March 2017 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

MIT-SENIOR UNITY 3D ENGINEER AND PROJECT LEAD
by Christopher Shay 15 Mar '17

15 Mar '17

See below for a recently posted Job Opportunity: Job Description: SENIOR UNITY 3D ENGINEER AND PROJECT LEAD, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, to develop and lead a comprehensive Unity-3D-based interactive audio-visual simulation environment for use in training and testing artificial intelligence agents built using deep neural networks. Will join a group of laboratories based at MIT (DiCarlo lab) and Stanford (Yamins lab) that build neural network models of brain data and plan to use large quantities of simulated data to train these models. Primary responsibilities include developing and maintaining core modules for the code base, including high-quality rendering and physics plugins; procuring large numbers of realistic 3D assets for the environment and performing quality assurance to ensure they can be used together; and setting up and maintaining a large-scale, high-availability installation of the environment on a special-purpose Linux cluster. Job Requirements: REQUIRED: bachelor’s degree in computer science or software engineering (master’s in computer graphics or related field preferred); high level of competence in Unity-3D C# and Unity-3D software environments; expertise with a variety of modern rendering procedures, including approximate real-time and high-quality physically-based techniques; expertise in physics simulations, including methods for producing fast approximations to dynamics for complex objects; knowledge of 3D asset libraries and stores and issues with standardizing material properties for rendering and physics; ability to partner with colleagues and independently manage multiple projects/priorities while meeting changing deadlines, adapt to new technologies, and present information in a clear and cohesive manner; creative problem solving skills; ability to approach tasks with an eye toward efficiency and reproducibility; excellent written and oral communications skills; meticulous attention to detail; and proactive approach to investigative analysis. Experience in academic research highly desirable, particularly computational geometry and/or physically-based rendering. Job #14562 Please visit https://careers.mit.edu/ <https://careers.mit.edu/> to apply. Best, Christopher Shay, PhD Lab Manager DiCarlo Lab McGovern Institute Lab: (617) 452-3261 Fax:(617) 253-0104

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IARPA MICrONS Technical Supervisor Position (Washington, DC)
by Alyssa Picchini Schaffer 15 Mar '17

15 Mar '17

Please contact David Markowitz if interested: david.markowitz(a)iarpa.gov *Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) Technical Supervisor* Despite significant progress in machine learning over the past few years, today’s state of the art algorithms are brittle and do not generalize well. In contrast, the brain is able to robustly separate and categorize signals in the presence of significant noise and non-linear transformations, and can extrapolate from single examples to entire classes of stimuli. This performance gap between software and wetware persists despite some correspondence between the architecture of the leading machine learning algorithms and their biological counterparts in the brain, presumably because the two still differ significantly in the details of operation. The MICrONS program aims to achieve a quantum leap in machine learning by creating novel machine learning algorithms that use neurally-inspired architectures and mathematical abstractions of the representations, transformations, and learning rules employed by the brain. To guide the construction of these algorithms, performers will conduct targeted neuroscience experiments that interrogate the operation of mesoscale cortical computing circuits, taking advantage of emerging tools for high-resolution structural and functional brain mapping. The program is designed to facilitate iterative refinement of algorithms based on a combination of practical, theoretical, and experimental outcomes: performers will use their experiences with the algorithms’ design and performance to reveal gaps in their understanding of cortical computation, and will collect specific neuroscience data to inform new algorithmic implementations that address these limitations. Ultimately, as performers incorporate these insights into successive versions of the machine learning algorithms, they will devise solutions that can achieve human-like performance on complex information processing tasks with human-like proficiency. Position Requirements: Requirement 1: PhD in neuroscience, physics or a related discipline with 4 years of experience studying coding and computation in high-throughput recordings of neural activity from behaving animals using quantitative methods, such as dimensionality reduction, time series analysis, and machine learning approaches. Requirement 2: Demonstrated experience in at least 3 of the following disciplines: high-throughput electrophysiology, multi-photon microscopy, optogenetics, circuit mapping, methods for manipulating cognitive processes in behaving animals. Requirement 3: Training and demonstrated capabilities in applied mathematics and computer science. Must be proficient with at least one numerical analysis and statistics framework (e.g. NumPy, Matlab, R) and one general-purpose programming language (e.g. Python, Java, C). Requirement 4: Two years of experience coordinating collaborative projects with diverse technical contributors and aggressive timelines for achieving results, as evidenced by research publications, public data sets or other artifacts of work. Desired 1: Strong background in systems neuroscience, with at least 2 years of experience studying the circuit basis of cognition. Desired 2: Strong background in machine learning (ML), with at least 2 years of experience using modern ML techniques to support scientific research or solve other challenging problems. Desired 3: Formal training in theoretical neuroscience. Desired 4: Professional software development experience. Desired 5: Experience using cloud computing technologies.

