ANN: Trinity College Receives Major HFOSS Funding

Full article

       HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Humanitarian FOSS Project (HFOSS), a collaborative three-college program that creates free open source software (FOSS) for the common good, received a major vote of confidence recently with the awarding of an $800,000, two-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under its Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education program (CPATH).
       Trinity's share of the grant amounts to $467,636, with the balance divided between Wesleyan University and Connecticut College, the two schools that have partnered with Trinity in the development of the free software that benefits the community.
       The funds represent an extension of a half-million dollar grant that the three colleges had already received, bringing the total amount provided by the NSF to roughly $1.3 million. Although it is a collaborative project, HFOSS is based at Trinity and is headed by Ralph Morelli, a professor of computer science. The project director is Trishan R. de Lanerolle.

Full article

Read More

ANN: National Academies Press publications

To view this email as a web page, go here.

Prepare for Disaster and Crisis with Advice from the National Academies Order now and save 20% on ANY of the titles listed below. Use discount code 2XALLE. Discount may not be combined with any other special or applied to previous purchases. Offer expires November 16, 2009. Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations The influenza pandemic caused by the 2009 H1N1 virus underscores the immediate and critical need to prepare for a public health emergency in which thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people suddenly seek and require medical care... More Information Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions Social science research conducted since the late 1970s has contributed greatly to society's ability to mitigate and adapt to natural, technological, and willful disasters. However, as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and other recent events, hazards and disaster research and its application could be improved greatly.... More Information Tools and Methods for Estimating Populations at Risk from Natural Disasters and Complex Humanitarian Crises Worldwide, millions of people are displaced annually because of natural or industrial disasters or social upheaval. Reliable data on the numbers, characteristics, and locations of these populations can bolster humanitarian relief efforts and... More Information Improving Disaster Management: The Role of IT in Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Information technology (IT) has the potential to play a critical role in managing natural and human made disasters. Damage to communications infrastructure, along with other communications problems exacerbated the difficulties in carrying out response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina....  More Information Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management In the past few years the United States has experienced a series of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which have severely taxed and in many cases overwhelmed responding agencies. In all aspects of emergency management, geospatial data and tools have the potential to help save lives, limit damage, and reduce the costs of... ...  More Information Planning for Disaster & Crisis: Proactive Planning for Communities Buy all 5 books and save more!! A $238.50 value for the low price of $171.72. Click here to visit our catalog page. Also of Interest... Mapping the Zone: Improving Flood Map Accuracy Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps portray the height and extent to which flooding is expected to occur, and they form the basis for setting flood insurance premiums and regulating development in the floodplain. As such,... More Information Lessons From Hurricane Katrina The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System:Assessing Pre-Katrina Vulnerability and Improving Mitigation and Preparedness Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina, Workshop Summary Breaking the Cycle: Informing Decisions in a Changing Climate  Download Podcast Subscribe via RSS Become a fan on Facebook Follow NAP on Twitter Copyright © 2009. National Academies Press. 500 Fifth St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Privacy Statement

Read More

[Fwd: CFP: 2nd Workshop on Collaborative Information Seeking (@ CSCW 2010)]

Call for Papers: 2nd Workshop on Collaborative Information Seeking

(in conjunction with CSCW 2010, Savannah, Georgia, February 2010)

- position paper deadline: November 20th, 2009

- workshop date: February 7, 2010

- workshop website: http://workshops.fxpal.com/cscw2010cis/

Although most digital information-seeking tools are designed for solo use, studies have shown that groups of many types (e.g., students, families, and knowledge workers) have shared information needs that are not adequately served by status quo technologies. This workshop seeks to bring together researchers with backgrounds in CSCW, social computing, information retrieval, library sciences, and HCI to discuss the research challenges associated with the emerging field of collaborative information seeking. This workshop will serve as an opportunity to make connections with researchers with diverse backgrounds, to learn about participants' works-in-progress, and to brainstorm on topics of mutual interest, such as developing standardized evaluation tasks for collaborative information seeking systems and considering how new media such as social networking and microblogging tools can play a role in collaborative information seeking.

