Indiana University has called upon students studying in US universities to participate in an upcoming workshop titled "Cloud Computing and Collaborative Technologies in the Geosciences". This workshop offers an opportunities for students to understand how cloud computing can be tapped in academia, in general, and Geosciences, in particular. This is a great opportunity for young minds to interact with thought leaders in the field of Cloud Computing and Geological Sciences. Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF), this workshop will be held at the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Sept. 17th and 18th of 2009.

Key goals of the workshop are:

• Identify the key benefits and risks to adopting collaborative and cloud computing technologies in operational and research settings
  
• Present current best practices related to the effective use of cloud and collaborative technology resources
• Identify computer science research challenges that must be overcome in order to successfully advance cloud computing and collaborative technologies in the geosciences
  

Some of the students will get a travel award to meet the expenses related to attending the workshop. The award includes

• Travel reimbursement up to $500
• Shared accommodations for two nights, September 16-18
• Attendance to the Keynote, Panel and Plenary Sessions, September 17-18
• Breakfast and lunch, September 17-18
• Reception and dinner, September 18
• Required attendance to Poster/Demo Session, September 17
  

More information about the conference can be found here. Interested students should send the abstract along with a letter of recommendation to Prof. Robert Ping at robping@indiana.edu.