Advancing X-cutting Ideas for Computational Climate Science
New dates for AXICCS: Sept 12-13, 2016.
Questions about the workshop:
Logistics:
How do I rebook for the AXICCS workshop on the new dates?
Already approved attendees who were scheduled to attend the Jan AXICCS workshop will get first priority in attending in Sept. Once we have a firm head count we will invite additional folks to fill in gaps as needed. If you would like to attend but were not part of the original list. Please email the organizers to get on the list.
Where is the best place to find out about the workshop in general, including agenda and logistics?
ORAU is the workshop organizer and will provide a website with details about the logistics, agenda, registration and booking details etc. This website address will continue to provide links to the ideas papers template download and upload links and FAQ. Links to both sites will be provided on each.
What can you tell me about the logistics while you wait for the details to be posted on the official ORAU website for the workshop?
For the participants, it is a 2-day workshop, January 26-27, 2016. The program committee will remain for an extra 1/2 day on the 28th to write the workshop report. If your receive notice that your ideas paper has been accepted for a presentation, please plan on being present for the entire two full days on the 26th and 27th. The agenda with exact times and activities will be posted soon. We want this to be primarily a discussion event and not just a conference with a list of presentations.
Why would I want to attend a workshop that provides no travel support nor concrete future funding call as a result of the workshop?
The organizers are convening this workshop to bring attention to of the importance of computer science and mathematics in assisting with global Earth system models. Of course we help the ideas generated as a result from the event will eventually find there way into the proposals of researchers so that the ideas can be investigated and even implemented in some form. But since we are targeting very long term problems for Earth system models, it is not reasonable to expect concrete funding when the target models themselves do not yet exist. As for providing funding, of course providing funding is always a nice benefit for researchers attending workshops, but it was not possible to do so. We hope that interest in the topical area is sufficient that folks will consider attending so that they can be a part of the conversation.
Impact:
What is the purpose of the workshop report? Who is the intended audience?
We hope that the report will be a reflection of the variety of new ideas on how mathematics and computer science can provide tools and advancements to large scale global and regional-scale Earth System models. We hope it is useful for research program planning and strategy. It may be possible to submit the report as an article in some form, but not be determined until after the event.
Why are you not focusing on how to get better models themselves and how to use observations?
We consider all topics that cover how to connect computer science and mathematics research to aid in the improvement of Earth System Models to be within scope. So for example, if you have an idea about how new mathematics developments could improve the way we compare observations to models, we would consider that topic to be within scope.
Is this a program meeting that will be tagged to a future funding call?
This meeting is occurring because several of us computational climate modelers thought we should have an in-depth discussion about computational ideas to address longer-term science needs for climate modeling. There is no funding call affiliated with this event and we are targeting scientific challenges and ideas more than 5 years beyond the work being done right now. That said, we hope that the great ideas that emerge from the event and its report will be used as inspiration for future calls and proposals that will favor engagement of mathematicians, computer scientists, and climate model developers and analysts from a variety of funding sources.
Ideas Papers:
If I submit an ideas paper, will it definitely be accepted for an oral or poster presentation?
We do not know how many papers we will receive, so we cannot guarantee that all papers will be accepted for a presentation of any kind. We will try to accept as many as possible, and we will select them to achieve a broad scope of ideas. So it is possible that papers with similar ideas will be collected into groups- with one lead author from one paper presenting. It is also possible that a paper so far out of scope from the others may not be included for presentation in order to focus the workshop. However original and fresh ideas will certainly be included as much as possible. Our goal is to provide the most interesting and stimulating discussion at the workshop.
Can I have as many authors as possible on my ideas paper?
You many include as many authors as you like, but only the lead author from an accepted paper will be asked to present. If the lead author would prefer to designate an alternative speaker, they may do so if the notify the organizers.
Can the white paper topics cover any aspect of Mathematics and Computer Science in advancing models?
We encourage ideas papers on all aspects of these topics, if you think they have potential to advance Earth System models of the future. We encourage new ideas and "out-of-the-box" thinking.
The call is a bit vague in explaining which topics might fit best for the papers. Can you please clarify?
We are hoping to get ideas papers on a wide variety of topics that motivate and explain possible strategies for model development, provide ideas about new mathematics or computer science research to support model development and or improve models, or some combination of the two. Some general examples include new analysis methods when confronting models with observations, extension of traditional algorithms to enable efficiency on advanced or alternative architectures such as neuromorphic computers, domain specific languages that enable performance portability, extreme regional refinement from global to LES scale, combining models of human processes with atmospheric and land surface behavior etc. These are not preferred topics, just examples to get ideas flowing.