Questions? Contact the workshop organizers, Meredith Ringel Morris (MSR), Gene Golovchinksy (FXPAL), and Jeremy Pickens (FXPAL) at cscw2010@fxpal.com<mailto:cscw2010@fxpal.com<mailto:cscw2010@fxpal.com%3cmailto:cscw2010@fxpal.com>>. This workshop follows our first Workshop on Collaborative Information Seeking, which took place at JCDL 2008 -- the first workshop resulted in a lot of great ideas and a special issue of Information Processing and Management on CIS, so we are excited to be able to bring this topic to the CSCW venue!

Read More

CFP: UX Magazine: Usable Accessibility: Inclusion, Access, Usability]

UPA's UX Magazine issue for the 2nd quarter of 2010 will be on the theme of

usable accessibility - inclusion, access and usability.

We welcome articles that take a broad view of this theme, including barriers
with access to information technology based on disability, literacy,
availability of technology (including networks and even electricity), and
other geographical, financial, social and cultural barriers.

We prefer practical articles--stories about research methods, case studies
and design solutions that overcome these barriers--or articles that look
forward to solutions.

The schedule is:

1 December 2009 - Article proposals (short summaries of the key
points in your article) due.
1 February 2009 - Articles due
May, 2009 - Issue published

UX Magazine articles are typically between 750 and 2500 words. They are
written in an active, personal voice. Authors work with a member of the
editorial board to prepare their articles for publication.

For more information about UX Magazine editorial guidelines

http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/upa_publications/user_experience/editorial/

(Feel free to forward and/or to contact me for more information)

Susan Dray
Director of Publications
Usability Professionals' Association

Read More

CFP: CATaC'10 - Vancouver, Canada

On behalf of the Local and Program Chairs, and the CATaC Executive
Committee, we are very pleased to pass on to you the Call for Papers for
CATaC (Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication) 2010,
"Diffusion 2.0: Computing, mobility, and the next generations".

Venue: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Dates: 15-18 June 2010

Papers Due: 18 January 2010

The CATaC conference series provides a premier international forum for current research on how diverse cultural attitudes shape the implementation and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The conference series brings together scholars from around the globe who provide diverse perspectives, both in terms of the specific culture(s) they highlight in their presentations and discussions, and in terms of the discipline(s) through which they approach the conference theme.

CATaC'10 will feature keynote addresses by Dr Linc Kesler (First Nations Studies, The University of British Columbia) and Dr John Willinsky (Stanford University School of Education).

Original full papers (especially those which connect theoretical frameworks with specific examples of cultural values and practices) and short papers (e.g. describing current research projects and preliminary

results) are invited. Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to:

- Mobile technologies in developing countries

- New layers of imaging and texting interactions fostering and/or threatening cultural diversity

- Theoretical and practical approaches to analyzing "culture"

- Impact of mobile technologies on privacy and surveillance

- Gender, sexuality and identity issues in social networks

- Cultural diversity in e-learning and/or m-learning

Both short (3-5 pages) and long (10-15 pages) original papers are sought.

See "submissions" on the conference website - http://www.catacconference.org - for information about submitting papers and formatting guidelines.

The conference web site also provides further details regarding accommodations, submission procedures, etc.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to welcoming you to Vancouver in 2010!

Local Co-Chair: Leah Macfadyen (UBC)

Local Co-Chair: Kenneth Reeder (UBC)

Program Chair: Herbert Hrachovec (University of Vienna)

Executive Committee: Lorna Heaton (Université de Montréal, Canada) Maja van der Velden (University of Oslo, Norway)

Fay Sudweeks (Co-Chair, CATaC)

Charles Ess (Co-Chair, CATaC)

------

Dr Fay Sudweeks

Associate Professor Emerita

School of Information Technology

Murdoch University

Murdoch WA 6149 Australia

Tel: +61-8-9360-2364; Fax: +61-8-9360-2941

Email: sudweeks@murdoch.edu.au

Web: www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~sudweeks/ <https://www.mail.murdoch.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~sudweeks/s>
Co-Chair, CATaC conferences: www.catacconference.org <https://www.mail.murdoch.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.catacconference.org/>

Read More

CFP: Media and Proximity, Siegen, Germany (22./23.04.2010)

*********************************************************************************************************************
Media and Proximity
Conference organised by the "Locating Media" Graduate School University of Siegen, Germany 22nd and 23rd April 2010

Keynote Speaker: Heather Horst (University of California, Irvine)
**********************************************************************************************************************

The inaugural conference of the "Locating Media" Graduate School will investigate the topics of media and proximity and discuss the theme in an interdisciplinary setting.

