Discussion Groups!

As you might have seen, registration for NZCSRSC '09 is now open!! At the same time we also revealed some information about something we are quite excited about – the DISCUSSION GROUPS! (Note to ourselves: we need a fancier title for this)

During the conference we'll be introducing a number of discussion groups as part of an effort to strengthen ties in the postgrad computer science community in New Zealand. You, the participants of NZCSRSC '09, will decide which topics are fit for discussion and a short gathering will be arranged where you will be able to discuss those topics with like-minded conference participants.

This idea was inspired by similar concepts like Birds of a Feather, the Unconference, BarCamp, and others. A similar session was also help at NZCSRSC '07.


You can find details about how it will work on our conference website.


What will roughly happen is this:

1) You, the participants of NZCSRSC '09, will propose topics during the registration process. Possible topics could be anything related to CS/IT which you think would be an interesting topic to discuss (tip: this would be a good chance to discuss things with link-minded people, that is NOT neccessarily the actual focus of your research ;)

2) After we collected your suggestions for topics, we will send them out to all conference participants. All of you will than have the option to choose up to (probably) 4 different topics which you will actually want to participate in.

3) We will then do some scheduling magic, decide which topics will be discussed at what time, and finally…

4) …we will have the discussion groups, in an informal setting during the conference (groups of around 6-8 people, 15min per discussion, probably during a lunch)

One last thing: We would like to have arbitrators who will guide the individual discussions to some extent (details about the role of arbitrators can be found on the website). Please let us know during the registration process, if you would be up to such an interesting, challenging, character-building, [insert any buzz-word here], and fun task!

Feel free to use the forum to post questions or discuss this event. You can also contact the discussion group committee (Andrew andrewh@cs.auckland.ac.nz and Christian chir008@aucklanduni.ac.nz) directly.

We hope that we can get you all excited about this fun event, and we count on your active participation! Looking forward to seeing you all at NZCSRSC '09!

Your DISCUSSION GROUPS committee!

Andrew and Christian

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BuildIT, platinum sponsor of NZCSRSC '09

Registration for NZCSRSC'09 is now open!

Registration for NZCSRSC'09 is now open! Be sure to get in quick to secure your space in the Waipapa Marae for FREE!

As the conference date approaches, I'm feeling both ecstatic and terrified at the same time! Things are really getting fired up here at UoA - sponsors are signing on, and we've secured J.P. Lewis from Weta digital as a keynote speaker, with a number of other exciting speakers in the pipeline.

My main task is looking after external communications, acting as the interface with other universities and departments through our excellent and enthusiastic team of local contacts at your university. This has involved relaying announcements and keeping local contacts abreast of progress in organisation.

I participated in the last two NZCSRSCs, brilliantly organised and hosted by Waikato in 2007 and Canterbury in 2008. NZCSRSC is such a great opportunity to meet students and make friends, find out about the awesome research happening all over the country, attend thoroughly instructive workshops and enjoy wonderful exciting keynote talks -- and if you're a student you can get all this for just $50!

I really can't wait to meet you up here in Auckland come April, as either a NZCSRSC new-comer or a friend from a previous NZCSRSC episode!

Happy New Year!

Hope you’ve all had a great holiday and are recharged and ready to go for 2009!

I realize we are long over due for some introductions to the Auckland team organising this year’s conference so here we go…

• Rachel Blagojevic - Conference coordinator
• Carl Schultz – Communications
• Dave Uthus - Treasurer
• John Downs - Submissions and reviews coordinator
• Hong Yul Yang - Conference promotion and website
• Andrew Hay - Internal administration
• Paul Schmieder - Social events
• Christian Hirsch - Catering
• Prof. John Hosking - Conference mentor

As the conference coordinator my main role is to oversee all areas of the conference and ensure the direction and momentum of the project is maintained. I will get onto the other members of our team to write their own posts, letting you in on what their roles involve, in the near future.

