Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics

The workshop was successfully held in Barcelona on Nov 19, 2012!

Slides of the keynote talks are available at the bottom of this page with the program details.

The workshop will be coordinated by Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano, and chaired by Fabio A. Schreiber,  Francesco Bruschi, Jan Van Leeuwen and Letizia Tanca 

A trend has recently emerged toward making the experimental scientific method take center stage in computer science and engineering. Unfortunately, computer scientists do not seem to agree on how experimental methods are supposed to impact their theory and practice. This workshop is intended to give a home to interests in, and concerns about, the role and relevance of experimentation in informatics.

Among the questions that will be discussed are the following:

- Does it make sense to 'import' traditional experimental principles (such as comparison, reproducibility, repeatability, justification, explanation) from traditional scientific disciplines into computer science and engineering? On the one side, the application of these principles allows for a more rigorous approach to experiments within computer science and engineering; on the other side, these principles are valid for disciplines (such as physics and biology) that aim at understanding and explaining natural phenomena, whereas computer science and engineering realize artifacts.

- Computer science and engineering are composed of very heterogeneous subfields: is it possible to single out some common features characterizing "good experiments" across these subfields?

- What does it mean to make experiments in computer science and engineering? Is it possible to ask this question in general terms or does it need to be specifically declined for each subfield?

- Stimulating a deeper discussion on experiments in computer science and engineering can help promote a more scientific approach to the discipline: is this a possible way to look at the current debate on the relationship between computing and science?

Speakers (partial list):

• Carlos Andujar, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
• K.M. (Kees) van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) - The Netherlands
• Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano - Italy
• Matti Tedre, Stockholm University, DSV - Sweden

Contributions on the theme of the workshop are encouraged. They will be evaluated and selected by the ECSS 2012 program committee on the basis of relevance to (and capacity of) the program. Selected papers will be scheduled for presentation as part of the workshop, or in the main conference on November 21.

All details on how to submit and deadlines can be found here.

------Workshop Program-Monday, November 19------

Workshop room will be in Building C6, Room 003 (see a map here)

14:00 – 14:30 Registration and workshop opening

14:30 – 15:00 Keynote

     "Competing Viewpoints on Experimentation in Computing" [Slides]

        Matti Tedre, Stockholm University, DSV

15:00 – 15:30 Keynote

     "Beyond Benchmarking: Statistically Sound Experimentation" [Slides]

       Kees van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

15:30 – 16:00 Keynote

         "Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics" [Slides]

       Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee Break (In Building B6, FIB, in front of Sala d'Actes)

16:30 – 17:00 Keynote

     "Role of user studies in Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality" [Slides]         

       Carlos Andujar, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

17:00 – 18:00 Submitted papers and Roundtable discussion

Chairs: Letizia Tanca, Politecnico di Milano, and Jan van Leeuwen, Universiteit Utrecht