Media are often considered as bridging spatial and social divides. Indeed the benefits and effects of new information and communication technologies are often conceived in terms of the manner in which they overcome spatial limitations. In this context proximity or closeness is seen as representing the realisation of the end of distance, whilst also underpinning the, for the most part, never questioned positive connotations of such a process; mediated communications processes are seen as bringing together various actors and according to this utopian vision, simultaneously allowing for a better, more democratic society. Social and spatial proximity are therefore often considered as interchangeable.

The conference will explore the limits of this approach and consider the topic of proximity afresh. In the global village the shortest path is no longer considered only in terms of spatial concepts. Proximity needs to be understood as being defined by specific and heterogeneous situations and perspectives. It is defined by the individual in the context of their situated socio-cultural experiences and practices. It is dependent on the place and situation in which it is considered. It is a relational category, that describes the topological connection between two entities. In fact, the very concept of distance is inscribed in proximity. Proximity is something that is produced and is always the result of a process of negotiation.

We therefore ask the following questions: what role does media play in this process of negotiation of proximity? To what extent is proximity developed and defined through a focus on either individuals, technology or media ? In what way does proximity produced through media change current concepts of temporality and topology? How is the perception of distance altered by technology and media? What role does the concept of boundaries in the context of a delineation of the individual from their neighbours and online communities? Finally, which methodological approaches enable us to best characterise the concept of proximity?

Submission Format:
500 word abstract
CV and list of publications
Please send all submissions to: conference@locatingmedia.uni-siegen.de

Important Dates:
Submission deadline: 11 January 2010
Notification of Acceptance: 30th January 2010
Conference: 22nd-23rd April 2010

Outcomes:
Selected papers from the conference will be published in a post-conference volume.

Conference Location:
Artur-Woll-Haus, University of Siegen, Germany (1 hour from Cologne, 2 hours from Frank-furt)

Contact:
conference@locatingmedia.uni-siegen.de
Locating Media Graduate School
University of Siegen, Faculty of Media, Unteres Schloss, 57072 Siegen, Germany
Tel.: 0049 - 271 - 740-3065
http://www.uni-siegen.de/locatingmedia/

____________________________________

Claudia Mueller M.A.

Graduate School "Locating Media/ Situierte Medien"
and Institute for Information Systems
University of Siegen
Hoelderlinstr. 3
57068 Siegen, Germany

fon: +49 271 740 4076
fax: +49 271 740 3384
mobil: +49 176 78 199 788
email: claudia.mueller@uni-siegen.de

Read More

ANN: Innovation, Media, and Transformation

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: "NextD / ReReThinking Design" sent you a message on Facebook...
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:13:09 -0700
From: Facebook <notification+hp1_k-jm@facebookmail.com>
Reply-To: noreply <noreply@facebookmail.com>
To: Susanne Jul <susanne.jul@gmail.com>

Subject: MEDIA TRANSFORMATIONS -> MALMÖ TRANSFORMATIONS

Registration now open!

Five (FREE) Talks by World-Class Authorities on Innovation, Media, and Transformation

Location: Malmö, Sweden.

Over the next two weeks, from November 3 through November 17, MEDEA, Malmö University's new initiative for collaborative media, will feature five of the world's authorities speaking about how innovation, media, and technology will transform Malmö -- voted 2009 World Best City to Live In -- and other modern cities forever. This is a rare opportunity to hear all five speakers or one or a few of personal interest.

All talks are free and begin at 4 PM except Marc Canter's, which begins at 3 PM, and are followed by Q&A and after-lecture conversation and coffee. For guests, the venues are 10 minutes on foot from Malmö Central Station (which is 15 minutes by train from Tastrup/CPH airport and 25 minutes from Copenhagen).

To ensure a seat, reserve a place using the Malmö Transformations Facebook webpage or send email to medea@mah.se . Vi ses i Malmö!

Read More