[hpc-announce] Middleware 2018 Conference - Call for Doctoral Symposium Papers and Student Travel Grant applications

[Benjamin Camus]

[Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call] 


ACM/IFIP/USENIX Middleware 2018 Conference - Call for Doctoral Symposium Papers and Student Travel Grant applications 
[ http://2018.middleware-conference.org/index.php/call-for-doctoral-symposium-papers/ | http://2018.middleware-conference.org/index.php/call-for-doctoral-symposium-papers/ ] 
Rennes, France; Dec [ callto:10 - 14, 2018 | 10 - 14, 2018 ] 



The annual ACM/IFIP/USENIX Middleware conference is a major forum for the discussion of innovations and recent scientific advances of middleware systems with a focus on the design, implementation, deployment, and evaluation of distributed systems, platforms and architectures for computing, storage, and communication. Highlights of the conference will include a high quality single-track technical program, invited speakers, an industrial track, panel discussions involving academic and industry leaders, poster and demonstration presentations, a doctoral symposium, tutorials and workshops. 

This call is specifically meant for doctoral students: 


    * Call for Doctoral Symposium papers 
    * Call for Student Grant applications 

Key dates: 
Doctoral Symposium Paper Submission Deadline: September 25th, 2018 
Doctoral Symposium Notification of Acceptance: October 12th, 2018 
Doctoral Symposium Camera Ready: October 25th, 2018 
Student Grant applications: October 19th, 2018 

Call for Doctoral Symposium Papers 
The doctoral symposium of Middleware 2018 will be held in Rennes, France. Following the tradition of past editions, the symposium provides an international forum that gives PhD students an opportunity to present and discuss their research with their peers and with a panel of expert mentors from the middleware field. 

The symposium is open to PhD students at any stage of their studies. Applicants will be divided into two groups: 


    1. Planners: students at an early-stage of their thesis who are focused on crafting their research proposal and completing background research. Position papers in this category should not be longer than 2 pages (including all materials). 
    2. Finishers: students closer to finishing their thesis or dissertation and thinking about how to present their research, its results, and its impact. Position papers in this category should not be longer than 4 pages (including all materials). 

The symposium will provide an informal and welcoming atmosphere in which students from both groups will have the opportunity to discuss their planned goals, their progress and achievements, the key research challenges to overcome, as well as software and tools they are developing. 

As part of the symposium, the participating students will receive valuable feedback from senior researchers and experts from both industry and academia. The symposium will also be an opportunity for meeting and sharing experiences with other PhD students who are addressing similar topics or are at a similar stage in their doctoral work. 

All PhD students carrying out research on middleware topics are invited to submit a position paper to the doctoral symposium. Papers will be peer-reviewed by the symposium’s committee of selected mentors. The criteria for accepting papers includes the extent of the contribution of the work to the field, the originality of the problem, and the overall quality of the position paper. Position papers should fit within the topics of Middleware 2018 Call for Papers. 

Accepted position papers will be presented during the doctoral symposium, as well as in a poster session during the main program of Middleware 2018. Contributions to the Middleware 2018 PhD Workshop will appear in a proceedings that supplements the main conference proceedings. 

Student Travel Grants 
Middleware 2018 has received generous support from sponsors to provide a limited number of student travel grants to the conference. Travel grants are intended to broaden participation at Middleware. 

Students participating in the doctoral symposium will be given priority for the grants. Students attending the conference and not presenting a paper at the main conference or workshops are eligible; we encourage such students, including co-authors not presenting the paper, to participate in the conference via poster, demo, and/or doctoral symposium submissions. Student presenters with funding available from their advisors will be given less preference. Middleware also particularly encourages students from traditionally underrepresented groups in computer science to apply. 

Due to distinct funding origins, the grants are different for: (1) students located in U.S. institutions, and (2) students located elsewhere. Yet, the application process is the same. 


    * U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will support grants for students located in U.S. institutions. These grants will be in the range of $1000-$1500, based on applicant need and availability of funds. Note that the travel grants will be in the form of a reimbursement after the expenses have been incurred. 
    * Sponsors will support grants for students located in non-U.S. institutions (elsewhere on Earth). These grants will cover the registration and the hotel expenses for the full conference. Note that they will be provided before the conference in the form of a free full conference registration and a pre-paid hotel booking in Rennes for the conference duration. Recipients of these grants are expected to arrange and fund travel themselves. 

Travel grant applications are due October 19th. To complete the application you must: 


    * Fill out the application form. 
    * Ask your advisor to email a recommendation letter to [ mailto:mw18grants at inria.fr | mw18grants at inria.fr ] . The recommendation letter should include: (1) The applicant’s status in the institution; (2) An explanation of why the applicant would benefit from attending Middleware as well as how he/she could contribute to the conference; and (3) The applicant’s current funding status and why the applicant is in need of the travel grant. 

If you have any questions about the student travel grants, please email the Student Activities Chair, Timothy Wood for U.S. based students, and Anne-Cécile Orgerie for other locations. 
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