CALL FOR PAPERS

the 8th International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI2021) 9-11 November, hosted ONLINE by Indiana University Bloomington, USA

www.aciconf.org/2021
#aci2021

ABOUT
ACI is the main International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction. It is a highly multidisciplinary event drawing researchers and practitioners from the most diverse back grounds to share and discuss work and topics related to the research and design of technology for and with animals.

We are keen to be as inclusive as possible and wish to welcome a wide range of contributions and participants to the conference, to promote a constructive dialogue around the animal-centred research and design of computing-enabled systems, and to foster the development of ACI as a discipline.

THEME & TOPICS
This year's conference theme is Finding Normalcy. The theme acknowledges the extraordinary times the world has been living since the beginning of 2020 and all the challenges of the difficult circumstances we have experienced but also the things we have learnt. Submissions might address topics such as: how to conduct ACI research during a pandemic; the role of animals as companions and emotional support during social isolation; caring for animals in animal facilities under restrictions; relocating and rehabilitating animals during a crisis; or developing more respectful and empathetic relations with animals for a healthier and more sustainable multispecies cohabitation. Submissions that relate to this year's conference theme are especially welcome, but high-quality submissions are also welcome.

IMPORTANT DATES
Full and short papers: May 27, 2021 (abstracts May 20)
Workshop proposals: May 27, 2021
Videoposters and demos: August 12, 2021
Doctoral consortium: August 19, 2021

CONTRIBUTION AREAS
- Design: for example, interaction modalities that may need to be developed in order to make technology accessible to other animals; novel designs for users with different sensory apparatuses, cognitive capabilities, and ergonomic characteristics; multisensory interfaces and alternative interactional paradigms appropriate for ACI; design solutions developed within ACI applications that could inform design within other disciplines
- Methodology: for example, methodological frameworks enabling animals to actively participate in the design process as legitimate stakeholders, contributors and users; multidisciplinary methodologies that can be called upon when designing with animals or investigating how technology affects them and their interactions with humans; methodologies that can be derived from other disciplines; more-than-human approaches developed within ACI that could contribute to other disciplines
- Theory: for example, main challenges that ACI researchers may encounter in conceptualizing the interaction between humans, animals and technology; ways of interpreting the outcomes of applied studies, concrete designs and research practices to articulate such interactions; existing theoretical frameworks from other disciplines, that ACI theories can draw from or contribute to
- Ethics: for example, legitimate technological applications for ACI; implications of ACI’s animal-centered perspective for conducting research that involves animal participants; ethical frameworks that may or may not be suitable to support the development of ACI; relation between ethics and methodology in ACI; potential influence of ACI ethics on research and practice in other disciplines  
- Applications: for example, ACI applications relating to animal studies or husbandry, or practices involving animals in a range of contexts; applications that mediate the interaction between humans and other animals, or interactions among other animals; animal technologies that do or do not constitute good examples of or models for ACI.

SUBMISSION
All submissions will undergo a double blind peer-review and will be selected based on the quality of their contribution. Each submission will be reviewed by a minimum of 3 reviewers from program committee members and external domain experts.

Accepted papers will be published in the ACI2021 Conference Proceedings, provided that at least one of the authors registers for and attends the conference to present the paper.

All contributions should be submitted via the ACI2021 submission portal at:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aci2021