North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (NAACL-HLT) 2015 Student Research Workshop

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) is the primary international scientific organization in the fields of computational linguistics, natural language processing and human language technologies. The annual meeting of its North American chapter (NAACL-HLT) is one of the most prestigious and selective international conferences in these fields. The goal of this grant is to subsidize travel, conference and housing expenses for students selected to participate in the NAACL-HLT 2015 Student Research Workshop, which will take place during the conference May 31 - June 5, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The workshop aims to provide valuable research opportunity for students at different stages of their academic career (undergraduate, early graduate and advanced graduate). Accepted papers are presented as posters during the main poster session of the conference. This format has the advantages of both allowing longer, more personalized interaction between the presenting student and interested researchers, and attracting a larger audience among conference attendees who are already at the general poster session. In addition, each accepted paper is assigned a mentor. The mentor is a senior researcher from academia or industry who will prepare in-depth comments before the poster session and will provide feedback to the student author. The workshop is organized and run by students. The NAACL-HLT Student Research Workshop contributes to the development of a skilled and diverse computational linguistics and natural language processing workforce. This year, two of the student organizers are female graduate students, which will help promote and broaden the participation of females in natural language processing and computational linguistics fields. The Student Research Workshop (SRW) is an established tradition at ACL and NAACL conferences, allowing students to present their research and receive feedback from senior researchers. The goal is to aid students at multiple stages in their education, from senior-level undergraduates to graduate students at different stages. Therefore, the workshop allows three types of papers: 1) thesis proposals; 2) research papers by graduate students, and 3) for the first time, a special undergraduate research track. The first option is appropriate for seasoned graduate students who wish to get feedback on their proposal and strengthen their final work. The second track, research papers by graduate students, is most appropriate for graduate students new to academic conferences. The third option is specifically dedicated to undergraduate students. The SRW also provides valuable experience for the student organizers, who are directly involved in recruiting reviewers, managing the review process and running the workshop. In addition, the students who are involved in running and reviewing for the Student Research Workshop have ample opportunities to interact with the researchers on the organizing committee of the main conference. Overall, the opportunities for interaction with other students and with senior researchers will positively influence the students' experience in research and will likely inspire many to devote further effort to academic studies and careers. To sustain the outreach tradition of the student workshop, this grant aims to subsidize travel, conference and housing expenses for both student participants and student organizers.