The ER - International Conference on Conceptual Modeling is an annual research conferencecomputer science dedicated to information and conceptual modeling. Since the first event in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA, the conference has evolved into one of the major forums for research on conceptual modeling and information retrieval. Conceptual modeling is about describing the semantics of software applications at a high level of abstraction. Specifically, conceptual modelers describe structure models in terms of entities, relationships, and constraints; describe behavior or functional models in terms of states, transitions among states, and actions performed in states and transitions; and describe interactions and user interfaces in terms of messages sent and received and information exchanged. In their typical usage, conceptual-model diagrams are high-level abstractions that enable clients and analysts to understand one another, enable analysts to communicate successfully with application programmers, and in some cases automatically generate the software application.
Foundational theory of conceptual models and conceptual modeling
Peter Chen Award
Peter P. Chen Award Initiated by Elsevier in 2008 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the journal, Data and Knowledge Engineering, the Peter P. Chen Award honors one person each year for his or her outstanding contributions to the field of conceptual modeling. From 2009 to 2012, the winner received a plaque and check for $1000 by the ER Institute. Starting in 2013, the winner receives a check for $2500 donated by Elsevier. The award will be announced and presented at the ER Conference. The selection process is done according to the following four criteria: Criteria for the Award:
Research: how well the nominee has helped advance the field of conceptual modeling with his/her intellectual contributions.
Service: participation in the organization of conceptual-modeling-related meetings and conferences and participation in editorial boards of conceptual-modeling-related journals.
Education: how effectively the nominee has mentored doctoral students in conceptual modeling, produced researchers from their labs, and helped mentor other young people in the field.
Contribution to practice: the extent to which the nominee has contributed to technology transfer, commercialization, and industrial projects.
International reputation: the extent to which the nominee's work is visible to and has diffused into the international community.
The previous winners of the Peter P. Chen Award are
2002. . In: Software Pioneers: Contributions to Software Engineering. Broy M. and Denert, E., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Lecturing Notes in Computer Sciences, June 2002, pp. 100–114.
