The QUESTnet Call for Papers has been extended until Thursday 27^th April.

Hi, what major projects have you just completed, what lessons did you learn, what have you done recently that is interesting.

Please send an email to the Program Chair with just a few details, see below.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency on the Sunshine Coast, Tuesday 11^th to Friday 14^th July. It is hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast. The committee includes representatives of AARNet, QUESTnet, CAUDIT, the Australian Catholic University and Central Queensland University.

This year's theme is Networking for e-Research - Communication, Collaboration and Regional Engagement.

Speakers are encouraged from University, Research, Health, Government, Defence and Industry sectors.

The following topics are expected to be covered:

• Enabling eResearch through next generation networks
• Federated middleware architectures (Grid computing, Identity and access management, repositories, etc)
• Disruptive technologies (podcasting, peer-to-peer, etc)
• Collaboration tools (wikis, blog, vlogs, IM, etc)
• Emerging technologies (RFID, 4G, quantum computing)
• Networking in general (broadband wireless, video/voice/data convergence, network management, network security)

In addition, do you have something of interest that doesn't fit the topics above. This could be an interesting case study, implementation of new technology or research in the field of telecommunications. Whatever it is, we would like to hear about it.

Format for Submission

Authors wishing to give a presentation must provide the following:

• Name and Affiliation
• Contact Email Address
• A short Biography of your Qualifications and/or Experience (100 Words)
• Key terms or topic (taken from the list above)
• Description of presentation (between 250 and 500 words)

Authors should aim for presentations of 35 minutes duration, including question time. A formal paper is not required but we would expect to make the PowerPoint material available to delegates.

Submissions should be sent by email to the Program Committee Chair, Barry Pollard, University of the Sunshine Coast; email: bpollard@usc.edu.au or phone: (07) 5430 2817.

Due Date
The deadline for normal paper submissions is Monday 3rd April 2006.

Sponsorship
As an incentive to new presenters, the Organising Committee is looking to sponsor papers from QUESTnet member organisations. Sponsorship will be limited and to qualify, the presenter will not have delivered a paper at any previous QUESTnet conference. Sponsorship will provide a contribution towards accommodation and registration. Papers submitted by candidates for sponsorship, will be reviewed for suitability alongside all other papers. Authors of papers who wish to apply for sponsorship should clearly state this in a covering note, along with a statement of their eligibility.

Background
The conference is hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast, supported by AARNet and CAUDIT, and is an initiative of QUESTnet. AARNet is the Australian Academic and Research Network, CAUDIT is the Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology, QUESTnet is the Queensland Educational, Science and Technology Network. The conference is an opportunity for delegates to meet their peers, develop their personal knowledge, exchange observations and experiences, and to gain an understanding of future network directions and developments.

Summary
Learning from colleagues in similar situations at other Australian universities has always been a valuable component of the QUESTnet conference. Please circulate this email to your colleagues and encourage them to participate.

Similarly for vendors and consultants; information about future technology is critical to managing advanced networks.

Regards Barry Pollard
Chair, Program Committee, QUESTnet2006
Email: bpollard@usc.edu.au
Phone: (07) 5430 2817