Newsletter 06/09
Three parallel sessions and 24 papers - Scientific Program is now online
This year’s call for papers set a record for submissions since ISC began in inviting papers several years ago.. With a total of more than 50 excellent papers, our three peer-reviewers were forced to make difficult choices. They evaluated the top 24, based on their novelty of research, fundamental insights and potential for long-term contribution to HPC. And now, ISC’09 attendees will face some tough choices – due to the increased number of quality papers, the Scientific Sessions on Tuesday, June 23 had to be split up into three parallel sessions. Topics are:
• Applications
• System architecture
• Large-Scale System Organization
• General Interest Areas
If you are worried about missing out on one session while sitting in another, don’t worry. For the first time, all 24 papers will be published by the scientific publishing house Springer Science and Business Media and will be distributed at the conference.
Submissions chosen by the Scientific Program Committee plus the schedules of the three parallel sessions are available from the ISC website.
In depth sessions, Part two – Best use of Clouds
In this issue, we want to draw your attention to a session where you definitely will have your head in the clouds, but in this case, that’s a good thing. Cloud computing is among the hottest topics in HPC and the Cloud Computing Session is one of the hottest at ISC’09.
The session, to be held on Wednesday, June 24, features four hours of detailed presentations and discussions. Who should attend? Researchers looking for up-to-date knowledge about the feasibility of HPC in cloud environments, system architects who want side-by-side comparisons of offerings from key vendors and providers, and finally IT professionals who need to make decisions about future HPC and cloud computing environments in academia, research institutions, and industry.
“Cloud Computing & HPC” Session
“Synergy or Competition” will be held in two parts and is chaired by Prof. Dieter Kranzlmüller from Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München and Dr. Martin Antony Walker, an independent consultant. The first part will contain presentations from two major IT vendors, HP and IBM, followed by perspectives from a supercomputing center, the Jülich Supercomputing Center, and Microsoft. The second part will start with presentations from three IT vendors driving cloud computing today, Google, Amazon, and Yahoo!, followed by a roundtable panel discussion to field questions from the audience. For details please visit Cloud Computing & HPC
Show your late-breaking results on ISC’09
Although papers for the Scientific Program have been already chosen, there are still opportunities to show your latest research. Display your up-to-the-minute results at the poster reception on Wednesday, June 25, where you can discuss your work with conference attendees. The submission deadline for posters is Sunday, April, 12. For complete information, visit the Poster Web page.
Reminder: BoF proposals due by April 12
While ISC is well known at the place to catch up with colleagues and hear the latest global perspectives, the diverse attendance also makes the conference a great place to organize a Birds of a Feather (BoF) session. ISC’09 will provide meeting rooms for up to 15 BoFs on Tuesday, June 23, and Friday, June 26. BoF proposals, in English, must be submitted by Sunday, April 12. Proposers also agree to host the session if approved by the ISC Program Committee. For complete information, visit the BoFs Web page
ISC is in 2009 an even better value
For the first time, ISC has introduced a flexible registration program, allowing attendees to sign up just for one day, several days or the entire conference, as well as exhibition-only passes. Advance registration rates, available through May 25, offer additional savings. For complete details on registration categories and rates, go to: Attendance Fees.
“Like everyone these days, we are keeping an eye on the economy, but we are seeing many positive signs emerging,” said Conference Chair Prof. Hans Werner Meuer of the University of Mannheim. “We have more exhibitors than ever, registration to date is strong and we are seeing amazing bargains in airfares.”
Here are some other factors that make ISC an affordable investment even to attendees from the US with a tight travel budget :
• Airfares are dropping. One leading international carrier quoted fares of $2,300 from San Francisco to Hamburg in January. The same ticket in late March was priced at under $1,200.
• Registration fees include full catering – breaks, lunch and evening social events – saving the expense of meals.
• The dollar is stronger vis-à-vis the euro compared to one year ago: $1.58 per euro in June 2008 compared to $1.33 on March 31, 2009.
• Perhaps most importantly, the conference program is much richer in 2009. With about 120 exhibitors, the exhibition is one third larger this year. And the conference program has been expanded to four days from three, with parallel tracks on some days to accommodate all of the presentations.
An overview of the ISC’09 conference program can be found at www.isc09.org/ProgramOverview.
Nightlife – Experience Hamburg’s lovely corners
Experience No. 1: It’s not far to get to trendy St.Georg, Hamburg’s most popular gay and lesbian neighbourhood which offers excellent restaurants, nice bars and cafes. From the central station take the south exit and turn left and then right into the “Lange Reihe”. This street is one of Hamburg’s loveliest with a long list of houses designated as historic monuments. Due to the residents; initiatives this neighbourhood – which was once a battered one – has continuously improved.
On your left hand side you find the great old Cafe Gnosa. It has retained its aura without becoming outdated. Well known for its famous selection of homemade cakes, they also serve delicious food until late at night (Lange Reihe 93).
A whiff of the Mediterranean way of life can be felt in the restaurant “Cox”. Sitting in the little quadrangle and enjoying its French-Italian kitchen, the “Cox” is a a sure bet for a nice evening (Lange Reihe 68).
Experience No. 2: The lively “Schanze” lies next to the convention center. Two main streets “Schanzenstrasse” and “Schulterblatt” form the heart of this popular hotspot. The density of shops, restaurants, clubs and bars is high and lined up like pearls on a string. Only two spots are named here, but there are plenty more to discover on your own.
The “Bar Rossi” is a supremely trendy bar which once served as scenery for a video by singer Mariah Carey. Today, its long bar is still impressive and its cocktails highly recommended.
Another classic is located at the “Neuer Pferdemarkt 5”. At the “Nil” you can eat on three different levels or in the summer, outdoors in a nice little garden. This prize-winning restaurant has maintained both its personality and premium quality for 20 years. They emphasise organic food and list their suppliers on the website (only in German www.restaurant-nil.de)
