Call for Proposals: 2018 IEEE SPS Summer School in Signal Processing

The IEEE Signal Processing Society welcomes proposals from prospective organizers of 2018 summer schools under the S3P (Seasonal Schools in Signal Processing) Program.  S3P seasonal schools are typically either summer schools or winter schools, and are geared towards providing graduate students, early stage researchers, and practitioners with background on selected topics in signal processing. Organizers of Signal Processing Society workshops and conferences are encouraged to submit proposals for seasonal schools linked to their event.

The primary objective for creating a seasonal school program is membership development for students with interests in signal processing.  Students are the future of our Society.  It is essential that we provide special membership development opportunities for this important group of members.  For more details about the S3P Program, and for links to recent events that have been organized under this program, please visit the Seasonal Schools page on SPS website.

The S3P Program is now soliciting proposals for 2018 summer schools.  Proposers should submit their proposal white papers, following the guidelines summarized below by 2 November.  2018 summer schools should be planned in the period April 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018.  White papers should be submitted in PDF format by email to s3p-admin@ieee.org.  Any questions should be directed to the same address: s3p-admin@ieee.org.

Important Dates:
Deadline to submit proposals ………………………………………2 November 2017
Decisions announced ………………………………………………… 28 December 2017

Proposal Preparation Guidelines

Proposers should submit their proposals by email to s3p-admin@ieee.org.  Proposals should be 3-4 pages in length in 11 or 12 point font.  Proposals should address the following points:

1. The proposed title should be formatted as follows, IEEE SPS [Season] School on [Topic], a description of the technical theme for the seasonal school, and an outline of the topics to be covered.
2. A specification up front about whether regular sponsorship (financial and technical) or just technical co-sponsorship by SPS is proposed.  Under technical co-sponsorship, organizers are free to use the SPS Technical Co-Sponsorship logo in their website promotional materials, but no financial support is provided by SPS. 
3. A listing of key organizers, and description of their qualifications.
4. A description of the proposed venue, including the facilities available to host the event.
5. A listing of proposed lecturers and their qualifications, including information about which lecturers are confirmed (pending approval of the proposal), and which are candidates who have yet to be confirmed.
6. A description of the proposed membership development contribution of the seasonal school.  What will be the contribution of the seasonal school to the students who attend, and to the IEEE Signal Processing Society-at-large?  What special activities or initiatives will the organizers develop as part of the event help enhance the impact? Organizers should describe a minimal set of lectures they intend to propose to the Resource Center Editorial Board for upload (see item 10) and possible plans to use the new SigPort online document archive and comment sharing SPS portal for their school.
7.  A description of any travel grant program that will be included in the proposed seasonal school.  The costs for providing these grants should be taken into account in the budget breakdown (see item 11).
8. Proposed dates.  The suggested duration is five days (Monday through Friday of a given week).
9. A specification of the proposed registration fee structure.  A significantly higher rate is suggested for non-SPS members.  The following categories are suggested with examples of corresponding costs in terms of US dollars.
   • SPS student member (lowest rate) – e.g., $100 for the whole event.
   • Non-SPS student – e.g., $200 or $250 for the whole event.
   • Non-student SPS member.
   • Non-student, Non-SPS.

   The non-student rates are oriented towards practioners, and those rates can be significantly higher (e.g., $500 for a single day or $800 total as examples). For practitioners, a single-day rate is useful since some may have trouble leaving work for several consecutive days.

   The specific dollar amounts provided here are only examples. Organizers should adjust the amounts based on local considerations, anticipated external support, etc. Even if enough support is available to cover student registration costs completely, some modest registration costs are suggested for students so that they and their advisors are “invested” in the program.

10. A detailed plan to record Seasonal School lectures and sessions, including budget considerations, vendors, and recording process. All recordings will be made available in the SPS Resource Center. Organizers should contact the Chief Editor of the SPS Resource Center (currently: John McAllister, jp.mcallister@ieee.org) for information regarding recommended ways to record videos and slides. Quality recordings can be inexpensively produced, and the SPS Resource Center Editorial team has various options to recommend for all budgets.
11. Provide a budget breakdown that shows estimated revenues (from registrations and sponsorship contributions), as well as costs. For a regular sponsorship proposal (see Item 2) an SPS contribution of up to $5K US dollars can be included in the budget. For a successful white paper, the actual limit of SPS support will be determined by the Membership Board at the full proposal stage.

    When preparing the budget, proposers are advised to not plan on having business class travel (use economy class) for speakers unless it can be supported directly from external (non SPS) funds. IEEE funds cannot be used to pay for business class travel.

    The budget provided in the white paper should also address the following points:

    • The proposed budget should include a 15% contingency to reduce the probability of a deficit. The organizers will be responsible for covering any losses; SPS will not assume such liability.
    • What do the organizers plan to do with their share of any budget surplus, should one exist?
    • Event organizational connections should be highlighted with local IEEE SPS chapters, as well as related involvement in the budget (e.g., local chapter, contributions to the school, and plans for splitting any surplus).
       
12. For technical sponsorship proposals no contribution will be provided, but a budget breakdown will have to be provided together with a mandatory commitment letter of the local IEEE SPS chapter to actively cooperate in the School.
13. Information about low costs living arrangements available for students. What will be the cost to students for living arrangements? Is free dorm accommodation available for students? Approximately how many students can be accommodated under the available low cost or free housing arrangements?
14. Information about lunch arrangements. Will the event provide lunches (if so, it needs to be in the budget) or will there be low cost lunch facilities available? The envisioned lunch facilities and their estimated cost to students should be described.

If a seasonal school white paper is approved, the organizers will be encouraged to develop a full proposal for more comprehensive review by the Membership Board.