There are lots of exciting things happening here! We are almost at the end of our paper submission and review process with all reviews due in tomorrow. We have almost confirmed some very exciting keynote speakers too...but more on that later ;) Keep and eye on our website over the next few weeks as we will have a lot more information available very soon. Also remember to use the forum and the NZCSRSC Facebook page for any queries you may have.

NZCSRSC ’09 is coming to Auckland!!

Taken from the November 2008 CSANZ Newsletter

We are proud to announce that the NZCSRSC will be held at the University of Auckland from 6-9 April 2009. Preparation is already well underway to make NZCSRSC ‘09 a conference to remember! Our team is really excited to be organising this event and we are working hard to make this another successful conference.

So what is the NZCSRSC? If you are a Computer Science Research Student in New Zealand then this Conference is especially for you, a conference for students, run by students. It is a chance for you to meet others from around the country, share your research and learn about what others are working on. It’s aimed at getting us out from behind those computer screens and putting us face to face with the cutting edge of Computer Science research in NZ and the research students who are behind it all. It’s also a great chance to build friendships among our research community that will last long after we have all (finally) finished our degrees. Students are encouraged to get involved by submitting their research papers and reviewing work by their peers. At the conference students will be showcasing their research during formal presentation and poster sessions, participating in workshops, and enjoying a number of exciting invited keynote presentations, along with fun social events.

For those of you who have been to this conference in the past, most recently at the University of Canterbury, we know that you need no convincing of what a great experience attending the NZCSRSC is. We can’t wait to see you once again and catch up on your latest work, but this time here in Auckland!

The call for papers has already gone out to universities; you can also view this on the website. The submission deadline has been extended to 9 December 2008 so if you haven’t already started your paper, get writing and tell the CS research community all about what you’re working on. For more information see your local university contact otherwise general queries can be made to Rachel Blagojevic (contact information is on the website)

The week of the NZCSRSC'08

Taken from the May 2008 CSANZ Newsletter[PDF]

The sound of bagpipes signified the start of this weeklong, immersive conference. From the opening ceremony on Monday to the goodbyes on Friday – it was a packed and exhilarating week! Run by students for students, it was a week full of events focused on the needs of postgraduate NZ ICT students. The Deputy Mayor of Christchurch Norm Withers welcomed the 135 participants (about 110 students) from all eight universities to the Garden City, the ICT hub of New Zealand. Pro Vice Chancellor (UC) Peter Jackson opened the NZCSRSC 2008, motivating students to participate and engage as much as possible over the week. The Father of the NZCSRSC Ian Witten, and Dr. Darin Graham (Director, NZi3) talked about the NZCSRSC, the ICT students, and the state of the ICT world today. After the opening ceremony, Tony Dale (BlueFern) gave a presentation of the world-class supercomputing available here, followed by tours of the UC supercomputer facility.

Over the next few days there were five student presentation sessions featuring 26 paper presentations and a poster session with 24 poster talks, showcasing the high quality, diverse, cutting-edge research produced here in NZ. Congratulations to Shaoqun Wu and Edmond Zhang for winning the best presentation and best poster awards respectively. These were presented by University of Canterbury Vice Chancellor Roy
Sharp at the closing ceremony.

There were four inspiring keynote speakers. Businessperson and public speaker Martz Witty entertained and educated the participants on presentation and social networking skills. Edwin Dando (CEO, Clarus) encouraged participants to ‘Strive for Excellence’, combining his story of success with practical software engineering and quality management principles. Dave Lane (CEO, Egressive) in his talk ‘The Open Road; Doing the Right Thing and Making a Living’ brought in the aspects of open source, open standards, ethics, and values in the ICT world. David Park (CEO, Geospatial Research Centre) in ‘Be confident in who you are and what you do’ combined practical words of wisdom illustrating them with examples from his life and the various projects he has managed. Experts engaged in active discussion with participants on topics affecting an ICT student’s Present and Future skills, in eight workshop topics. Students were able to discuss the reality of life in industry (e.g. risk management, agile processes etc) in seven casual and interactive chalk’n’talk sessions with software developers.

