Spring 1996 Alife Workshop:
Schedule of Topics and Moderators

Last Updated: 29 April 1996
(Held Friday, 3:10-4:30, 468D Heady Hall, unless otherwise indicated)

Feb 2: Critique of alife computer scientists from the viewpoint of theoretical biology, moderated by DAN ASHLOCK (Math), reading: "Artificial Life as Theoretical Biology: How to Do Real Science with Computer Simulation," article by Geoffrey Miller (CogSci\CS), U of Sussex.

Feb 9: Computational learning theory, moderated by VASANT HONAVAR (CS), Reading: Selections from B. Natarajan, Machine Learning: A Theoretical Approach, Morgan Kaufmann, 1992, and M. Kearns and U. Vazirani, An Introduction to Computational Learning Theory, MIT Press, 1994.

Feb 16: Genetic algorithm optimization of atomic geometries, moderated by JAMIE MORRIS (Physics), Reading: "Genetic Algorithm Energy Minization for Point Charges on a Sphere", by J. R. Morris, D. M. Deaven, and K. M. Ho, to appear in _Physical Review B_.

February 23: Artificial fishes with autonomous locomotion, perception, behavior, and learning in a simulated physical world, moderated by JOHN WALKER (ME/Visualization Lab), Reading: Article of same title by D. Terzopoulos et al. in Artificial Life 1 (1995), 327-351.

March 1: PIRANHA (Public Investment/Resource Appropriation Numerical Heuristic Approximation), moderated by DAVID SCHWEIZER (Math), Reading: working paper by Schweizer/Ashlock.

March 8: How not to murder your neighbor: Using synthetic behavioral ecology to study aggressive signalling, moderated by JENNIFER FREEMAN (CS)/SUSAN KIEHNE (Meteorology), Reading: Article of same title by M. Wheeler (CogSci) and P. de Bourcier (CS\AI) in _Adaptive Behavior_ 3 (1995), 273-309.

March 15: Spring break

March 22: Invisible-Hand Explanations, moderated by BILL ROBINSON (Phil), Reading: Article of same title by Robert Nozick (Phil).

March 29: Better than Rational: Evolutionary Psychology and the Invisible Hand, moderated by VERONICA DARK (Psych), Reading: Article of same title by Leda Cosmides (Psych) and John Tooby (Anthrop), co-editors with J. Barkow of _The Adapted Mind_.

April 5: Self-organization of trade networks in a transition economy, moderated by TIGRAN MELKONIAN (Econ), Reading: Article of same title by Sergei Guriev et al. (Econ\CS)

April 12: The Emergence and Evolution of Self-Organized Coalitions, moderated by GERRY SHEBLE (EE), Reading: Article of same title by Art De Vany (Econ\Mathematical Behavioral Science).

April 19: Evolutionary robotics, moderated by KARTHIK BALAKRISHNAN (CS), Reading: _On Sensor Evolution in Robotics_, by K. Balakrishnan and V. Honavar, to appear in GP 1996.

April 26: Using neural networks for financial forecasting, moderated by WU YIH-JIUAN (Econ), Reading: Hand-Out.

May 3: "A GP-Automata Reprise of Astro Teller's Bulldozer Experiment," moderated by MIKE McROBERTS (Comp. Eng.), Reading: paper of same title by Dan Ashlock and Mike McRoberts.