From alife@COGNET.UCLA.EDU Sat Jul 31 16:58:19 1993
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Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 12:44:05 -0700
From: alife@COGNET.UCLA.EDU
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To: alife@COGNET.UCLA.EDU
Subject:  Alife Digest Volume #109

                       Alife Digest, Number 109
                       Saturday, July 31st 1993

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~                   Artificial Life Distribution List                     ~
~                                                                         ~
~        All submissions for distribution to: alife@cognet.ucla.edu       ~
~ All list subscriber additions, deletions, or administrative details to: ~
~                      alife-request@cognet.ucla.edu                      ~
~         All software, tech reports to Alife depository through          ~
~  anonymous ftp at ftp.cognet.ucla.edu in ~ftp/pub/alife (128.97.50.19)  ~
~                                                                         ~
~             List maintainers: Liane Gabora and Rob Collins              ~
~                  Artificial Life Research Group, UCLA                   ~
~                                                                         ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Topics:

                   Calendar of Alife-related Events
                         Glasgow Robot Games
                       ALIFE models in Business
           Programming position on Swarm project at SFI
                    Nanotech & Computer Conference

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 12:32:55 -0700
From: liane@CS.UCLA.EDU (Liane Gabora)
Subject: Calendar of Alife-related Events

**********************************************************************

Dynamically Interacting Robots Workshop                Late Aug, 1993     v91
Molecular Nanotechnology                               Oct 14-16, 193     v109
Neural Networks and Telecommunications, Princeton, NJ  Oct 18-20,1993     v100
Fluctuations and Order, Los Alamos, NM                 Sept 9-12, 1993    v102
Robot Games, Glasgow Scotland                          Sept 23-25, 1993   v109
Neural Information Processing Systems, Denver, CO      Nov 29-Dec 2, 1993 v98
Third Conf on Evolutionary Programming, San Diego, CA  Feb 24-25, 1994    v103
Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna               April 5-8, 1994 v101,103
Intnl Conf Knowledge Rep and Reasoning, Bonn, Germany  May 24-27, 1994    v101
IEEE Computational Intelligence, Lake Buena Vista FL   Jun 26-Jul 2, 1994 v106
Alife IV, Cambridge MA                                 July 6-8, 1994     v108
Simulation of Adaptive Behavior, Brighton, UK          Aug 8-12, 1994     v101
Parallel Problem Solving in Nature, Jerusalem, Israel  Oct 9-14, 1994     v102
Congress on Medical Informatics, Sao Paulo, Brazil     Sept 9-14, 1995    v91

(Send announcements of other activities to alife@cognet.ucla.edu)

**********************************************************************

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 93 09:14:37 -0400
From: "Mark W. Tilden" <mwtilden@math.uwaterloo.ca>

Glagow Robot Games - Where and When.

The next Robot Games based at least partially on BEAM rules will be held at
the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, Sept 23-25 (Thurs-Sat) 1993.
Visitors and participants welcome.

Further details and entrance form available from irg@turing.com.

Is all.  See you there.

--
Mark W. Tilden.  "Gomi no Sensei des"       _    _    ________________________
MFCF, Un. of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.    / \  / \  /________________________)
519/885-1211 <mwtilden@math.uwaterloo.ca> //\ \//\ \// ___o___________________
#include (standard.disclaimer);          //  \_/  \_/ (_______________________)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1993 13:17:02 -0500
From: kdh1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu (Kevin D. Hufford, Ph.D.)
Subject: ALIFE models in Business

I am interested in beginning research and investigation into
the application of ALIFE models and techniques to the areas
of Business.  Specifically Business Operation, Management, and
Processes as well as Manufacturing, etc.

If anyone knows of any specific references for ALIFE application 
to these areas please send them to 

kdh1@cornell.edu

I will gladly compile a list of what I receive and post it back 
to the list.  If time permits I plan on reveiwing and annotating
the list of references received.

Thanks in advance!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kevin D. Hufford, Ph.D.                kdh1@cornell.edu
Cornell Information Technologies        phone: 254-6475
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 93 22:38:58 MDT
From: cgl@santafe.edu (Chris G. Langton)
Subject: Programming position on Swarm project at SFI...