The social night allowed participants to mingle and make contacts over a delicious BBQ to the sounds of a live Jazz band.

We also had the traditional “Ian Witten and Tim Bell music session”, this time with Gian Perrone. This was followed by the Comedy Night at the Ngaio Marsh, which included performances from the Court Jesters and the Aranui Theatre Company.

The industry event was another time of building social networks. After the dinner and sponsors’ talks, students were able to mingle with industry reps (HR and technical) from local industry at the Human Interfaces Technology (HIT) Lab at UC. This also included playing around on many of the cool demos displayed.

Over 40 people participated in the CSUnplugged Workshop, aimed at promoting the innovative, internationally renowned CSUnplugged educational concept throughout NZ. CSUnplugged is a home-grown initiative, started by Tim Bell that teaches computing concepts to school kids without the use of a computer. The workshop included seminars, ‘real-live’ demonstrations with students from Chisnallwood Intermediate School, and hands-on sessions.

We’re grateful to all those who helped in the organising and running of this conference including the local contacts, ICT departments, authors (reviewers), supporters, and volunteers.

Special thanks go to the premium sponsors: BuildIT, NZi3, Orion Health, and the University of Canterbury.

NZCSRSC 2009 is now being organised by Rachel Blagojevic, Carl Schultz, and the Auckland uni team. We're looking forward to April 2009!

Pics from the NZCSRSC'08 are available online

It's Here

Hi everyone!

That time of year is just about here - the week of the NZCSRSC 2008 - starting with the main conference 14-17 April followed by the CSUnplugged Workshop 17-18 April. We are excited and looking forward to this fully immersive week. It's all about being part of the NZ ICT family, building your social networks, sharing your ideas, giving and receiving feedback, and learning important skills.

After the check-in at 1:00pm on Monday, we will see the official kick off (***now at 3:00pm***) with the opening ceremony. Straight afterwards, there will be a presentation and trips to the supercomputer - NZ's fastest research supercomputer. At 6pm, we will be at the UCSA ballroom for a nice sit-down dinner followed by a keynote presentation by a well known public speaker and businessman Martz Witty at 7pm. He will be talking about the do's and don'ts of presentations, public speaking, social networking (all the things that are important for us to know!) - with funny stories from his own life - tailored specifically for us. Following the presentation at 8pm will be dessert!

Over the next few days there will be presentation and poster sessions where we will get to hear the latest in research about what is going on around the country. We have had some great quality research papers - and we are looking forward to viewing the presentations (both talks and posters). Digital proceedings will be made available during the conference.

Like everything else, the workshop sessions this year have been designed with postgraduate students in mind, covering 8 of the important issues over two categories (Present and Future). Students can choose four of the eight topics offered - and attend up to four 30 minute sessions on Wednesday afternoon. Check out the workshops page (http://nzcsrsc08.canterbury.ac.nz/site/workshops) for more details.

All keynote speakers (including Edwin Dando, Dave Lane, and David Park) have been chosen specifically for their passion, enthusiasm, and their work in their Industry. These are not managers who are tired of what they are doing - but enthusiastic, passionate people who are right there in the forefront of their field working hard every day. They know the in's and out's of their domain - and what it entails including what works, and what fails. This is their story. Check out: http://nzcsrsc08.canterbury.ac.nz/site/keynotes

The Orion Health Social Night on Tuesday promises to be a night of fun and entertainment. Enjoy the evening starting with a casual BBQ dinner (accompanied by a local Jazz trio) and our own local talent (did you remember to pack those instruments?) followed by a Night of Comedy at the Ngaio Marsh (starts at 8pm) with the first performance by nationally renowned Court Jesters. After the intermission, be entertained by the Aranui Drama Theatre Company and their rendition of "Mr. and Mrs A Scottish Play" - a Monty Python-meets-Blackadder take of "Macbeth".

