The ICCBR-12 Doctoral Consortium

http://www.iccbr.org/iccbr12/doctoral.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~dwaha/research/meetings/iccbr12-dc
3-4 September 2012 | Lyon, France

News

(2012 August 10): Agenda finalized.

(2012 August 9): Notification received from Aritficial Intelligence that payment has been sent for sponsorship.

(2012 August 6): We've created a tentative schedule of presentations, but are awaiting the schedules of workshops, which may cuase us to revise our schedule to prevent/minimize conflicts for mentors and (some) students.

(2012 July 27): Preface, research summaries, and completed copyright forms emailed to the ICCBR-12 workshop chairs.

(2012 July 2): All the reviews have been received and (almost all) student-mentor assignments have been made.

(2012 June 21): Thanks to AIj's funding, and also to ICCBR-12 for sponsoring three of the ICCBR-12 student participants as ICCBR-12 Volunteers, the student registration fee for the 13 other ICCBR-12 student participants is only 150€, a decrease of 50% from the standard 300€ student registration fee. Please note the "DC Student Registration" line in the ICCBR-12 registration form.

(2012 June 20): Our proposal to Artificial Intelligence to fund 10 participants' student registration fees has been partially funded (2K Euros). We are currently determining which participants will not require funding (e.g., because they will be ICCBR-12 Volunteers), and will then determine the reduction in the remaining participants' fees.

(2012 June 18): We drafted a tentative schedule that requires 1.5 days, not 1 day. Details are being worked out, but we currently expect it will be scheduled for a half day on 3 September and a full day on 4 September, ending with a dinner for all the participants.

(2012 June 12): We're delighted to announce that Agnar Aamodt (NTNU, Norway), and Santi Ontañón (Drexel University, USA), who recently began his tenure track position, will be our invited speakers this year. They will each have a talk titled Career Reflections.

(2012 June 11): We received 16 applications - our goal was 10. This is good news for the ICCBR community! We're grateful that we could obtain additional PC members (who may become mentors) to assist with the reviewing process.

Description

Goal: ICCBR-12's Fourth Annual Doctoral Consortium (DC) is designed to nurture PhD candidates by providing opportunities to explore and obtain mutual feedback on their research, future work plans, and career objectives with senior CBR researchers, practitioners, and peers. We invite applications from students (and others), as described below. Selected applicants will be asked to prepare and present an oral presentation at the DC. We also plan for some invited talks and/or panels from senior CBR researchers and/or practitioners at this event.

Participants The ideal student participant is one who is at the midpoint of their candidacy, and/or has not yet received substantial feedback from the greater research community. However, all students are encouraged to apply, even if they have not yet identified their dissertation focus by the application deadline. We also strongly encourage non-student researchers and practitioners, who have few opportunities to interact with the community, to apply. We would warmly welcome their participation, which might lead to generalizing the name of this event.

Process: Each selected participant will be assigned a mentor who will advise them on their research trajectory, writing, and presentation skills. We will facilitate participant-mentor communications prior to and during the ICCBR conference. Each participant-mentor pair will meet individually at the start of the DC event. Then, each participant will give a 15-minute presentation on their proposal, or a facet that relates to it. This will be followed by a 10-minute question/answer feedback period from the audience (i.e., of mentors and fellow participants), led by their mentor. Additional social arrangements will be made to encourage conversation.

