Keynote speakers

	Professor Xiaodong Zhang Department of Computer Science and Engineering The Ohio State University Talk:Maximizing Storage and Network Performance for Big Data Management in Distributed Systems
Abstract: A critical challenge we are facing today in the society is how to effectively respond the massive and quick online data growth coming from various scientific research sites, many government organizations, and numerous enterprises, which is simply called "big data". For example, more than 70 Terabyte compressed data is added every day in Facebook, the world largest social network, and this data amount continues to grow.  Traditional database systems, including parallel database systems, are not prepared for such a "data tsunami" in terms of the scale, performance, and cost.  This requires that new data processing technology store and manage big data performance- and cost-efficiently for deep and comprehensive analytics of the whole datasets. MapReduce programming model and its open source implementation Hadoop have been effectively adopted as a big data processing engine for various applications. In this talk, I will address several storage and network performance issues for big data management in large distributed systems, including basic requirements of big data processing, big data placement structures, and related performance optimization issues.  The work presented in this talk reflects collaborative efforts of researchers from Facebook Data Infrastructure Team, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Ohio State University. Biography: Xiaodong Zhang is the Robert M. Critchfield Professor in Engineering and Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the Ohio State University. His research interests focus on data management in computer, networking and distributed systems. He has made strong efforts to transfer his academic research into advanced technology to widely impact general-purpose production systems in both hardware and software. He received his PhD in Computer Science from University of Colorado Boulder, where he is a recipient of the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2011. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
	Professor Sajal K. Das University Distinguished Scholar Professor Director, Center for Research in Wireless Mobility and Networking (CReWMaN) The University of Texas at Arlington Talk: Collaborative Multi-modal Sensing Applications: Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract: Pervasive diffusion of sensors, personal communication and application-specific devices (e.g., smart phones and surveillance cameras) has dramatically changed the data collection and event detection scenarios of various environments and phenomena. Indeed heterogeneous devices for sensing, processing, and communications play key roles in collaborative, distributed, and multi-modal sensing applications. We hypothesize that heterogeneity typically perceived as a threat, can be leveraged to achieve higher efficiency because information from diverse sources provides a richer characterization of environments and situations. In this talk, we highlight collaboration and task decomposition as the foundation for distributed sensing applications based on heterogeneous devices and multi-modal interactions. We present a case study of health care application and conclude with emerging research issues and challenges. Biography: Dr. Sajal K. Das is a University Distinguished Scholar Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Founding Director of the Center for Research in Wireless Mobility and Networking at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, a Concurrent Professor of Fudan University, Shanghai and an International Advisory Professor of Beijing Jiaotong University. His current research interests include wireless and sensor networks, mobile and pervasive computing, smart environments and health care, security and privacy, biological and social networks, applied graph theory and game theory. He has published over 500 technical papers and 37 book chapters, and holds five US patents in wireless networks and mobile internet. He has coauthored three books -- "Smart Environments: Technology, Protocols, and Applications" (Wiley, 2005), "Mobile Agents in Distributed Computing and Networking" (Wiley, 2011) and "Handbook on Securing Cyber-Physical Infrastructures" (Morgan Kaufmann, 2012). Dr. Das is a recipient of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award for pioneering contributions in sensor networks and mobile computing (2009); IEEE Region 5 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award (2008); and 7 Best Paper Awards in such conferences as IEEE PerCom and ACM MobiCom. He is a recipient of the Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students (2011), Lockheed Martin Teaching Excellence Award (2009), Academy of Distinguished Scholars Award (2006), University Award for Distinguished Record of Research (2005), College of Engineering Research Excellence Award (2003), and Outstanding Computer Science Faculty Research Award (2003). Dr. Das is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier's Pervasive and Mobile Computing (PMC) journal, and an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, ACM/Springer Wireless Networks, Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing, and Journal of Peer-to-Peer Networking. As the founder of IEEE PerCom and IEEE WoWMoM conferences, he has also served as General and Technical Program Chair or TPC member of numerous IEEE and ACM conferences.
	Professor Safwat Zaky Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto Talk: Computer Organization and Computer Architecture Education
Abstract: An introductory course on computer organization and/or computer architecture is a core course in most computer engineering and computer science curricula. It is the first course in which students are introduced to system concepts. They learn about how building blocks are integrated to form a functioning whole and about the trade-offs involved and the influence of technology. They also learn about the symbiosis of hardware and software and how their interaction affects performance. No computer today functions in isolation.It is either embedded in a larger system or connected to a network to enable the user to benefit from a burgeoning range of applications, placing enormous demands on the computer's I/O structure. Courses in this rapidly-changing field need to provide an appreciation of the underlying concepts and prepare the stdudents to be part of future innovations. At the same time, they need to respond to the students' curiosity about the latest technologies. This talk will discuss how courses on computer organization and computer architecture have evolved and must continue to evolve to meet these challenges. Biography: Safwat Zaky received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and B.Sc. in Mathematics from Cairo University, Egypt, and his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. From 1969 to 1972 he was with Bell Northern Research, Bramalea, Ontario, where he worked on applications of electro-optics and magnetics in mass storage and telephone switching. In 1973, he joined the University of Toronto, where he is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He served as chair of the Department from 1993 to 2003 and as Vice-Provost, Planning and Budget, from 2003 to 2009. In 1980-81, he was a senior visitor at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, England. Professor Zaky is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. His research interests are in the areas of computer architecture, digital-circuit design, and electromagnetic compatibility. He is a coauthor of two books: Computer Organization and Embedded Systems, now in its sixth edition, and Microcomputer Structures and is a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and of the Vivek Goel Award for distinguished service to the University of Toronto.