Newsgroups: comp.parallel,comp.parallel.mpi,comp.parallel.pvm
From: ferraro@ccsf.caltech.edu (Robert Ferraro)
Subject: Templates Workshop - Call for Participation
Keywords: templates, portable, workshop
Organization: CCSF Caltech, Pasadena, CA
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 1994 20:39:25 GMT
Message-ID: <3d7b0i$lif@gap.cco.caltech.edu>

                    WORKSHOP CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

       TEMPLATES: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR PORTABLE PARALLEL APPLICATIONS

                           February 6, 1995 
                             FRONTIERS '95 
   The Fifth Symposium on the Frontiers of Massively Parallel Computing 
                         sponsored by the IEEE 
                        McLean Hilton, McLean, VA

ORGANIZED BY:
    Jack Dongarra/Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville
    Robert Ferraro/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    Geoffrey Fox/Syracuse Univ.

WORKSHOP THEME

The term "Templates" has recently gained attention in the parallel 
processing community, yet is an evolving concept with several definitions. 
The primary motivation for constructing templates is to rapidly infuse 
into common usage state-of-the-art algorithms in a form which can be 
adapted to specific application requirements. This implies that the 
template retains the desired numerical properties but is cast in a form 
which is independent of parallel architecture, data layout, and programming 
language. Many users would like to see templates go beyond pseudo-code, 
which can be found in textbooks and research papers, to become objects 
which are directly compilable on multiple architectures. This workshop will 
explore the issues involved in constructing an algorithm template which is 
portable, scalable, and adaptable to application requirements, yet retains 
the numerical properties which make the algorithm desirable in the first 
place.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The success of this workshop will depend on the participation of a mix of 
scientists who write parallel applications, parallel numerical algorithms 
researchers, and parallel programming environments researchers. Persons from 
these communities with an interest in portability, pedagogy, and maximizing 
reusability of parallel algorithms are invited to attend. Computational 
scientists are particularly encouraged to voice their requirements.

AGENDA

This is a half-day workshop in conjunction with Frontiers '95, consisting 
of invited presentations and an open discussion among all participants.

To properly explore the workshop theme, the organizers have invited experts 
in certain topics to address the problems applications writers face in 
1) constructing portable parallel applications, 2) using "state of the art" 
parallel algorithms, and 3) reusing "state of the art" numerical methods 
developed by others or for different applications. The invited presentations 
are:

Traditional Libraries
      Lennart Johnsson   Harvard University & Thinking Machines Corp. 
Benchmarks/Kernels
      Tony Hey           University of Southampton 
Algorithm Templates
      James Demmel       UC Berkeley 
Class Libraries
      Roldan Pozo        National Inst. of Standards and Technology 
Archetypes
      Dan Meiron         California Institute of Technology/
                             Center for Research in Parallel Computing

Each speaker has been asked to spend 20 minutes summarizing how well the 
"state of the art" in their area does in addressing the 3 problems listed 
above. These presentations are intended to foment debate during the 
remainder of the workshop which will lead to, at least, an enumeration of 
the deficiencies of each approach to writing reusable parallel software, 
and, perhaps, a consensus on what are the key issue(s) which need to be 
addressed by any methodology which purports to deliver portable, scalable, 
parallel, state of the art, algorithms to the applications community at 
large.

REGISTRATION

The facilities will limit attendance to approximately 60 participants, so 
advanced registration for the workshop is required. To register for this 
workshop, send the following information via Email to
          <ferraro@zion.jpl.nasa.gov> 

---------------  Templates Workshop at Frontiers '95 -----------------------
Name: 
Email address: 
Affiliation: 
Mailing Address:

Do you wish to have your name and address included in the workshop list of 
participants? (yes/no)

[Email to <ferraro@zion.jpl.nasa.gov>. On-site registrations will be 
accepted on a space available basis.] 
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Also, be sure to check the Templates Workshop on your Frontiers '95 
Conference Registration form. Conference information, including registration 
and hotel forms, may be obtained via the WWW at
         http://www.cs.umd.edu/projects/hpsl/announcements/front95.html 
or via anonymous FTP at
         cs.umd.edu:pub/hpsl/frontiers95/

The Frontiers '95 deadline for advanced registration in January 7, 1995. 
There is no additional fee for registering for the Templates Workshop. After 
January 7th, conference registration fees increase - so advance register for 
the Templates Workshop, and Frontiers '95 today! 