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Bernstein Network Information Booth at 12th Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society (NWG)
by Kerstin Schwarzwaelder 15 Mar '17

15 Mar '17

Dear colleagues, The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience will have an exhibition booth at the upcoming NWG Meeting<https://www.nwg-goettingen.de/2017/default.asp> in Göttingen (March 22 - 25, 2017). Representatives of the Bernstein Network<http://www.nncn.de/en/start_page?set_language=en>, the SMART<http://www.smartstart-compneuro.de/>START training program in Computational Neuroscience<http://www.smartstart-compneuro.de/>, and G-Node<http://www.g-node.org/> will be present at the booth. The booth will present: * research fields * study and training programs * open positions * research and funding opportunities * infrastructural facilities: G-Node<http://www.g-node.org/> and Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience - Bernstein Facility for Simulation and Database Technology<http://www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/EN/Expertise/SimLab/slns/_node.html> Furthermore, the G-Node will present their new data management service<http://www.g-node.org/gin> for storing, sharing, and publishing research data. Demo presentations will be given during poster session times. Conference participants are invited to come by the booth any time to try out the new service. We are looking forward to welcoming you at our booth! Best regards, Kerstin Schwarzwälder -- Dr. Kerstin Schwarzwälder Scientific Coordination / Management Officer Please note: Our email addresses have changed. Please use k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9589 mail: k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> web: www.nncn.de<http://www.nncn.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany<https://twitter.com/NNCN_Germany> YouTube: Bernstein TV<https://www.youtube.com/user/BernsteinNetwork> Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.facebook.com/BernsteinNetwork/> LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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PhD in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Exeter (fully funded)
by James Rankin 15 Mar '17

15 Mar '17

3.5 year college funded PhD Studentship in Computational Neuroscience: *Neural dynamics of perceptual competition * Ref: 2589 Open to UK, EU and International students with maintenance (£14,296 per year) and tuition fees fully funded http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2589 This interdisciplinary project will use mathematical modelling, in conjunction with psychophysics (human perception experiments), to better understand the neural competition underpinning the dynamics of perception. Ambiguity in fixed sensory stimuli can lead to spontaneous switches in perception, both in vision, e.g. binocular rivalry, Necker cube, and audition, e.g. auditory streaming (switches between grouped or segregated interpretations of tone sequences). A set of common characteristics (inevitability of perceptual changes, exclusivity between the competing percepts, and randomness in the percept durations), generalise across sensory modalities. The neural competition driving these perceptual switches has been successfully modelled in small networks of Wilson-Cowan (firing rate) units, each associated with the different perceptual interpretations. For certain stimuli, where competition takes place across a continuous feature space (say, visual orientation, motion direction, or auditory pitch), a continuum model, such as the neural field equation can be applied. This PhD project will involve the derivation of perceptual competition models in a dynamical systems framework, based on plausible neural mechanisms commonly found in sensory cortex. Modelling hypotheses and predictions will be tested against experimental data collected in our lab or from collaborators. On the modelling side, tools from bifurcation analysis including numerical continuation will be applied to investigate dynamics. The project will be flexible in terms of the balance between modelling and experiments. Candidates with quantitative backgrounds (mathematics, physics, and engineering) and from neuroscience or psychology programmes are encouraged to apply. Programming experience and/or knowledge of dynamical systems theory is a plus. Contact: j.a.rankin(a)exeter.ac.uk Informal enquiries welcome. Application deadline: 10th April 2017 Please forward to interested parties as appropriate Thanks, James