Participating Students and Assigned Mentors

Solution Diversity in Case-Based and Generative Planning
Alexandra Coman (Lehigh University, USA)
Mentor: David McSherry, University of Ulster, Coleraine (Northern Ireland)
Qualitative Spatial and Temporal Reasoning with Textual Cases
Valmi Dufour-Lussier (Université de Lorraine, France)
Mentor: Cindy Marling, Ohio University (USA)
Employing Case-Based Reasoning to Improve Symptom Management for End-of-Life Cancer Care
Krista Elvidge (Dalhousie University, Canada)
Mentor: Peter Funk, Mälardalen University (Sweden)
Enhancing Situation Awareness for Decision Support by Utilizing Data Streams and Past Experiences
Odd Erik Gundersen (Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Norway)
Mentor: Béatrice Fuchs, IAE Université Lyon 3 (France)
Retrieve and Reuse of Experiential Procedural Knowledge
Mohd. Siblee Islam (University of Trier, Germany)
Mentor: Jean Lieber, Université de Lorraine (France)
A Case-Based Reasoning System for Radiotherapy Treatment Planning for Brain Cancer
Rupa Jagannathan (University of Nottingham, England)
Mentor: Isabelle Bichindaritz, State University of New York, Oswego (USA)
Integrated Learning for Goal-Driven Autonomy
Ulit Jaidee (Lehigh University, USA)
Mentor: Ian Watson, University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Reasoning System for Computer Aided Diagnosis and Explanations Aware Computing for Medical Applications
Abdeldjalil Khelassi (Tlemcen University, Algeria)
Mentor: Rosina Weber, Drexel University (USA)
Case Selection in Ambient Assisted Living
Eduardo Lupiani (University of Murcia, Spain)
Mentor: Ralph Bergmann, University of Trier (Germany)
Case-Based Reasoning to Model Miscanthus Allocation: A French Case Study
Laura Martin (French National Institute of Agricultural Research, France)
Mentor: David Leake, Indiana University (USA)
Development of an Unsupervised Norm Generation Method for Multiagent Systems
Javier Morales Matamoros (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain)
Mentor: Klaus-Dieter Althoff, University of Hildesheim (Germany)
Investigation of Case-Based Methods to Cross Domain Sentiment Classification
Bruno Ohana (Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland)
Mentor: Luc Lamontagne, Université Laval (Canada)
Group Recommender Systems Enhanced by Social Elements
Lara Quijano-Sánchez (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)
Mentor: Barry Smyth, University College Dublin (Ireland)
Case-Based Reasoning in Hydrometallurgy: Selection of Pretreatment Method for Refractory Gold Ore
Lotta Rintala (Aalto University, Finland)
Mentor: Agnar Aamodt, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway)
Role of Knowledge Extraction for Text Retrieval
Sadiq Sani (Robert Gordon University, Scotland)
Mentor: Enric Plaza, IIIA, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (Spain)
Creating Human-Level AI in Strategy Games using Hybrid CBR/RL
Stefan Wender (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Mentor: Héctor Muñoz-Avila, Lehigh University (USA)

Participant Application Process

We welcome applications from PhD candidates (and others) worldwide. To apply, please submit the following materials (preferably in 1 PDF file!) by email to the DC Chair (David W. Aha, david.aha at nrl.navy.mil) by 1 June 2012. (Early applications are encouraged!)

Research Summary (max 3 pages) A summary that outlines the problem(s) being addressed, the proposed plan for research, and a description of the progress to date. This MUST be in ICCBR-12's Springer format, with references (and no page numbers!). Here's an Example! (Non-student applicants are welcome to discuss instead their CBR-related goals, more generally.)
Curriculum Vita (max 1 page) This should describe the participant's most relevant background, experience (research, education, employment), and list their publication references (if any). Please also include the (1) time at which you began your PhD studies, (2) your estimated graduation date, and (3) your list of committee members (if they have been selected) so we don't assign one of them as your mentor!
Expectations (max 1 page) This should include questions the participant may wish to discuss with their mentor, their goals for participating in the DC, and what they can offer to other DC participants.
Letter of Recommendation (1 page) A letter of recommendation from the participant's dissertation advisor (it need not be signed; the DC Chair will verify this with the advisor). It should include an assessment on the status of the research, and an expected date of completion. In addition, your advisor should indicate what they hope you would gain from participation in the ICCBR DC. (Non-student applicants are welcome to obtain such a letter from any active CBR researcher.)

Note: the CV, Expectations, and Letter of Recommendation should each be on a separate page, and separate from the Research Summary.

Applicants will be notified on whether their Research Summary has been accepted for oral presentation at the DC and the identity of their mentors by 30 June 2012. A final version of the Research Summary paper to be presented will be due on 15 July 2012. Accepted applicants (e.g., PhD candidates) are expected to commit to attending all DC activities at the conference. We will attempt to obtain some limited financial support for all DC student participants, but cannot make any guarantees at this time.

Please contact the DC Chair if you have any questions.

Mentor Invitation

ICCBR-12 invites senior CBR researchers to serve as mentors for the 2012 Doctoral Consortium. Mentor responsibilities will include (1) providing brief informal reviews on one or a few participant applications (if needed), (2) corresponding with an assigned DC participant (typically, a PhD candidate) prior to ICCBR-12 (e.g., writing to them, providing feedback on a few iterations of their presentation), (3) meeting with the participant at the start of the DC, and (4) attending at least two DC presentations, including their assigned participant's presentation, thus leaving them ample time to attend co-scheduled events. Mentors will also lead their participant's question/answering session.

If you can serve as a mentor, please contact the DC Chair (David W. Aha, david.aha at nrl.navy.mil) by 1 June 2012. Please mention your (1) contact information (e.g., including home page URL), and (2) some (CBR-related) research areas that would best match your mentoring interests.

We encourage mentors and all other ICCBR-12 registrants to attend the DC participant presentations, participate in providing them feedback, and to attend the DC's associated social events.

