CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

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