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Call for applications: Brains for Brains Young Researchers' Computational Neuroscience Award 2017
by Kerstin Schwarzwaelder 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

Dear colleagues, For the eighth time, the Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association> is announcing the "Brains for Brains Young Researchers' Computational Neuroscience Award". The call is open for researchers of any nationality who have contributed to a peer reviewed publication (as coauthor) or peer reviewed conference abstract (as first author) that was submitted before starting their doctoral studies, is written in English and was accepted or published in 2016 or 2017. The award is endowed with a travel grant of 2.000 € to cover a trip to Germany, including participation in the Bernstein Conference 2017 in Göttingen (www.bernstein-conference.de<http://www.bernstein-conference.de>), and an individually planned visit to up to two German research institutions in Computational Neuroscience. Deadline for application is April 27, 2017 (2:00 p.m. CET). Detailed information about the application procedure can be found under: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association/brains-for-brains-2017<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association/brains-for-brains-2017> For inquiries please contact bernstein.network(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:bernstein.network@fz-juelich.de> Best regards, Kerstin Schwarzwälder -- Dr. Kerstin Schwarzwälder Scientific Coordination / Management Officer Please note: Our email addresses have changed. Please use k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9589 mail: k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> web: www.nncn.de<http://www.nncn.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany<https://twitter.com/NNCN_Germany> YouTube: Bernstein TV<https://www.youtube.com/user/BernsteinNetwork> Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.facebook.com/BernsteinNetwork/> LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Sense 2 Synapse 2017 Conference, Saturday April 8th, The Rockefeller University, New York City, Abstract Registration Closing Soon (March 20th).
by Christoph Kirst 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

Dear all The deadline for submitting abstracts for this year's *Sense 2 Synapse *is approaching soon on *March 20th*. You can still register here: *http://www.sense2synapse.com/registrationForm <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.sense2synapse.com_r…> *Sense 2 Synapse will be held on Saturday, *April 8th, 2017* in the Carson Family Auditorium at *The Rockefeller University, New York City *! The conference is an annual event for scientists working on the biology of sensory transduction, subsequent neural processing and perception. With *Larry Abbott *(Columbia University), *Nicole Rust* (University of Pennsylvania),****Sarah Woolley**(Columbia University) and*Gaby Maimon* (The Rockefeller University) we have a great list of key-note speakers, which will be complemented by talks selected from abstract submissions and a poster session. More information can be found at: *http://sense2synapse.com/ <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sense2synapse.com_&d=Dw…> * Join us for a great day of science, discussions and nice food ! The organizing team Christoph Kirst Florian Berger Jeremie Barral Gonzalo Otazu Nicolas Renier -- Christoph Kirst Fellow for Physics and Biology Center for Theoretical Studies and Kavli Physics Fellow Kavli Neural Systems Institute The Rockefeller University

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deadline for International Conference on Cognitive Modeling/Society for Mathematical Psychology extended
by Marieke van Vugt RUG 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

Dear colleagues, The Society for Mathematical Psychology and International Conference on Cognitive Modeling will hold a joint conference this year in Warwick, UK, from July 22nd-25th. The goal of the conference is to bring researchers together who are interested in using computational and mathematical modeling to better understand human cognition. It is a forum for presenting, discussing, and evaluating the complete spectrum of cognitive modeling approaches, including mathematical models, connectionism, symbolic modeling, dynamical systems, Bayesian modeling, and cognitive architectures. We welcome basic and applied research across a wide variety of domains, ranging from low-level perception and attention to higher-level problem-solving and learning. We also welcome contributions that use computational models to better understand neuroimaging data. The submission deadline for MathPsych/ICCM 2017 has been extended to April 1st, 11:59pm GMT for all types of submissions. Please make your submissions through the links at http://mathpsych.org/conferences/2017/submissions/ <http://mathpsych.org/conferences/2017/submissions/>. Best wishes, Adam Sanborn, Gordon Brown, James Adelman (MathPsych co-chairs) Marieke van Vugt, Adrian Banks, Bill Kennedy (ICCM co-chairs) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marieke van Vugt, PhD Assistant Professor, Cognitive Modelling Group University of Groningen Bernoulliborg, room 326 Nijenborgh 9 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands phone: +31-6-5195-4984 (cell) +31-50-363-9487 (office) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt> twitter: @mvugt m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> / mkvanvugt(a)gmail.com

