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2013 Symposia

A Ubiquity symposium is an organized debate around a proposition or point of view. It is a means to explore a complex issue from multiple perspectives. An early example of a symposium on teaching computer science appeared in Communications of the ACM (December 1989).

To organize a symposium, please read our guidelines.

 

Ubiquity Symposium: The Science in Computer Science

Table of Contents

  1. The Science In Computer Science Opening Statement, by Peter Denning

  2. Computer Science Revisited, Vinton Cerf

  3. ACM President's Letter: Performance Analysis: Experimental computer science as its best, by Peter Denning

  4. Broadening CS Enrollments: An interview with Jan Cuny, by Richard Snodgrass

  5. How to Talk About Science: Five Essential Insights, Shawn Carlson

  6. The Sixteen Character Traits of Science, by Philip Yaffe

  7. Why You Should Choose Math in High School, by Espen Andersen

  8. On Experimental Algorithmics: An Interview with Catherine Mcgeoch and Bernard Moret,by Richard Snodgrass

  9. Empirical Software Research: An Interview with Dag Sjøberg, University of Oslo, Norway, by Walter Tichy

  10. An Interview with Mark Guzdial, by Peter Denning

  11. An Interview with David Alderson: In search of the real network science, by Peter Denning

  12. Natural Computation, by Erol Gelenbe

  13. Where’s the Science in Software Engineering?, by Walter Tichy

  14. The Computing Sciences and STEM Education, by Paul Rosenbloom

  15. Unplugging Computer Science to Find the Science, by Tim Bell

  16. Closing Statement, by Richard Snodgrass and Peter Denning

 

Ubiquity Symposium: Evolutionary Computation and the Processes of Life

Table of Contents

  1. Evolutionary Computation and the Processes of Life, Opening Statement, by Mark Burgin and Eugene Eberbach

  2. Life Lessons Taught by Simulated Evolution, by Hans-Paul Schwefel

  3. The Essence of Evolutionary Computation, by Xin Yao

  4. On the Role of Evolutionary Models in Computing, by Max Garzon

  5. Evolutionary Computation as a Direction in Nature-inspired Computing, by Hongwei Mo

  6. The Emperor is Naked: Evolutionary Algorithms for Real-World Applications, by Zbigniew Michalewicz

  7. Darwinian Software Engineering, by Moshe Sipper

  8. Evolutionary Computation and Evolutionary Game Theory, by David Fogel

  9. Evolutionary Computation in the Physical World, by Lukas Sekanina

10. Some Aspects of Computation Essential to Evolution and Life, by Hector Zenil and James Marshall

11. Information, Biological and Evolutionary Computing, by Walter Riofrio

12. Towards Synthesis of Computational Life-like Processes of Functional and Evolvable Proto-systems via Extending Evolutionary Computation, by Darko Roglic

13. What the No Free Lunch Theorems Really Mean: How to Improve Search Algorithms, David Wolpert

14. Perspectives and Reality of Evolutionary Computation, Closing Statement, by Mark Burgin and Eugene Eberbach

Symposia

2013

  • Ubiquity symposium: Evolutionary computation and the processes of life: some computational aspects of essential properties of evolution and life
    by Hector Zenil, James A. R. Marshall
    April 2013

    While evolution has inspired algorithmic methods of heuristic optimization, little has been done in the way of using concepts of computation to advance our understanding of salient aspects of biological phenomena. The authors argue under reasonable assumptions, interesting conclusions can be drawn that are of relevance to behavioral evolution. The authors will focus on two important features of life---robustness and fitness---which, they will argue, are related to algorithmic probability and to the thermodynamics of computation, disciplines that may be capable of modeling key features of living organisms, and which can be used in formulating new algorithms of evolutionary computation.

  • Ubiquity symposium: The science in computer science: the sixteen character traits of science
    by Philip Yaffe
    March 2013

    Phil Yaffe has provided numerous commentaries on various aspects of professional communication, which have helped readers more effectively articulate their own ideas about the future of computing. Here he tells us about how scientists see the world---the "scientific approach," he calls it---because he thinks many non-scientists see the world in a similar way. This realization can lower barriers of communication with scientists.

  • Ubiquity symposium: The science in computer science: how to talk about science: five essential insights
    by Shawn Carlson
    March 2013

    The goal of the LabRats Science Education Program is to inspire secondary school-age students from all backgrounds to love learning about science and technology. Shawn Carlson, the Executive Director of LabRats, presents five key insights that can be integrated into any science and technology program. The purpose of which is to overhaul students' attitudes and motivation to learn. Carlson also offers detailed suggestions on how educators can use these insights to inspire their students to become lifelong learners of science and technology.

  • Ubiquity symposium: The science in computer science: broadening CS enrollments: an interview with Jan Cuny
    by Richard Snodgrass
    February 2013

    Until 2000, computer science enrollments were steadily increasing. Then suddenly students started turning to other fields; by 2008, enrollments had dropped by 50 percent. To that end, Jan Cuny has been leading a program at the National Science Foundation to increase both the number and diversity of students in computing. In this interview with Ubiquity, she discusses the magnitude of the problem and the initiatives underway to turn it around.