Dates (Tentative)

1 June 2012: Participant applications
1 June 2012: Identify all participating mentors
25 June 2012: Reviewing deadline
30 June 2012: Responses to participant applications
15 July 2012: Camera-ready Research Summaries
3-4 September 2012: Doctoral Consortium

Organizers

Chair: David W. Aha, Naval Research Laboratory (USA) [david.aha (at) nrl.navy.mil]
Co-Chair Thomas Roth-Berghofer, University of West London (England) [thomas.roth-berghofer (at) uwl.ac.uk]

Mentors

Agnar Aamodt, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway)
Klaus-Dieter Althoff, University of Hildesheim (Germany)
Kevin Ashley, University of Pittsburgh (USA)
Ralph Bergmann, University of Trier (Germany)
Isabelle Bichindaritz, State University of New York, Oswego (USA)
Sutanu Chakraborti, IIT Madras (India)
Béatrice Fuchs, IAE Université Lyon 3 (France)
Peter Funk, Mälardalen University (Sweden)
Pedro González-Calero, University of Complutense, Madrid (Spain)
John Hastings, University of Nebraska, Kearney (USA)
Luc Lamontagne, Université Laval (Canada)
David Leake, Indiana University (USA)
Jean Lieber, Université de Lorraine (France)
Cindy Marling, Ohio University (USA)
David McSherry, University of Ulster, Coleraine (Northern Ireland)
Héctor Muñoz-Avila, Lehigh University (USA)
Enric Plaza, IIIA, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (Spain)
Thomas Roth-Berghofer, University of West London (UK)
Barry Smyth, University College Dublin (Ireland)
Ian Watson, University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Rosina Weber, Drexel University (USA)