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2017 NEURON Summer Course
by Ted Carnevale 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

The 2017 NEURON Summer Course will be held at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, from Monday, June 5, through Saturday, June 10. The course will present a thorough introduction to computational modeling of neurons and networks with NEURON, and is suitable for individuals at all levels of expertise. This year we have increased the course duration to 6 days (5 days in previous years) in order to provide expanded coverage of parallel simulation, and to give participants more time for active learning exercises. The registration deadline is Monday, May 15, 2017. No applications will be accepted after that date, and there will be no on-site registration. Space is limited, and applications will be considered in the order received. For more information and the on-line registration form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/summer2017/summer2017.html --Ted

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2017 Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth Computational Summer School
by Matthijs van der Meer 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) 2017 Computational Summer School August 13th - 20th, 2017 https://summer-mind.github.io/ We are delighted to welcome applications for our inaugural Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) Computational Summer School. The theme of this year’s summer school is Network Dynamics at Multiple Spatiotemporal Scales. There is a growing gap between how graduate students in psychology and neuroscience are trained and what they actually need to know to do cutting edge work. In addition, there is increasing interest in supplementing the traditional reductionist approach to studying the elements of brain, cognition, and behavior in isolation, to integrating how these elements interact as a cohesive complex system. This entails considering not just which elements in a network interact, but also the content of the interaction, and the dynamics of how this information flows through networks over time. This general issue is present in multiple domains, with an accompanying need for similar tools: neurophysiologists studying spiking activity in ensembles of single neurons, cognitive neuroscientists studying whole-brain activity levels, and social psychologists studying group interactions. Our curriculum is motivated by the realization that there is a common core of computational methods that apply across different subfields of neuroscience, with exciting opportunities for crossover across these subfields. Thus, our summer program aims to provide integrated training of network methods at the circuit, whole-brain, and social network levels. The overall format has short lectures in the morning, followed by hands-on tutorial-style labs, and a hackathon in which students will collaboratively work on projects with faculty. Themes running through the curriculum include open tools and data, data visualization, statistical modeling, and model comparison. The summer school will be taught by faculty with unique expertise in using innovative computational techniques to understand network dynamics at multiple scales. Chris Baldassano (Princeton University) Luke Chang (Dartmouth College) Janice Chen (Johns Hopkins University) Nicholas Christakis (Yale University) Howard Eichenbaum (Boston University) Sam Gershman (Harvard University) Caterina Gratton (Washington University) Yaroslav Halchenko (Dartmouth College) James Haxby (Dartmouth College) Christopher Honey (Johns Hopkins University) Caleb Kemere (Rice University) Jeremy Manning (Dartmouth College) Ida Momennejad (Princeton University) Matthijs van der Meer (Dartmouth College) Thalia Wheatley (Dartmouth College) Topics include: Open source computing resources Estimation and hypothesis testing with computational modeling Representing and describing networks Identifying structure in networks through connectivity Characterizing the temporal dynamics of networks Identifying representations of information using decoding techniques The application deadline is April 15th, 2017. Information about how to apply can be found on our website https://summer-mind.github.io/ Luke Chang, Jeremy Manning, and Matt van der Meer Directors Jim Haxby, Thalia Wheatley, Todd Heatherton, and Dan Rockmore Advisory Committee This event is sponsored by the Center for Social Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Neukom Institute for Computational Sciences at Dartmouth.

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CfP: ACM Symposium on Applied Perception 2017
by Douglas Cunningham 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