RESEARCH PROGRAMMER SOUGHT FOR SWARM PROJECT AT SANTA FE INSTITUTE.

We are looking for a someone experienced in C/C++, X-windows, object-oriented
programming style, and MIMD parallel computing. The job involves taking
over the lead programming position on the SWARM project: a general purpose
simulation system for investigating the behaviors of large collections of
semi-autonomous agents interacting in the context of a dynamic environment.
We will apply the SWARM simulation system to the study of collective
behavior in a diverse spectrum of systems, including molecular self-assembly,
social insects, economic systems, traffic flow, ecological and evolutionary
dynamics, and so forth. Responsibilities include taking over the development
and maintenance of the current working beta version of SWARM, consulting 
with a select set of beta users as they get their simulations up and running
under SWARM, and the production and/or oversight of a parallel version of 
SWARM. Candidates must be able to start as soon as possible.The position
pays from $35K depending on experience. 

Please send vita, references, a 2 page statement of experience and research
interests, and any questions to:

   Chris Langton
   Santa Fe Institute
   1660 Old Pecos Trail
   Santa Fe, NM
   87501

   Email:  cgl@santafe.edu
   FAX:    (505) 982-0565

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 93 14:41:33 PDT
From: John Koza <koza@CS.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Computer Nanotechnology
 
ANNOUNCEMENT:
 
Third Foresight Conference on
Molecular Nanotechnology:
Computer-Aided Design of Molecular Systems
 
October 14-16, 1993
Palo Alto, California

SUMMARY: The first nanotechnology conference specifically for the computer 
 community will be held in Palo Alto on October 14-16.  It is designed for 
 those interested in what nanotechnology will do for the computer field 
 and in how to steer their careers toward nanotechnology today.  The 
 meeting is also of interest to those in other fields who want to learn 
 more about molecular nanotechnology, that is, about thorough 
 three-dimensional structural control of materials and devices at the 
 molecular level.  For further information, contact foresight@cup.portal.com.
 
Sponsor: Foresight Institute
Cosponsors: Stanford University Department of Materials Science and
Engineering, Molecular Graphics Society (USA), Institute for Molecular
Manufacturing
 
Support for nanotechnology has always been strong -- perhaps strongest -- 
 within the computer community.  The first nanotechnology course was 
 taught in a computer science department, the first conference was 
 sponsored by the same (along with Foresight Institute), the first Ph.D. 
 was granted by a computer-oriented department (MIT's Media Lab), and the 
 first text won the publishing industry's "best computer science book" 
 award.   

A high proportion of those interested in nanotechnology are computer 
 professionals of one flavor or another, and for years they have asked 
 with increasing vigor "What can I do to further nanotechnology?"  In 
 response to these demands, Foresight's third research conference is 
 especially designed to enable members of the computer community -- 
 programmers, software engineers, hardware designers, and computer 
 scientists in general -- to move their knowledge base and, ideally, their 
 careers toward nanotechnology.  All those with a computer background are 
 urged to attend.   

The Third Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology: Computer-Aided 
 Design of Molecular Systems will be held in Palo Alto on October 14-16, 
 1993.  The meeting includes speakers who have made or are making the 
 transition from computer science to nanotechnology.   
 
According to conference co-chair Ralph Merkle, "The main emphasis of this 
 conference will be on computational approaches to the development of 
 molecular manufacturing, in particular the use of molecular modeling and 
 the development of molecular computer-aided design (CAD) tools.  The 
 conference will be valuable both for people who work professionally in 
 computational chemistry and also for people who have a background in 
 computer science and are interested in finding out what they can do to 
 contribute to the development of molecular manufacturing.   

"There will also be a tutorial the day before the conference, so that 
 people who have a background in computer science and wish to come up to 
 speed in computational chemistry can get an introduction to the 
 methodologies and techniques that are commonly used."   The conference 
 will feature fifteen or more speakers giving presentations on topics 
 relevant to the pursuit of molecular control.  We can only sketch a few 
 of these here:
 
Joel Orr, Autodesk Fellow, past president of the National Computer 
 Graphics Association, and president of the Virtual Worlds Society, will 
 address CAD industry professionals, potential nanotech designers, and 
 others interested in hearing about the special needs of nanotechnology 
 with respect to CAD.  In the macro and micro worlds, computer-aided 
 design is optional: design can be done by hand.  But in the nano world, 
 CAD is essential.  He will discuss:
 
* Is standard CAD good enough for nanotech?
* What are the characteristics of the ideal system?
* Who is working on such systems?
* When will results be available?
* Nano a mano: What can be done by hand, without CAD?
 
