NSF/EU Workshop

While pervasive computing is well established in both the US and Europe, the social networking paradigm is paving the way for new applications. The proposed workshop aims to examine the emerging applications and challenges of social networking in pervasive environments. The workshop participants are leading researchers in pervasive computing and social networking from organizations in the US and Europe. This is a unique opportunity for researchers to meet, exchange ideas, hold brain storming break-out sessions, and prepare recommendations for future education programs and collaborative research. The workshop will initiate long-term collaborative research between US and European researchers in this developing area with huge potential. Pervasive social networking research will benefit from the collaboration as the two groups (US and EU) have complementary strengths. From the social networking perspectives Europe has high population density, highly urban landscape, whereas the US is characterized by large distances and density variations. Moreover, the sociological/behavioral/cultural differences as well as the differences in wireless communication standards between the two world regions pose different kinds of challenges to social networking researchers. Thus the collaboration will be of mutual benefit and enrich the education, research and development in pervasive social networking. The intent of the Workshop is to engage the broader research community in creating a fertile platform for US-Europe collaboration in research and education in emerging applications that exploit pervasive computing and social networking paradigms. The Workshop will comprise a few short talks, break-out sessions and reports. The outcomes of the Workshop, specific new research directions and programs will be recommended to the NSF to invest in as part of its strategic plan. Participation at the Workshop is by invitation only.