Testimonials from Previous Student Participants

"I took part in the first DC held at the ICCBR 2009 and it was the first time I had the possibility to talk about my PhD thesis with CBR researchers outside our own research group. Writing the application material was the first time I had to describe the scope of my thesis, which is good, because it eases the question about the topic of you theses. During the DC, discussing my proposal was extremely helpful for getting a feeling how much context I should to explain, so other researchers can follow my approaches. Also, my mentor gave me useful advices on how to continue my work and additional sources I should take a look at. I really enjoyed the discussion about my work with all the mentors after the talk and it was quite impressive that so many CBR researchers were in the audience listening to the DC participants."
- Kerstin Bach, Universität Hildesheim, Germany (ICCBR-09 DC participant)
"The ICCBR Doctoral Consortium is where my recently-begun research became real to me. It transformed, in my mind, from a somewhat artificial construction, held together by little more than my advisor's and my own interest in it, into something that knowledgeable people outside our lab microcosm might want to hear more about, point out the flaws of, suggest unexpected uses for, and, above all, graciously help improve. It takes greatness of heart to offer patience and guidance to a beginner who has read you name in countless reference sections; it has been my great fortune to meet such people at the Doctoral Consortium."
- Alexandra Coman, Lehigh University, USA (ICCBR-10 DC participant)
"I was very happy that I participated in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011. I had published some parts of my doctoral research at previous ICCBR conferences and workshops but the DC allowed me to get feedback on my research as a whole. I received excellent feedback and advice from my mentor, Ian Watson, as well as other CBR researchers who attended the student presentations. The feedback I received did not only come during my presentation/question period but through the entire conference during many conversations and discussions. In addition to the student presentations, I also enjoyed the presentations by CBR researchers as they reflected on their career paths. Overall, I would strongly recommend this event to anyone thinking about participating."
- Michael Floyd, Carleton University, Canada (ICCBR-11 DC participant)
"I participated in the ICCBR 2011 Doctoral Consortium in London. It was a great experience that has proven to be extremely valuable for my research, giving me a chance to receive feedback from the international research community outside the circle of my home institution. After my presentation, the comments and criticisms I have received were very constructive and made me realize the weaker points of my approach, giving me a chance to address these before they would come up during later stages of my PhD. I was paired with a definite expert for my subject, Kevin Ashley, as my mentor. After the consortium, following the kind advice of David Aha, this eventually culminated in a research visit to Prof. Ashley's group at the University of Pittsburgh. This event was definitely, and in many ways, a turning point for the progress of my PhD study."
- Atilim Gunes Baydin, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant)
"I received a lot of interesting feedback at the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2011 from both my mentor and other researchers at the presentation of my project. It was the first time I received so much feedback. The process of writing a 3 page summary and fixing it iteratively with the comments of the mentor contributes to clarify your ideas. The ICCBR is also an opportunity to meet PhD students facing the same kind of problems as you. So, if you are making a PhD related to CBR, I recommend that you consider participating in the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium.
- Youssef Oualmakran, University of Girona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant)
"I participated in the first ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2009 and found it to be very helpful. I was able to present my work to a large group of people in a relaxed environment. The feedback I received from my presentation was especially useful. I was able to incorporate the advice into my thesis proposal and defense, leading to much stronger presentations. The advice I was given on how to clarify certain points in my technical paper also helped greatly while writing my doctoral dissertation."
- Jay Powell, Indiana University, USA (ICCBR-09 DC participant)
"My main motivation for attending the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was to discuss with senior CBR researchers the contributions of my PhD and get community feedback on my research. I was very happy with the overall experience. The reviews I received on my research summary were of great use to me and helped to identify areas of my work to focus on, going forward. During my presentation I received constructive advice and guidance from both mentors, as well as other DC attendees. Lastly, I gained a better perspective on my own research through the input provided to me by my personal mentor (Stefania Montani)."
- Jonathan Rubin, University of Auckland, New Zealand (ICCBR-11 participant)
"The ICCBR-11 Doctoral Consortium was my first opportunity to present my doctoral thesis, although in a very early stage, to a high profile audience comprising leading experts in CBR research. Even before the DC the feedback on my submission and the guidance by my mentor was swift and very useful. Presenting and discussing my thesis then during the DC helped me to focus my research questions. Additionally the feedback I was able to get, especially from my mentor, was very valuable to improve my presentation skills. Besides the valuable feedback on my thesis I enjoyed the very social atmosphere and the opportunity to directly discuss with the leading experts in CBR. The possibility to exchange my ideas with the other DC student participants also provided me with insight in their interesting work and the opportunity to develop links within the CBR community."
- Christian Severin Sauer, University of West London, England (ICCBR-11 DC participant)
"Participation in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was very helpful for me. The feedback I got from my mentor, Susan Craw, as well as other experienced CBR researchers inspired me to look into potential problems with the presented approach and to refine my research ideas. It was also very instructive to watch other DC participants presenting their research and getting feedback. A somewhat informal atmosphere of the DC provided a great opportunity to get in contact with other researchers in the field and, since it is part of the larger conference, there was enough time for discussions after the DC as well."
- Gleb Sizov, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway (ICCBR-11 DC participant)
"I had the chance to participate in the Doctoral Consortium during ICCBR-11 Conference. It was a great opportunity to meet other researchers and PhD students in CBR domain. I received interesting feedback and advice from my mentor (Klaus-Dieter Althoff) and the various participants, I tried to make use of them later to advance my research. I also had a publication in the conference, which helped me to continue the discussion and exchange of ideas during it. After the conference this helped me to remain in touch with some of the participants. It also helped me with my internship at Quebec this year working with one of the CBR community's senior researchers (Luc Lamontagne). This year I will be on the organization team of ICCBR-12 in Lyon. I would be happy to meet with new participants of the Doctoral Consortium during the conference."
- Raafat Zarka, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France (ICCBR-11 DC participant)

FAQ

What ICCBR-12 events will take place concurrently?
The CBR-DT and the Computer Cooking Contest on Day 1 (3 September), when we'll hold a half day of sessions for the DC, and the workshops on Day 2 (4 September), whose concurrent scheduling cannot be avoided. We're attempting to minimize scheduling conflicts with the workshops.
What social events will be scheduled for the DC?
We plan to hold a dinner for all students and mentors on 4 September. Please stay tuned for details.
Can (e.g., student) participants skip some of the Doctoral Consortium (DC) presentations to attend these other events?
We'd prefer no; you wouldn't want someone to skip your presentation, this will give you the opportunity to learn about your peers' work and interests, they'd appreciate your feedback, and you can always attend these other events at future ICCBRs. This year is your year to attend the DC.
Can mentors skip some of the Doctoral Consortium (DC) presentations to attend these other events?
Yes! They're asked to attend only (1) the early time slot to meet their assigned participant, (2) their assigned participant's presentation, and (3) the presentation of at least one other participant. However, we warmly welcome them to attend all of the DC's events (including lunch and dinner), which should interest them.
Is the DC open to all ICCBR-12 attendees?
Yes!! At any or all times during the event.
Is there any funding for participating students?
(This was written in March 2012.) We will submit a proposal that, if accepted, would eliminate/waive student registration fees. This will take time to process. Any progress will immediately be mentioned here. Also, there are opportunities for student volunteers! Please see the ICCBR-12 web site; the announcement for this should be posted in June.
It's still springtime and yet I need to plan for whether to attend. What's the probability that my application will be accepted?
Very high; we accepted all applications last year. The goal is for 10 participants this year. If there are more than 10, we will attempt to accommodate everyone.