Virtual Reality for Nanotechnology
 
Russell Taylor, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel 
 Hill, will be speaking on a subject of particular interest to two groups 
 of people: (1) surface scientists who are interested in better interfaces 
 to their instruments, and (2) builders of virtual worlds, since the 
 system is an example of a virtual world applied to a scientific problem.   

The system under discussion, the Nanomanipulator, is an immersive 
 virtual-environment interface to a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM).  
 A head-mounted display presents a scaled image of the surface being 
 scanned by the STM in front of the user while a force-feedback Argone-III 
 Remote Manipulator (ARM) allows the user to feel contours on the surface. 
 Computer-controlled instrumentation allows the user to make bias pulses 
 at specified locations, thus modifying the surface.   

Ted Kaehler, a computer scientist at Apple Computer, points out that we do 
 not know how the first assembler will be built or what exact research is 
 needed to get there.  A person who is not a professional chemist or 
 materials scientist, and yet wants to be involved in this effort, has to 
 think about how his/her skills match the problem.  In this talk, entitled 
 "What Can a Programmer Do to Help Create Nanotechnology?", he discusses 
 three efforts he has been involved in.

The first is a program to discover voids inside large molecules.  Programs 
 that search for the proper design of a large molecule need to know where 
 the empty spaces are.  The second is a project to build the "relaxation 
 server" on the Internet.  This server accepts proposed molecules (via 
 email messages) and computes the coordinates of the atoms.  The results 
 are sent back by email.  The third project is a "program" of a different 
 sort -- a meeting group.  The "Assembler Multitude," a subgroup of the 
 local Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility chapter -- meets 
 every other Monday night in Palo Alto and covers a wide variety of 
 nanotechnology-related topics.   
 
Charles Musgrave, a doctoral candidate at the California Institute of 
 Technology, will talk about ab initio calculations for mechanosynthetic 
 construction of diamondoid structures.  Accurate transition state 
 barriers for a positionally controlled reaction are necessary to both the 
 design of the tool and the design of the synthetic process.  If either of 
 these designs is not practical, then an alternate structure is required.  
 High level ab initio calculations are required to obtain accurate 
 transition state structures and thus reliable mechanochemical modeling.   

J. Storrs Hall, Rutgers University, will be speaking on nanocomputing; 
 particularly the expected developments in computer architecture that make 
 use of reversibility to reduce heat dissipation.  The techniques will be 
 critical for nanocomputers, but are on the verge of becoming useful in 
 VLSI, so the talk will be of interest to anyone in computer architecture 
 as well as those studying molecular computers per se.   

Markus Krummenacker, an Institute for Molecular Manufacturing researcher, 
 will be presenting a "cavity stuffer" program which should enable the 
 design of macromolecules the size of proteins.  These macromolecules 
 should then be easily synthesizable and should also have specifiable 
 interface surfaces so that they can self assemble.   
 
Additional talks include:
*  Introduction to the Design of Molecular Systems, by Eric Drexler, IMM
*  Computational Nanotechnology, by Ralph Merkle, Xerox PARC
*  Design of Macromolecular Objects, by Manfred Mutter, Institut de Chimie 
 Organique
*  Molecular Modeling, by William Goddard, Caltech
*  Crystal-Based Molecular CAD, by Geoff Leach, Royal Melbourne Institute 
 of Technology
*  Visualization with Molecular Graphics, by Michael Pique, Scripps
    Research Institute
*  Modeling Diamond CVD with Density Functional Theory, by Warren Pickett, NRL
*  Ab Initio Methods and Software, by Charles Bauschlicher, NASA Ames
*  Atom Manipulation by Proximal Probes: Experiment and Theory, by Makoto 
 Sawamura, Aono Atomcraft Project
 
The first Nanotechnology Award (and accompanying cash prize) will be
presented at the meeting.  Nomination information will be available from 
 Foresight Institute.
 
