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conference announcement

  • To: mathgroup at yoda.physics.unc.edu
  • Subject: conference announcement
  • From: Elaine Kant <kant at slcs.slb.com>
  • Date: Mon, 2 Mar 92 22:43:12 CST

		     Call for Participation
	       Intelligent Scientific Computation

		   October 23, 24, & 25, 1992
		      Royal Sonesta Hotel
		    Cambridge, Massachusetts


		Intelligent Scientific Computation

The purpose of this symposium is to identify the scope of contributions
that artificial intelligence has and might make to scientific computing and
vice versa.  By scientific computing we mean the practical application of
computer programs to solve difficult real-world problems such as the
super-computer-sized grand challenges (e.g., forecasting severe weather
events, predicting superconductors, or energy conservation and turbulent
combustion, as proposed in the Office of Science and Technology report
"Grand Challenges: High Performance Computing and Communications").  These
problems often involve the formulation and use of mathematical models in
the form of differential equations.  We include also the significant
improvement of solution techniques or solution time for engineering
problems routinely tackled today, such as seismic modeling or ship design.
We use the term "scientific computation" broadly to include engineering
computation as well.  Although purely theoretical work on small, highly
distilled "toy" problems is interesting and useful in its own right, we
exclude such work from the scope of this symposium unless it also is
applied to solving hard engineering and scientific problems.

The result of the symposium should at a minimum be both 1) familiarizing AI
researchers with the types of problems faced in scientific computing and
the work to date addressing the problems by those outside as well as in AI;
and 2) familiarizing those outside AI with the contributions, past and
potential, from AI.  In addition, we would like to explore ideas about what
further leverage could be gained in future research by specifying well
defined interfaces between (quasi) independent components of solution
tools, by documenting and/or standardizing knowledge bases in enough detail
to reuse them or reimplement them quickly, and by working with the targeted
user community early enough to understand the problems and gain acceptance
for the approaches.

Appropriate topics include descriptions of research, completed or in
progress, on the application of AI techniques to the various phases of
scientific and engineering computing (e.g., problem definition, solution
formulation, software construction, experimentation, analysis, revision).
Equally important are summaries of work from technologies other than AI
that impact on the role of AI in scientific computing.

We encourage the submission of summaries of a related technology such as
symbolic manipulation systems, compiler optimization,
vectorizing/parallelization tools, scientific databases, shared knowledge
representations, or numerical libraries.  Such a presentation could
summarize the current state of the art, the strengths and weaknesses of the
approach, and speculate on how that technology could help, replace, or
benefit from related AI approaches.  Alternatively, a submission might
describe contributions of scientific computing to AI, such as a good
application problem to work on, or an alternative model of intelligent
behavior.

Submissions on intelligent scientific computing should address aspects such
as:

 o Specifying specific instances of problems to be solved (e.g., by
   equations, geometries, construction from primitive components, formal
   languages, domain-specific languages)

 o Solution techniques (applying numerical approximations, symbolic
   manipulation, problem reformulation or specialization, program
   synthesis, special-purpose simulation generators, adaptive control of
   the simulation/analysis, knowledge-based methods)

 o Representing knowledge of physics (directed at scientific computing
   tools) 

 o Software issues such as performance and reliability, modifying models
   and algorithms, recording design rationales, documentation, and
   validation 

 o Visualization or interpretation of results

 o Experiment guidance and management (parameter set up, model/data
   management, computational steering, results maintenance/tracking)

Submissions can describe implemented systems for directly setting up and/or
answering specific questions, simulating classes of problems, or
synthesizing programs that solve the problem.  Live demos or videotapes may
be appropriate for implemented systems.

Submissions of AI approaches should note the competing technologies and
should address the specific contribution of the AI approach: does it enable
problems to be set up and/or solved more efficiently?  does it enable the
solution of more difficult problems?  does it interface to or replace
existing technologies such as libraries of numerical routines?  In
considering all submissions describing the use of symbolic techniques, we
will use criteria such as the following.  Does the submission demonstrate
how its techniques significantly facilitate complex numerical computing?
Which phase(s) of the scientific computation process is (are) being
addressed?  Is the work being done in the context of a realistic science or
engineering problem?  If a technique claims to replace numeric computing by
symbolic reasoning, has the result been demonstrated to be acceptable to a
user who would normally use numeric computing?  Surveys of the utility of
some of these areas might be more useful than details on specific
implementations.

The symposium will most likely be organized around half a dozen topics,
determined by the submissions, with each session consisting of a few brief
presentations followed by a discussant and then general discussion.  Some
sessions will allow for long discussion periods.

Potential participants should submit a 2-3 page summary of past and current
work in the area organized around the aspects described above.  Although a
list of related publications should be included, the text description
should be thematic rather than simply chronological.  In addition,
submissions should include a 1-2 page description of a critical issue that
the author(s) would like to see addressed by the symposium, including a
description of any presentations the author(s) would be willing to make.
Additional supporting material in the form of copies of previous papers or
extended abstracts is optional.

Submit either e-mail (Ascii or Latex) source or 4 paper copies to be
RECEIVED BY May 11, 1992 to
Elaine Kant
Schlumberger Laboratory for Computer Science
P.O. Box 200015
Austin, TX 78720-0015
E-mail: kant at slcs.slb.com
Phone:  512-331-3737
Fax:    512-331-3760

Acceptances will be mailed by June 8, 1992.  Material for inclusion in the
working notes of the symposia will be required by August 10, 1992.

Symposium Committee: Elaine Kant, Schlumberger Laboratory for Computer
Science (kant at slcs.slb.com); Richard Keller, NASA Ames Research Center
(keller at ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov); Stanly Steinberg, University of New Mexico,
(stanly at crunch.unm.edu).


			ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

This Symposium is part of the AAAI Fall Symposium Series sponsored by the 
American Association for Artificial Intelligence

The topics of the five symposia in the 1992 Fall Symposium Series are:
	Applications of AI to Real-World Autonomous Mobile Robots;
	Design from Physical Principles;
	Intelligent Scientific Computation;
	Issues in Description Logics: Users Meet Developers;
	and
	Probablistic Approaches to Natural Language.
Please contact AAAI at the address below for information about other symposia.

	American Association for Artificial Intelligence
	445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA  94025
	(415) 328-3123
	fss at aaai.org

Most symposia will be limited to approximately 60 participants.  Each
participant will be expected to attend a single symposium.  Working notes
will be prepared and distributed to participants in each symposium.

A general plenary session will be scheduled in which the highlights of each
symposium will be presented and an informal reception will be held on
Friday evening, October 23.

In addition to invited participants, a limited number of other interested
parties will be allowed to register in each symposium.  Registration
information will be available in July 1992.  To obtain registration
information write to the address above.











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