SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY [Those who have attended previous PRESENCE conferences can attest that they are extremely interesting and enjoyable, with a single-track format and joint social activities and meals that provide an ideal atmosphere for learning and networking; this year's conference, which will include additional discussion and knowledge-building panels, will be held in beautiful, peaceful Marina Del Rey in the dynamic (and warm in November!) city of Los Angeles. Please join us... --Matthew Lombard] Call for Papers PRESENCE 2009 12th Annual International Workshop on Presence Los Angeles, California, USA November 11-13, 2009 ***Submission deadline: JULY 1, 2009*** Conference web site (new information has been added): http://ispr.info/conference OVERVIEW Academics and practitioners with an interest in the concept of (tele)presence are invited to submit their work for presentation at the 12th Annual International Workshop on Presence, to be held in Los Angeles, California on November 11-13, 2009. Often described as a sense of "being there" in a mediated environment, telepresence is broadly defined as a psychological state or subjective perception in which a person fails to accurately and completely acknowledge the role of technology in an experience. It is a rich, fascinating subject of scientific investigation, artistic exploration and diverse application, with increasingly important implications for the ways in which people work, play and live, and technologies are developed. Designing technologies and imagining practices to modify, prolong and reconfigure the possibilities of being present and co- present has been a continuous endeavor of the human species, from early attempts at constructing communication and transportation devices, to the many current technologies we continue to develop to reach other places and people. Today presence phenomena are the subject of research and theory in communication, computer science, psychology, business, philosophy and many other fields. Technology designers are working to create and refine presence experiences for entertainment, business, medicine and health, teaching and learning, exploration, art and performance, and a great many other commercial and noncommercial arenas. The PRESENCE conferences provide a relaxed and enjoyable forum for presentation of presence scholarship and applications and (especially in the planned format this year), discussion sessions that allow attendees to join together in synthesizing and expanding our collective knowledge and visions for the future regarding this compelling topic. PRESENCE 2009 is co-organized by the International Society for Presence Research (ISPR; http://ispr.info) and The University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT; http://ict.usc.edu). TOPICS Issues of prominent interest include (but are not limited to): * Presence in shared virtual environments and online communities * Presence in social interactions with virtual agents and digital counterparts * Real bodies, avatars and cyborgs * Presence and ubiquity with mobile and geo-location technologies * Realistic action in virtual environments * Parasocial interaction and relationships * Presence as a socio-cultural achievement; practices, preferences and material resources to manifest presence * Linguistic and non-verbal strategies to create, negotiate and challenge presence in mediated environments * Cognitive processes and the sense of presence * Neuropsychology of presence * Presence affordances in digital technologies * 3D sound, acoustic environments and presence * Advanced broadcast and cinematic displays (stereoscopic TV, HDTV, IMAX) * Haptic and tactile displays * Holography * Affective and socio-affective interfaces * Presence augmentation through social, physical, and contextual cues * Presence, involvement and digital addiction * Presence theory; historical investigation of presence concepts; fictions, constructions and realism; transportation, flow, absorption, awareness; philosophical perspectives on presence * Causes and consequences (effects) of presence * Presence analysis, evaluation, and measurement techniques * Presence applications (communication and collaboration; education and training; medicine, health and cybertherapy; entertainment and gaming; art and performance; exploration; teleoperation; technology usability and design; etc.) * Ethical and societal implications of presence technologies * The future of presence experiences We seek original, high quality papers that make substantial contributions to the field. All accepted papers will be collected in the official conference Proceedings (with ISBN) and will also be permanently available for download on the ISPR conference archive (http://ispr.info). Authors may also be invited to revise their paper for publication in a special issue of PsychNology (http://www.psychnology.org) or another journal. CONFERENCE FORMAT PRESENCE 2009 will have an interactive format in which all participants (attendees, presenters, invited speakers) attend each of the sessions as well as several social events, allowing participants to exchange ideas and build knowledge together as the conference progresses. Discussion sessions will be built into the schedule to enhance collective knowledge-building. The language of the conference is English. Please visit the conference web site (http://ispr.info/conference) for more information on the conference program, local accommodations, registration, etc. VENUE The conference will be hosted by The The University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) in Los Angeles, California. The conference events will take place at The Marina del Rey Hotel (http://www.marinadelreyhotel.com) in the beautiful Marina del Rey area. Only 4 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and easily accessible from all major Southern California freeways, the Marina del Rey/Venice Beach area offers waterfront beauty with shopping, dining, great recreation and miles of beautiful beaches. SUBMISSIONS We invite researchers and practitioners to submit work in the following categories: PAPERS: Comprehensive descriptions of research or design work and/or theoretical investigation within the scope of the workshop. Papers must relate to existing literature on presence and make an original contribution to it. Papers are 4 to 10 pages including references in the PRESENCE 2009 template format (see the submission page at http://ispr.info/conference). Accepted papers will be included in the Proceedings, and will be allocated time for oral presentation. PANELS: Sets of presentations on a single theme or topic within the scope of the workshop. Submitters are encouraged to be creative regarding both the topic or theme and the format for panel proposals (formats that encourage guided discussion are particularly welcome). Panel proposals must identify and provide contact information for all proposed participants and be 4 to 10 pages long including references in the PRESENCE 2009 template format). Accepted panels will be included in the proceedings. POSTERS: Visual display presentations. Poster proposals are limited to 4 pages including references in the PRESENCE 2009 template format. Accepted poster proposals will be published in the conference proceedings. Posters will be displayed on an approximately 28 in (70 cm) by 40 in (100 cm) board during a dedicated session of the conference and will be allocated a 30 second oral preview. DEMONSTRATIONS/EXHIBITIONS: Step-by-step audiovisual demonstrations and/or hands-on experiences of non-commercial work within the scope of the workshop. Proposals for demonstrations/exhibitions are limited to 4 pages in the PRESENCE 2009 template format. Accepted demonstration/exhibition proposals will be included in the conference proceedings and will be presented during a dedicated session of the conference. For the exhibitions of commercial products, please contact ISPR (ispr@ispr.info) for sponsorship terms and opportunities. All submissions will be made through the conference online submission system at http://ispr.info and will undergo a double- blind peer-review process by at least two selected reviewers. The submission deadline is July 1, 2009. IMPORTANT DATES July 1, 2009 - Submissions due; early registration opens August 15, 2009 - Acceptance/Rejection notifications September 15, 2009 - Finished, camera-ready papers due (electronic submission) October 1, 2009 - Early registration closes November 11-13, 2009 - Conference (onsite registration) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Conference Co-Chairs Jacki Morie and Belinda Lange (Institute for Creative Technologies) Program Co-Chairs Kwan Min Lee (USC) and Matthew Lombard (Temple University) CONTACT For more information or assistance, please send e-mail to ispr@ispr.info or Matthew Lombard (lombard@temple.edu). -- Matthew Lombard, Ph.D. Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (215) 204-7182 lombard@temple.edu http://matthewlombard.com