificent Mile, 162 E Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60611. The hotel is a short 5 minute walk to the conference site at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The special rates for SwarmFest are $129/night for one bed, $149/night for two beds. This rate applies only for the nights of May 11 and May 12. Conference attendees are of course welcome to arrange their own alternative accommodations.
To reserve accommodation at the conference hotel, you must contact the hotel directly---our conference registration site does not include the hotel reservations. Hotel reservations must be made by calling the hotel toll-free at 1-800-557-2378 and ask for the Swarmfest rate. International registrants can use the hotel's email; see their contact site. If you have any difficulty with this process please send an email to the organizers at: swarmfest2008@swarm.org.
Schedule and deadlines
Here is a summary of important dates.
- April 11: Abstracts are due.
- April 16: Notification of Decisions.
- April 30: Deadline for Swarmfest special rate at the Inn of Chicago
- May 11: Opening social. 7 PM at Timothy O'Tooles at 622 N Fairbanks Ct.
- May 12-13: Technical sessions 8 AM - 6 PM.
- May 12: Conference banquet. 7 PM at The Grand Lux Cafe at 600 N Michigan Ave. The banquet will be sponsored by IBM.
Additional information
If you have any questions or enquiries about SwarmFest, you can send them in an email to the organizers at: swarmfest2008@swarm.org. (This is a moderated list: you will get an automated reply saying that your message is being held for approval. We will respond within a few days.)
