Five special interest groups (SIGs) meet regularly around a shared interest in an informatics topic. PhD students and faculty are required to attend at least one SIG regularly; MS students are highly encouraged to attend a SIG; and people outside the department are welcome. SIGs provide a variety of activities, including review of the literature, hands-on experimentation with new tools and algorithms, reporting on research in progress, demos, field trips, invited speakers, debates, and development of funding ideas.