The 9th European Summer School on Ontology Engineering and the Semantic Web (SSSW 2012) took place from 8 to 14 July in Cercedilla (Spain), confirming the SSSW series as the premiere educational event in the area of semantic technologies. Indeed, despite the decrease in attendance faced by other event organisers in this area (due mostly to economic circumstances), the 2012 edition was arguably one of the best in the SSSW series since it started in 2003, attracting 125 applications (for 50 places) from more than 25 countries.
The SSSW series of summer schools has, over the years, established a unique reputation for the quality of its teaching, which is based on an innovative pedagogical model, combining the practical with the theoretical, and adding teamwork and a competitive element to the mix. In addition, SSSW summer schools provide a stimulating environment in which participants benefit not only from the formal and practical sessions but also from informal and social interactions with both world-class researchers and the other participants to the school. To ensure such intensive interaction, a very high tutor-to-student ratio is implemented.
While keeping the same successful formula, several changes were introduced for SSSW 2012, including a renewed organisation team, with Mathieu d’Aquin replacing Enrico Motta as Director, and Oscar Corcho replacing Asun Gomez Perez as co-director (UPM, Spain). As ever, feedback and comments from all involved (students, tutors, invited speakers) have been overwhelmingly positive, as SSSW continues to provide exceptional value and a unique experience in an area that has now become very competitive.
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