DEMONSTRATIONS
Leading vendors will demonstrate products useful in the pursuit of
molecular control, including molecular modeling software and hardware, and 
 proximal probe systems (e.g. STM).
 
CALL FOR PAPERS
Contributions on relevant topics are solicited for presentation in lecture 
 or poster format. Potential contributors are asked to submit an abstract 
 (200-400 words), including names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers of 
 the author(s), and an indication of whether oral or poster presentation 
 is preferred. Papers of both kinds will be reviewed for publication. In 
 choosing papers, priority will be given to (1) cogent descriptions of the 
 state of the art in techniques relevant to the construction of complex 
 molecular systems, (2) well-grounded proposals for interdisciplinary 
 efforts which, if funded and pursued, could substantially advance the 
 state of the art, and (3) reports of recent relevant research.
 
JOURNAL & BOOK PUBLICATION OF PROCEEDINGS
Proceedings of the conference will be refereed and published in a special 
 issue of the international journal Nanotechnology, and later in book form.
Abstracts due                 August   15, 1993
Notification of acceptance    September 1, 1993
Manuscripts due               October  14, 1993
 
Abstracts should be directed to the Foresight Institute,  Box 61058, Palo 
 Alto, CA 94306, USA.
 
PRE-CONFERENCE TUTORIAL
A full-day tutorial on molecular modeling and computational chemistry will 
 be held on October 13.  This tutorial is designed for computer scientists 
 and programmers interested in using their computer skills to become 
 active in the field of nanotechnology. The workshop will be taught by 
 Bill Goddard, Ralph Merkle, Eric Drexler and others.  More detailed 
 information, including registration materials, will be sent to all 
 conference registrants.
 
SITE AND ACCOMMODATIONS
Conference sessions will be held at the Hyatt Rickeys Hotel in Palo Alto. 
 Accommodation arrangements should be made directly with the hotel. 
 Reservations should be made by September 29; when making reservations, 
 mention that you are attending the "Foresight Nanotechnology Conference" 
 to obtain the lower conference room rate.  Deposits in the amount of the 
 first night's stay plus tax are required to guarantee reservations; these 
 are refundable up to 6 PM on the date of arrival.  Room rate: $89, single 
 or double occupancy, plus 10% local tax.   
 
Hyatt Rickeys
4219 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(415) 493-8000 tel
(415) 424-0836 fax
 
TRANSPORTATION
The conference site is easily reached from San Francisco International
Airport and San Jose International Airport. Information on ground
transportation services will be mailed to registrants.
 
REGISTRATION FORM        (please print and mail or fax)
 
Name:
 
Title:  Dr.  Prof.  Ms.  Mr.
 
Address:
 
Tel.:
 
Fax:
 
Email:
 
Position (programmer, professor, director, etc.):
 
Organizational affiliation (for your badge):
 
The registration fee includes the scientific program, Wednesday evening 
 reception, Thursday and Friday luncheons, and a copy of the proceedings 
 journal issue. (Student and one-day rates do not include proceedings.)
 
postmarked:           by Sept. 1     after Sept. 1
Regular                  $350           $400
Academic, nonprofit,
    governmental         $275           $325
Student                  $100           $125
One day (specify day)    $135           $160
Add $200 for Pre-conference Tutorial registration.
 
Total amount:   $
 
Payment may be made by VISA, MasterCard, check, or international money 
 order valid in the U.S.  Make checks payable to "Foresight Conferences"; 
 checks and bank drafts must be in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank. 
 Refunds of registration fees can only be made on receipt of a written 
 request which must be postmarked no later than September 15, and are 
 subject to a $50 administrative fee.  Credit card registrations may be 
 faxed; please do not send credit card information over the Internet.
 
Card #:
 
Exp. date:
 
Signature (required for credit card registrations):
 
Mail or fax registration to:
 
Foresight Institute
Box 61058, Palo Alto CA 94306 USA
Tel. 415-324-2490       Fax 415-324-2497
Internet: foresight@cup.portal.com
 
------------------------------

End of ALife Digest
*******************