Symposium on Applied Perception Call for Papers and PostersThe ACM Symposium on Applied Perception (ACM SAP) aims to advance and promote research that crosses the boundaries between perception and disciplines such as graphics, visualization, computer vision, haptics and acoustics. These fields can benefit from the exchange of ideas. The scope of the conference includes applications and algorithms in any area of research that incorporates elements of perception and computer science. Our fourteenth annual event provides an intimate, immersive forum for exchanging ideas about areas of overlapping interests. The ACM SAP 2017 conference will be held in Cottbus, Germany at the Brandenburg University of Technology on the 16th and 17th of September, 2017. We aim to further promote communication between the core perception and computer graphics communities. We invite submissions of original work in all areas of applied perception. Relevant areas include: * Modeling, rendering, and animation * Visualization * Computational aesthetics * Haptic rendering, haptic input and perception * Perception of virtual characters * Color vision and color appearance modeling * Perception of high dynamic range scenes and images * Interaction techniques and interfaces * Augmented reality * Virtual worlds * Display technologies * Auditory display and interfaces * Perceptual auditory coding * Spatialized sound * Speech synthesis and recognition * Sensory integration * Multimodal rendering * Spatial and temporal vision * Attention and eye movements * Statistical learning and perception of natural scenes * Perception of shapes, surfaces, and materials PapersResearch can be submitted as a long paper (up to 8 pages and up to 20 minute talk), a short paper (up to 4 pages and up to 15 minute talk), or as a poster presentation (1 page abstract). All submissions should follow the generalSIGGRAPH formatting guidelines. Diagrams and images should be represented in color where appropriate. Papers that are not accepted will be considered for the poster session. Authors of posters accepted by this route will, of course, have the option to decline the opportunity to present a poster. PostersThe posters program at SAP provides an informal venue for authors to share their research achievements and further discuss them with others. In that spirit, we encourage all types of scholarly submissions that fit the scope of ACM- SAP. In particular, we explicitly welcome poster submissions on work- in-progress and on work that may have been previously published elsewhere but for which additional dissemination and discussion is desired. The poster session is an integral part of SAP and the SAP program will include a dedicated time slot for poster viewing and discussion. All poster presenters will also have the opportunity to give a one-minute presentation on their work during a poster fast- forward session. NOTE: SAP poster abstracts are NOT considered to be publications, and as such will NOT appear in the ACM Digital Library. Poster abstracts WILL be included in the conference USB drive. Poster abstracts should follow the general SIGGRAPH formatting guidelines, except that they should be 1 page long. . Further detailsAll papers will be carefully reviewed by our International Program Committee. SAP follows a double blind review process. Papers will be evaluated as submitted, given limited time between submission and printing of final versions. Under a recent agreement with the ACM Transactions on Applied Perception (TAP) and the ACM Publications Board, the strongest accepted papers will be offered publication as full papers in the ACM journal TAP. Authors of such special issue papers must agree to present the paper at ACM SAP. As has always been the case, authors of regular ACM SAP papers can still submit to TAP regular issues with appropriate additions. Papers that have been recommended for acceptance in the ACM TAP journal will undergo a second review cycle, during which the authors will revise the paper to address reviewer concerns (similar to conditional acceptances at ACM SIGGRAPH). Please note that TAP referrals are conditional. The TAP reviewers may recommend bringing the paper back to the SAP proceedings if the quality of the revision is inadequate. Therefore, it is very important to incorporate as many reviewer comments as possible into the revision. The revised paper has to be submitted in TAP format to Manuscript Centr al and must include a cover letter stating that the submission is for the SAP special issue. The cover letter should also document the list of changes made to the paper to address the reviewer concerns. Reformatting an 8-page paper from the SAP format to the TAP format typically adds a few pages so we expect the final papers will have somewhere between 10-15 pages. TAP papers must not exceed 20 pages in length. Complete TAP author guidelines and templates are available at h ttp://tap.acm.org/authors.cfm. Conference Chairs * Douglas W. Cunningham, Brandenburg University of Technology * Michael Breuß, Brandenburg University of Technology Program Chairs * Sophie Joerg, Clemson University * Victoria Interrante, University of Minnesota Poster Chair * Susana Castillo Alejandre, Brandenburg University of Technology Deadline sPapers: * Monday, May 22: Mandatory abstract submission * Friday, May 26: Paper submission deadline * Friday, June 23: Decisions announced * Friday, July 14: Final papers due Papers recommended for TAP: * Friday, July 14 (Camera Ready) Revisions to TAP recommended papers due (anonymous, in TAP format) * Friday, July 21: Notification to TAP authors Posters: * Friday, July 7: Poster submission * Friday, July 21: Decisions announced * Friday, July 28: Camera ready version of 1-page abstract due

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