The NZi3 Industry event on Wednesday is geared to meeting and mingling with people that work in Industry. From the stand-up/mingling dinner at 6pm, through to the "Meet the Industry" event at 8pm at the HIT Lab. This should be a very informative and interesting event with people who are very keen to talk with students about daily life in the ICT industry.

The lunches are purposefully informal, casual, stand-up/mingling lunches. This is a chance for you to wander around and talk with others - perhaps the ones whose research presentation has caught your attention. On Tuesday, the lunch will also have "chalk and talk" sessions scattered around the C-Block foyer. Software developers who are working in industry have volunteered their time to come and discuss various issues (including stories from their work life) with students. These include experts in Software development, Processes (including Agile and SCRUM), Test Driven Architectures and Environments, Security .... etc.

Straight after the main ceremony (and the awards for best presentation and poster - yes there will be awards and you will be voting!), the CSUnplugged Workshop will begin. Remember this is separate registration to the main conference - so register now if you haven't already. Everyone is invited to the first session where you will be able to view the very interesting activities of the CSUnplugged project.

Check out the programmes page: http://nzcsrsc08.canterbury.ac.nz/site/programme

This in an immersive event. Come prepared to inspire and be inspired. This conference is run by students for students ... it is your conference. You are not the 'audience' but the 'interactive participants'.

We are excited and looking forward to seeing you all here next week.

Moffat Mathews,
General Chair,
NZCSRSC 2008

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Orion Health, premium sponsor of the NZCSRSC 2008

Adding fun to the NZCSRSC 2008

Besides attending presentations, poster sessions and workshops, what else do you expect to experience when coming to NZCSRSC’08? Fun, entertainment, excitement, while keeping within the goals of this immersive event - all this is our job. As the NZCSRSC'08 Ministers of Culture, our main responsibility is to organize all the events during the conference. These include check-in on your arrival, opening and closing ceremonies, the industry event, as well as social event. Therefore everyday, the two of us keep on thinking about how we can make people comfortable and happy, how things can be interesting and appealing, how…

Anyway, I think you get the idea. Now, only if we had an unlimited (non-student) budget!

We want to give you the warmest welcome when you arrive in Christchurch, followed by a "welcome-to-NZCSRSC/Canterbury" opening ceremony. After the ceremony, you may want to take in a tour (with presentation) of NZ’s fastest supercomputer or have a look around the university! That evening we are combining a delicious sit-down dinner with an informative and fun after-dinner public speaker. After presentations on the second day, you get to relax during the social night, meet with others, and make new friends (build your network). Here people can mingle with each other and enjoy a couple of nice comedy shows we have planned. If you are a musician at heart, bring your instruments down and you might have a chance to jam during the BBQ (keep an eye on the forum for more details). The following evening you will be dining and mingling with representatives from the ICT industry. Here you can see some cool demos and talk to people from local or even national wide ICT companies and organizations, and build your industry-based network. We hope that you will find useful information there on software/tools or for future employment, collaboration, or partnerships. On the last day, award presentations and the closing ceremony will, we hope, draw a perfect end to the conference.

Now the question is: “who are we???” “We” are … Sharon and Xianglin - two of a few girls in the Computer Science & Software Engineering Department (We have to add, girls here are powerful!), who enjoy working for this Ministry. Sharon is from the ICTG (Intelligent Computer Tutoring Group). She is currently designing multiple presentations for open student models used in one of the tutoring systems. Xianglin is from the Network Security Lab. Her topic is on the security of Voice over IP.

NZCSRSC is new to the both of us as we enrolled in our Masters thesis in mid 2007, but now we have become very passionate about it and are really looking forward to experiencing it first hand. Imagine … many of the best computer science research students from around the nation will gather here and present their findings; how can we miss such an event! So come on and join us! Let’s talk to each other, learn new things and make friends. Together, let’s make it a fun, educational, interesting, and memorable experience!

Sharon and Xianglin are looking forward to meeting and mingling with all of you at the NZCSRSC'08.

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BuildIT, premium sponsor of the NZCSRSC 2008