If you still have questions, you can email panels@info.supercomputing.org

Panel Format

Q: What is an SC panel?

A: A panel provides a forum that promotes lively, highly interactive discussions on a wide variety of topics among the panelists and audience. The panel format includes a moderator and panelists. We recommend no more than six panelists as this is the maximum number of chairs available for panelists. A panel is not a set of mini-presentations that do not leave time for discussion with the audience. A panel is non-commercial.

Q: What is the length of a panel session?

A: All panels will take place during scheduled sessions at the conference. Each session is 90 minutes.

Submissions and Notifications

Q: When will I know if my proposed panel will be included in the conference?

A: Accept or reject notifications will be sent to all submitters by 22 June.

Q: Where can I find the Panels program online?

A: The program for Panels will be posted here within two weeks of the notifications.

Q: Can I submit more than one panel proposal?

A: You are welcome to submit multiple proposals. A committee of peers selects panels in a peer-review process. Because a limited number of slots are available, any individual may be a member (i.e., contact, moderator, or panelist) of at most two accepted panels.

Q: Do panels need to have a title?

A: Yes. You must indicate your panel’s title when submitting your proposal, as well as the name and affiliation of each panelist and the moderator. A contact for the panel proposal should also be provided. You must include a brief abstract, in the form of a call for participation, describing the panel topic and questions to be addressed exactly as you want them to appear in the conference program.

Q: What material do I need to submit?

A. Your submission should include:

  • A title;
  • Moderator information with a short biography (maximum 150 words);
  • Contact person information if different from the moderator;
  • Panelist information with a short biography (maximum 150 words);
  • A brief abstract, in the form of a call for participation, describing the panel topic and questions to be addressed exactly as you want them to appear in the conference program (maximum 150 words);
  • A proposal of no more than two pages, uploaded as a single PDF file, that describes the panel in more detail. This proposal should also include your panel title. The panel proposal may include information such as a description of the panel topic or position statements by the panelists. You must convince the Panels review committee that the panel will truly be an interactive session and not deteriorate into long-winded, disjointed, and boring mini-presentations or fluffy entertainment. Do not waste space giving a technical history; instead, explain why the panel will attract a good audience and why the audience will find the panel to be insightful and impactful;
  • A diversity justification, describing how you plan to create diversity among panelists with respect to topical background, institution type, geography and demographic characteristics like seniority and gender (maximum 70 words).

Review Criteria and Conflict of Interest (COI)

Q: Is my panel peer-reviewed?

A: Yes, panel proposals are reviewed by a committee of experts. Each proposal will have at least three reviews.

Q: Is the peer-review process double-blind?

A: No, reviewers have access to the names of panel submitters. While the members of the committee reviewing panel proposals are available on the SC website, the names of the individual reviewers of each proposal will not be made available to the submitter.

Q: What are the main review criteria for panel acceptance?

A: The panel committee will focus on these criteria:

  • Relevance and timeliness of the topic – Is this an issue that needs to be resolved now?
  • Expectation of driving toward insight – Will the panel make a meaningful contribution to the state of the art and for the good of the supercomputing community?
  • Credibility of panelists across dimensions of knowledge, experience, constructiveness, diversity– Diversity may be broadly construed to include topical, institutional, geographic, and demographic characteristics (e.g., seniority, gender). How is your panel representative of the current, or of an ideal, HPC community?
  • Audience draw – Expectation of creating excitement and drawing an audience, as evidenced by relevance and participation in similar events (e.g., panels, workshops, conferences) at related venues.
  • Approach – Effectiveness of prescribed approach in sharing and drawing out insights, including highlighting diverse perspectives (a little friendly controversy is often beneficial for discussion), fostering and garnering audience participation. The submission should show an approximate agenda proposal for the panel session.
  • Clarity – The proposal should be clear, complete, and articulate.

Q: What are the SC guidelines for Conflicts of Interest (COI)?

A: A potential conflict of interest occurs when a person is involved in making a decision that (1) could result in that person, a close associate of that person, or that person’s company or institution receiving significant financial gain, such as a contract or grant, or (2) could result in that person, or a close associate of that person, receiving significant professional recognition, such as an award or the selection of a paper, work, exhibit, or other type of submitted presentation.

Panel submitter and Panels Committee members will be given the opportunity to list their potential conflicts during the submission and review process, respectively. The Panels Committee Chair will make every effort to avoid assignments that have a potential COI.

According to the SC Conference you have a conflict of interest with:

  • Your PhD advisors, post-doctoral advisors, PhD students, and post-doctoral advisees forever;
  • Family relations by blood or marriage, or equivalent (e.g., a partner);
  • People with whom you collaborated in the past five years. Collaborators include: co-authors on an accepted/rejected/pending research paper; co-PIs on an accepted/pending grant; those who fund your research; researchers whom you fund; or researchers with whom you are actively collaborating;
  • Close personal friends or others with whom you believe a conflict of interest exists;
  • People who were employed by, or a student at, your primary institution(s) in the past five years, or people who are active candidates for employment at your primary institution(s).

Note that “service” collaborations, such as writing a DOE, NSF, or DARPA report, or serving on a program committee, or serving on the editorial board of a journal do not inherently create a COI.

Registration and Attendance

Q: I am a panelist or panel moderator at the upcoming SC conference. Do I have to register and pay for the Technical Program?

A: All Panels participants must register and pay for the Technical Program. Panel moderators and panelists do not receive free or discounted admission to any conference sessions. By submitting a panel proposal to SC, you are making a commitment to attend the conference and pay the Technical Program registration fee upon acceptance of your submission.

Q: Do I need to secure permission from all participants on a panel discussion (i.e., moderator and panelists) before submitting a proposal?

A: Yes. You must secure permission from all participants in the panel, as well as their agreement to register and attend the conference upon acceptance, prior to making your submission. If the submission is accepted for presentation, all panelists must register for the Technical Program.

Q: I am participating in a panel at the SC conference. Do I still have to register to attend?

A: All individuals planning to present or attend the conference must register. Panel presenters must have a Technical Program registration.

Infrastructure and Organization

Q: What infrastructure is provided for SC panels?

A: Each panel’s infrastructure includes one projector, two screens, two tables for the panelists with six chairs, one fixed microphone at the podium, a lavalier lapel microphone, and three or four microphones on the panelist tables. A stand microphone is provided in each of the three main aisles in the room.

Q: I am a panelist or a moderator. When should I arrive at and leave my designated room?

A: Please arrive at the room designated for the panel at least 15 minutes before the panel starts. Refer to the conference program to identify the room dedicated to your panel session. We ask the moderator and the panelists to leave the room at the end of the 90-minute session in order to allow time for the next panel organizers to set up.

Q: What support is provided to SC panels?

A: A student volunteer will be present at the panel and will assist organizers in contacting technical personnel in case of problems.

Q: Can a session be audio- or video-recorded?

A: No audio or video recording is permitted.