Conference of the Association for Software Testing - CAST08

CALL FOR PAPERS

The 3rd Annual Conference of the Association of Software Testing (CAST) 2008

http://www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org/CAST2008

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 14-16, 2008

Beyond the Boundaries:  Interdisciplinary Approaches to Software Testing

Keynote Presentation by Gerald M. Weinberg

The Association for Software Testing is pleased to announce its third annual conference (CAST 2008), to be held July 14-16.  The meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada, a city which features enormous diversity in culture, businesses, educational institutions, and the arts.  Toronto is the perfect location for a conference on this year’s theme: "Beyond the Boundaries:  Interdisciplinary Approaches to Software Testing".

Interdisciplinary approaches draw from diversified branches of learning or practice, such that insights can be drawn upon and synthesized to influence a particular craft. The CAST 2008 Program Committee is now seeking papers that explain how one, two or more disciplines might assist with software testing.

Examples could include ways in which statistics and metrics combined with critical thinking can help software testers interpret performance test results; ways in which logical thinking combined with document design and modeling help testers better understand business requirements and execute functional tests; or ways in which research in human/computer interaction might influence usability testing.

Apropos of this theme, the Association is delighted to announce that the first of our keynote speakers will be Gerald M. Weinberg, presenting a talk entitled Lessons from Past to Carry into the Future.  Fifty years ago, in 1958, Jerry established the very first separate software testing group, to aid in producing life-critical software for Project Mercury. Jerry will speak of many steps, done and not yet done, needed to complete the task of creating a true software testing profession.

Both academic research papers and industrial experience reports are welcome.  The following (non-exclusive) list suggests topics of interest that the Committee would consider highly suitable for submission:

• General systems (e.g. modeling, non-linearity, complexity)
• Mathematics (e.g. probability, statistics, combinatorics / permutations, graphing, metrics, equivalence partitioning)
• Epistemology (e.g. logic, lateral thinking, critical thinking, experiment design, decision making)
• Cognitive science (e.g. biases, perception, descriptive decision making, human factors, dynamics of heuristics, learning)
• Communication (e.g. rhetoric, document design, writing)
• Visualization (e.g. graphical presentation of test results, display and presentation of test data)
• Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching software testing

In addition to looking for papers that demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to software testing, we’re looking for personal experience reports that clearly demonstrate skills and practices of seasoned software testing professionals. We’ll be looking for rich, diverse experiences and intriguing papers that illuminate the theme.  If you have hands-on experience and a fascinating story to tell, contact us and we will assist you in evolving your tale so it will be ready to present at CAST.

CONFERENCE FORMAT

CAST is designed as a forum to stimulate discussions leading to innovation in software testing, and so is distinguished by significant interaction among presenters and attendees.  Papers and experience reports accepted by the program committee are challenged, debated, and discussed by the conference attendees.  We encourage and facilitate conversation by building flexibility into the schedule so that topics generating high energy can be explored more deeply without adversely disrupting the course of conference events. Trained facilitators will ensure that discussion sessions are appropriately structured and productive.  Discussion sessions will have a recorder, and transcripts or summaries of the discussions will be made available to participants after the conference.

SUBMISSIONS

CAST 2008, although not associate with ACM, encourages authors to follow the ACM SIG Proceedings style, freely available at http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/proceedings-templates.

We expect a typical submission to be between 4 to 6 pages long. All papers should be submitted electronically in PDF format via email to: CFP@associationforsoftwaretesting.org

Authors of accepted papers will receive complimentary registration to CAST 2008. Papers will be published in the conference proceedings.  Authors will also be invited to submit their papers for inclusion in a future edition of the Journal of the Association of Software Testers (JAST).

IMPORTANT DATES

• Monday Feb 4, 2008 : Deadline for paper submission
• Monday February 25, 2008 : Notification of acceptance/rejection to authors
• Monday March 17, 2008 : Submission of revised paper integrating the reviewers’ comments
• Friday April 4:, 2008 : End of the second period of reviewing
• Monday April 28, 2008 : Final camera-ready papers due
• July 14-16, 2008: Conference

CONFERENCE CONTACT

For further information about CAST 2008, please contact a member of the conference committee as listed below:

Sponsorship:  Scott Barber, executive.director@associationforsoftwaretesting.org

General Conference Information:  Michael Bolton, cast2008(“at” symbol)michaelbolton.net

Program: CFP@associationforsoftwaretesting.org

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Scott Barber

President & Chief Technologist, PerfTestPlus, Inc.

Vice President & Executive Director, Association for Software Testing

www.perftestplus.com

www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org

"If you can see it in your mind...

     you will find it in your life."