Call for Participation

Workshop on
Embedded Systems

March 29-31, 1999 (abstracts due: January 31, 1999)
Cambridge, MA, USA
http://www.usenix.org/events/es99/

Sponsored by:
    USENIX, The Advanced Computing Systems Association,
    and the MIT Media Laboratory.

Overview:
    The PC monolith will break down, and concentrated "core"
    elements of computing and communication, sensors and
    actuators, will become embeddable in almost everything.
    The "jellybean" processors that currently pervade nearly
    every appliance, yet are utterly isolated, will be connectable
    through a wealth of emergent capillaries sprouting from
    the internet.  Technologies will be produced that are ultra-
    cheap, ultra low-power, and radically different from today's
    chip-and-pc-board variety (think: printable circuits, wind-up
    electronics, wearable networks powered by walking or
    breathing, even edible circuitry).  Ingredients like these
    will form the foundation of a vastly extended network of
    things that are very different from PC's.

    The goal of this workshop is to convene a limited number
    of leading engineers and researchers from a wide cross-
    section of academia, industry, and government to discuss
    critical challenges in developing and deploying embedded
    intelligence over a wide range of applications.  These are
    "out of the box" systems in every way, shape, and form.
    They demand big, bold, maverick thinking.

    This 2.5-day meeting will consist of invited talks, refereed
    papers, and work-in-progress reports.  Informal mingling
    opportunities include an Open House at the Media Lab in
    conjunction with the Things That Think consortium meeting,
    and plenty of schmooze time.

    We hope the results will help clarify and coordinate the
    research and development agenda in embedded systems,
    recognizing that, in engineering and science, getting the
    problem statement right is much of the battle.  To that end,
    the program committee will limit attendance to 60 selected
    individuals.  Be prepared to engage in discussions that will
    encompass a range of areas from low-level materials
    innovations to novel forms of networking, new kinds of
    software systems to groundbreaking applications, usability
    to high-level policy.

    There will be no registration fees.

Topics:
    Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
    - Applications in unusual domains: toys, appliances, cars,
      human implants, domestic, rural, outdoor, undersea...
    - Capillary network architectures (Bluetooth, IrDA, PLC, etc)
    - Case studies, and cost-benefit analyses    
    - New interface paradigms    
    - Self-healing and self-assembling systems    
    - Drastic scaling issues    
    - Secure communications    
    - Emerging standards   

Best Paper Awards:
    Awards will be given for the best paper and best student
    paper at the conference.    

Student Stipends:    
    The USENIX student stipend program covers travel and
    hotel to enable full-time students to attend.  Preference is    
    given to students who are speakers.  To apply, visit the    
    USENIX Web site at: http://www.usenix.org/students/

What to Submit:
    Attendance will be based on submission of an extended
    abstract as evaluated by the program committee.
    This should describe original work concerning the design,
    implementation, and real application of embedded systems.
    We are not looking for tweaks to Linux, or stuffing WinCE
    palmtops into toys.  Rather, we are seeking radical new
    architectures, exceptionally promising prototypes,
    enlightening case studies.  The abstract should convince
    the reviewers that a good paper and 20-minute talk will
    result.  Identify what has been accomplished, why it is
    significant, and compare it with relevant work in the field.
    Include references, illustrations, and performance data.
    Be incisive and cogent.

How To Submit:
    E-mail the extended abstract (plain ASCII, HTML, or a URL)
    by January 31, 1999 to: es99papers@usenix.org
    This should be 5-7 pages long or about 2500 words, not
    counting references and figures. You may submit the full
    paper at this time. Full papers will go through a brisk editorial
    review cycle with the program committee, and should be
    10-15 pages long. The final paper deadline is March 15.

    All submissions will be acknowledged electronically.
    If you do not receive word within 72 hours of submission,
    please contact the program chair: es99chair@usenix.org

    All submissions will be held in strict confidence prior to
    publication, but they must not be bound by proprietary or
    non-disclosure arrangements.  Proceedings will be published.

Critical Dates:
    31 Jan: Extended abstracts due
    10 Feb: Acceptance notification
    15 Mar: Full papers due
    29 Mar 12pm: Arrival, Registration (at MIT Media Lab)
    31 Mar 12pm: Conclusion  

Program Committee ( * co-chair):
    Warren Bosch, Hasbro, wbosch@hasbro.com
    Dan Geer, CertCo (*), geer@world.std.com
    Mike Hawley, MIT Media Lab (*), mike@media.mit.edu
    Tom Kalil, The White House, Thomas.A.Kalil@opd.eop.gov
    Tim Matt, Siebe, tmatt@siebeappliance.com
    Jean Scholtz, DARPA, jscholtz@darpa.mil
    Ted Selker, IBM, selker@almaden.ibm.com
    Randy Sweeney, Kraft Foods, rsweeney@compuserve.com
    Jim Waldo, Sun Microsystems, waldo@east.sun.com
    TBN (Josh Fisher pending), Hewlett Packard
    TBN (Kevin Kelly pending), WIRED
    TBN, Cisco

Program/Registration Details:
    Materials containing all details of the technical program,
    registration forms, and hotel information will be online at
    http://www.usenix.org/events/es99/ in February 1999.

For more information, please contact:
    USENIX Association Office
    2560 Ninth Street, Suite 215
    Berkeley, CA 94710 USA
    Phone: +1 510-528-8649
    Email: office@usenix.org