ACM SIGMOD UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (DEADLINE: MAY 9, 2006) ACM SIGMOD/PODS 2006 CONFERENCE Chicago, Illinois June 26-29, 2006

The call for applications can be found here in PDF.

This is not the current CFP. For 2007 applications, send email to sigmod07ugrad@ics.uci.edu. The current CFP can be found at: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~chenli/sigmod07ugrad/.

SIGMOD and PODS started as separate conferences with overlapping aims but different emphasis: SIGMOD has always had a more applied focus on database technology, while PODS has focused on the fundamental theory underlying the database field.  Over the years, however, it became apparent that the two communities are highly symbiotic and could benefit from increased interaction. Reflecting this, and to accommodate the many people who wished to attend both conferences, PODS and SIGMOD have been held concurrently since 1991 as one "Joint Conference".

The ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data (SIGMOD) wants undergraduate students who have an interest in database systems to experience the cutting edge research presented at the ACM SIGMOD / PODS Joint Confs. (Intl. Conf. on Management of Data and Symposium on Principles of Database Systems). In order to help those undergraduate students attend the conference, hence encouraging them to pursue a career related to database research, a scholarship program was introduced by SIGMOD in 2000 and succesfully continued in the following years. It is worthwhile noting that the program has been of a truly international nature.

Each scholarship provides up to US$1,000 to defray conference attendance costs (e.g., travel and lodging) plus Conference registration. Awardees will be responsible for their own travel arrangements, including health insurance if necessary. Selected students will be recognized at the ACM SIGMOD 2006 awards sessions.

All undergraduate students who have completed or are enrolled in a database course by the application deadline are eligible for the scholarship. Note that, for the purpose of this award, a student is considered an undergraduate student if he/she has not yet obtained an BS (or equivalent) degree or has obtained that degree on or after Dec/2005, and he/she is not enrolled in a graduate program at the time of the application. If the applicant's school system is "non-traditional", and the applicant consider him/herself eligible then the committee should be contacted before the application is submitted. All application materials must be received no later than May 9, 2006. Decisions will be sent to the applicants by May 18, 2006.

In order to apply for the scholarship, students must send an email to ugrad-award@cs.rpi.edu.   The subject of the email should be "<candidate's name> ACM SIGMOD Scholarship APPLICATION".  The following information should be included (not attached) in the email in plain text. No HTML, PDF, Postscript or any other type of data will be accepted.

1. List all courses (and respective final grades) taken so far in the undergraduate program as well as current GPA.
2. List any scholarships, awards or honors earned.
3. Current academic status, including number of years until graduation.
4. Professional Organization Affiliations (e.g., ACM, SIGMOD, IEEE, Local Chapters, etc.)
5. List of publications (if any) and or non-trivial (e.g., non-course) projects in which the applicant participated.
6. In 100 words or less, write about "why am I interested in database research and how would I benefit from attending SIGMOD/PODS 2006."

1. Nominator's Name
2. University and Position
3. Professional Organization Affiliations (e.g., ACM, SIGMOD, IEEE, etc.)
4. A statement about the relative standing (performance-wise) of the nominee at his/her University, in particular in database courses, and how far from graduation the nominee is (i.e., what percentage of the program has been completed at application time).
5. In 100 words or less, justify "why the nominee deserves to receive this scholarship".

The decisions made by the ACM SIGMOD Undergraduate Scholarship Program Committee will be final. The Committee also reserves the right to not award the scholarships to any applicant. We look forward to receiving a large number of applications and wish all applicants the best of luck.

Important information regarding visas:

International applicants are urged to learn about the visa application process and take steps to start the process. The process typically takes about a month with variations for different countries. Note that it your responsibility to obtain a visa and the award will be presented to you only if you attend the conference. More information about the visa application process and the wait times can be found at:

• Information about visa processing times: http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/visapolicy/time.html
• Information about the visa application process: http://www.travel.state.gov/ and http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/