ACM Conference on
Human-Computer Interaction (CHI)
March 22-27, 1997
Atlanta GA, USA

Basic Research Symposium
Call for Participation

Saturday and Sunday, March 22-23, 1996
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Deadline for submission of position papers - January 15 1997
Contact the Basic Research Symposium Co-Chairs

Susanne Jul , University of Michigan, USA
 Leon Watts, University of York, UK

Index

Overview || Vision Statement || Topics and Themes || At the Symposium || Before the Symposium || After the Symposium || Submission Process || Submission Format || Timetable || Registration Information || Contact Information

Symposium Program: UK site USA site

Overview

A two day Basic Research Symposium is to be held in conjunction with the CHI 97 main Conference. It is provisionally planned to occur on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of March, 1997.
The goal of the Symposium is to provide an interactive forum to promote and enhance scientific discussions of developing research issues. It is designed to advance understanding and dialogue among fellow researchers as well as to encourage asking of questions and reflection on methods and results. It stresses research and emphasizes interaction among the attendees. The Symposium provides a stimulating environment for critical feedback and development of one's research ideas. It is a unique opportunity to learn about the variety of perspectives present in the international HCI research community and to apply the often radically different criteria associated with those perspectives to one's own work.

Vision Statement

The Basic Research Symposium presents an occasion for researchers from different disciplines to share their visions through exchanging new developments and insights from their own fields. Together we shall seek viewpoints overlooking the future of research into human-computer interaction. The fundamentals that underlie the study of human-computer interaction will guide an informal discussion in a challenging environment.

The Symposium is about intellectual stimulation, celebrating diversity and looking to the future. It is not a market for selling our own projects, products or personalities, but rather an occasion for sharing the successes and failures, joys and frustrations of our ongoing work in order to focus emerging research. Views and experiences will be offered openly in the expectation that critique rather than criticism is offered in return. Together we shall look for theoretical paths for practical applications of HCI.

Our special vision for the CHI 97 Basic Research Symposium is that it shall be a voyage of discovery for those who attend, blazing a trail of new perspectives for the benefit of the conference as a whole and for the HCI community at large.

Topics and Themes

The identity of the Basic Research Symposium is determined by current research issues in the Human-Computer Interaction research community: the event will thus be defined by the contributions received and accepted by the Committee. As the Symposium attains its vibrancy from the wide range of disciplines represented and the critical but informal interchanges between them, contributions are invited from all areas of HCI research. At the Symposium cognitive scientists, computer scientists, psychologists, sociologists, management scientists, creative designers and others work together to envision the scope and direction of tomorrow's human-computer interaction.

The vision statement stresses that the Symposium is not for reviewing well established and 'safe' methods and findings. Instead we seek contributions that anticipate the future: tentative, controversial, ongoing and emerging research. One of the Symposium's strengths is that it embraces the current interests of all the participants and provides a forum to present research that is in the early stages of maturity. No particular topics and themes are solicited; they emerge naturally from the contributions.

See Submission Process for details on contents of submissions.

At the Symposium

The Symposium alternates between plenary sessions with presentation of interesting, enlightening, even provoking research issues, with follow-up discussions and smaller focused discussion groups with short talk presentations and intense dialogue among participants.

Organization of the talk sessions depends on the general topics identified by the Committee on the basis of the submissions. However, one session each day is anticipated to focus on the conference theme: Looking to the Future, from the point of view of the Symposium audience. These sessions will address the theme from the angle of research practitioners on one day, and as 'socio-technical seers' on the other. The two sessions should be taken to complement each other, such that anticipated methods and directions for research might be set against anticipated developments of interactive technologies.

Before the Symposium

The position papers and agenda will be distributed electronically to all participants before the Symposium. All participants are expected to have reviewed the position papers of all other participants prior to the symposium. As described above, the format of the Symposium will be alternating working group and whole group discussion. Some of the participants, whose position papers are closely identified with the focus topics, will be asked to prepare collaborative presentations to precede the working groups. All participants will be expected to have sufficient material, if any is needed, to explain their particular concerns and insights on the focus topics.

After the Symposium

The most important output of the Symposium is the insights, inspirations and friendships carried away by participants. A sub-group will report on the event to the main conference and a short report is published in SIGCHI Bulletin. The collected position papers are published electronically.

Submission Process

Invitation to the Symposium will be based on a 1500 word (max) position paper which summarises your current research and indicates projected future directions. Submissions longer than 1500 words will not be reviewed. The late date for submissions reflects the intention that the Symposium represents the participants' current work. Moreover, the limited size of the Symposium - no more than 30 participants - emphasizes the high degree of interaction and collaboration between participants.

Submissions will be reviewed by the symposium organising committee. The accepted papers will be the basis of the organisation of the symposium. Participants may, if they wish, address specific advertised themes or scenarios, or look to one of the future issues. This will help the committee to build the agenda for the symposium, but will not be used as a criteria for acceptance.

Submissions should describe

Submission Format

All submissions should be in electronic form, preferably HTML. Each submission should include full contact information (e-mail address, conventional address, URL if available ), a 50-100 word abstract, selected keywords and references to a maximum of 5 of your own research publications.

Submissions should be posted to the World Wide Web and the URL sent to the symposium co-chairs at brs-97@umich.edu. Alternative means of submission may be arranged by contacting the co-chairs.

If you wish, you may use the HTML Template we have prepared.

Timetable

Extended submission deadline! 
    Two page research summaries due:          Wednesday, January 31 1997
                                              (to arrive by 5 PM EST)
    Notification of acceptance:               Saturday, February 15 1997
    Final version of research summaries due:  Wednesday, March 5 1997
    Symposium starts:                         Saturday, March 22 1997

Registration Information


Details of registration fees will be given in the advance programme which will be distributed in January, 1997. Participants do not have to register for the main conference in order to attend the Basic Research Symposium. A registration form for the symposium will be distributed to all participants upon acceptance.

All other administrative arrangements for the symposium will be done electronically.

Contact Information

E-mail: brs-97@umich.edu

Symposium Co-Chairs

Susanne Jul
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of Michigan
1101 Beal Av.
Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA

Tel: +1 313-213-2720
Fax: +1 313-213-2720
and
Leon Watts
Human-Computer Interaction Group
Department of Psychology
University of York
York YO1 5DD
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1904 433186
Fax: +44 1904 433181
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Last modified on August 6 1996.