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C A L L F O R P O S I T I O N S T A T E M E N T S


Evaluate 2010

Workshop on Experimental Evaluation
of Software and Systems in Computer Science


http://evaluate2010.inf.usi.ch/

Co-located with SPLASH'10 in Reno/Tahoe, Nevada, October 17-21, 2010.
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Call for Position Statements

We call ourselves 'computer scientists', but are we scientists?
If we are scientists, then we must practice the scientific method.
This includes a solid experimental evaluation. In our experience,
our experimental methodology is ad hoc at best, and nonexistent at worst.

In the last few years, researchers have identified disturbing flaws
in the way that experiments are performed in computer science.
For example, in the area of performance evaluation of computer systems,
our measurements on one system are rarely reproducible on another.
As hardware and software grow more complex, this problem just gets worse.

This workshop brings together experts from different areas of computer science
to discuss, explore, and attempt to identify the principles of sound
experimental evaluation.

The workshop will consist of discussion sessions, which focus on themes
such as data collection, data analysis, and reproducibility, with the goal
to answer the following questions:

* What are the issues that are preventing proper experimental evaluation?
* How can we resolve these issues?
* We need more research in evaluation methodology.
What should that research be?
* We need better tools to do sound experimental evaluation.
How do we encourage investment in such tools?
* What are the principles and best practices that people are using
in the different areas of computer science?
* How does the computer science curriculum need to be changed
to prepare the next generation of computer scientists?

We are asking each participant to submit a short position statement,
no more than 1000 words, on the state of experimental evaluation in computer
science.


Important Dates

Submission deadline: Monday, August 9, 2010
Notification of acceptance: Monday, August 30, 2010
Early registration: mid September, 2010
Workshop: Monday, October 18, 2010


Organizing Committee

* Steve Blackburn (Australian National University)
* Amer Diwan (University of Colorado / Google)
* Matthias Hauswirth (University of Lugano, Switzerland)
* Atif Memon (University of Maryland)
* Peter F. Sweeney (IBM Research)