The 6th European Summer School on Ontological Engineering and The Semantic Web (SSSW-2008) - Preliminary Call

***APOLOGIES FOR MULTIPLE POSTINGS***
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THE SIXTH EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL ON ONTOLOGICAL ENGINEERING AND THE  
SEMANTIC WEB (SSSW-2008)

http://kmi.open.ac.uk/events/sssw08/
[website is currently under construction - details will be posted here  
in the forthcoming months]

VENUE
Cercedilla, near Madrid, Spain.

DATE
6-12 July, 2008

DEADLINE FOR PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION
15 March, 2008

INTRODUCTION
We are pleased to announce the sixth European Summer School on  
Ontological Engineering and the Semantic Web. This summer school,  
presented by leading researchers in the field, is the successor to the  
well-received schools held in 2003, as part of the activities of the  
OntoWeb Network Consortium, and in 2004-2007, as part of the  
activities of the KnowledgeWeb Network of Excellence.  The school  
represents an opportunity for postgraduate students to equip  
themselves with the range of theoretical, practical, and collaboration  
skills necessary for full engagement with the challenges involved in  
developing Ontologies and Semantic Web applications. To ensure a high  
ratio between tutors and students the school will be limited to 50  
participants. This year the school will be sponsored by a number of  
European projects including LUISA, NEON, SUPER and X-MEDIA and also by  
STI International.


APPROACH
Our approach combines the practical with the theoretical. Tutorial/ 
lecture material is augmented with hands-on practical workshops and we  
ensure that the sessions complement each other by linking them to a  
mini-project. Work on developing and presenting this project in  
cooperation with other participants will serve as a means of  
consolidating the knowledge and skills gained from lectures and  
practical sessions.

Participants will be provided with a copy of all course lectures and  
access to a PC with all necessary tools and environments pre-installed.

SSSW-2008 will provide a stimulating and enjoyable environment in  
which participants will benefit not only from the formal and practical  
sessions but also from informal and social interactions with  
established researchers and the other participants in the school. To  
further facilitate communication and feedback all attendees will be  
obliged to prepare and present a poster on their own research.

TUTORS
Sean Bechhofer (University of Manchester, UK)
Fabio Ciravegna (University of Sheffield, UK)
John Domingue (The Open University, UK)
Jerome Euzenat (INRIA Rhone-Alpes, France)
Aldo Gangemi  (National Research Council, Italy)
Asun Gomez-Perez (Universidade Politecnica de Madrid, Spain)

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Mark Greaves (Vulcan, Inc., US)
Jim Hendler (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US)
Enrico Motta  (The Open University, UK)
Natasha Noy (Stanford, US)
Chris Welty (IBM Watson Research Center, US)


ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
John Domingue (Director), j.b.domingue@open.ac.uk
Asun Gomez-Perez (Co-Director), asun@fi.upm.es

FOUNDER
Enrico Motta  (The Open University, UK)

ACCOMMODATION AND SOCIAL EVENTS
Cercedilla is a small village in the mountains near Madrid. The school  
will be held in the Universidad PolitÈcnica de Madrid's student house.  
The student house has a range of facilities to make your stay more  
pleasant including en suite bathrooms, swimming pool, bars and  
restaurants in the village.

A gala dinner will be included in the cost.


PARTICIPANTS
We welcome applicants from anywhere in the world. Normally, but not  
exclusively, applicants will be postgraduate students in relevant  
disciplines with some knowledge of ontological or knowledge  
engineering and/or the development of applications for the World Wide  
Web. Some basic acquaintance with knowledge representation is required.

Accepted candidates are expected to arrive on Sunday between 3pm and  
6pm (July 6th) and to participate fully in the activities of the  
school until it ends, at 2pm on Saturday 12th July. We will not  
consider applications from students who cannot commit themselves to  
full participation for the whole duration of the school.


COST OF SUMMER SCHOOL INCLUDING ACCOMMODATION, MEALS AND EXCURSION
(please note that at this stage this is still an estimate)

Euros 780.


TRAVEL AND LOCAL INFORMATION
The nearest airport is Madrid-Barajas.
Participants will be able to use local rail links from Madrid to  
Cercedilla.

Further information about how to reach Cercedilla will be posted on  
the web site, http://kmi.open.ac.uk/events/sssw08/  at a future date.

REGISTRATION
Registration forms will be posted on our website at a future date.


IMPORTANT DATES
Registration Opens: 15th February 2008
Registration Closes: 15th March 2008
Notification of acceptance: 20th April 2008
Deadline for payments: 30th May 2008

John

__________________________
Dr. John Domingue,
Knowledge Media Institute,
The Open University,
Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK6 7AA
http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/domingue/