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March 1997

1.  TUTORIAL OF POSSIBLE INTEREST TO ACE RESEARCHERS

        **************************************************************
        ***                                                        ***
        ***     Learning Methods for Prediction, Classification,   ***
        ***       Novelty Detection and Time Series Analysis       ***
        ***                                                        ***
        ***          Washington, D.C., May 2 -- 3, 1997            ***
        ***                                                        ***
        ***        Geoffrey Hinton, University of Toronto          ***
        ***      Michael Jordan, Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.      ***
        ***                                                        ***
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A two-day intensive Tutorial on Advanced Learning Methods will be held
May 2 -- 3rd, 1997, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington
D.C.  Space is available for up to 50 participants for the course.
The course will provide an in-depth discussion of the large collection
of new tools that have become available in recent years for developing
autonomous learning systems and for aiding in the analysis of complex
multivariate data.  These tools include neural networks, hidden Markov
models, belief networks, decision trees, memory-based methods, as well
as increasingly sophisticated combinations of these architectures.
Applications include prediction, classification, fault detection,
time series analysis, diagnosis, optimization, system identification
and control, exploratory data analysis and many other problems in
statistics, machine learning and data mining.

Additional information, including a registration form, is available
from the tutorial's WWW page at

 http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/cbcl/web-pis/jordan/course/

Information by email or phone can be obtained from

 Marney Smyth
 E-mail: marney@ai.mit.edu
 Phone:  617 258-8928
 Fax:    617 258-6779


2. CALL FOR JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS

    The first issue of _IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation_
is due out in May, 1997.  The journal seeks original high-quality
papers on evolutionary computation and related areas, including
cultural algorithms, artificial life, and the use of simulated
evolution to gain a better understanding of naturally evolved systems.

Six (6) copies of submissions should be sent to

David B. Fogel, Editor-in-Chief
IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation
c/o Natural Selections, Inc.
3333 N. Torrey Pines Ct., Suite 200
La Jolla, CA  92037

Additional information about the journal can be obtained from David
Fogel (d.foge.@ieee.org).

3. ACE MAKES IT INTO BUSINESS WEEK

    An article "A New Laboratory for Economists" appeared in the
Science and Technology Section of _Business Week_ (pages 96-97, March
17, 1997).  The article focuses on "new efforts to instill a sense of
reality in the dismal science -- by coming at economics from a new
direction, with new tools. ... The new models combine lessons from
biology with bottom-up analysis.  The aim is to create a
society-in-miniature inside a computer."

    The article focuses on the model "Aspen" created by Richard Pryor
of Sandia Laboratories.  It defines terms for the reader such as
"agent," "bottom-up model," "gene," and "genetic algorithm."  While
by no means free of the hype that seems to characterize much of the
reporting on alife and ACE research, it is more subdued than some.
For example, the title of the BW article is far more subdued than
that which was editorially inserted for a recent _Chronicles of
Higher Education_ article on ACE (July 5, 1996): "Evolutionary
Economics -- Scholars Suggest that Much of World Trade May be
Controlled by Biologically Based Behaviors."

The BW article also contains an interesting quotation from Nobel prize
winner Larry Klein: "This is probably the best thing that's come along
in a long time."

4. ACE CONTRIBUTED PAPER SESSIONS ACCEPTED FOR STANFORD CONFERENCE

    I am pleased to report that the two ACE contributed paper sessions
I organized for the summer Stanford computational economics conference
have been accepted for the program by the Program Chair, Ken Judd.  The
first session, entitled "Agent-Based Computational Economies with
Coevolving Agents and Localized Learning," will consist of papers
presented by Roger McClain (Drexel U), Bob Marks (UNSW), and Gregory
Werner (Max Planck Insitute, Munich).  The second session, entitled
"Modelling the Learning Processes of Adaptive Agents in Evolving
Populations," will consist of papers presented by Peter Todd (Max
Planck Institute, Munich), Tomas Klos (U of Groningen), and Christoph
Zott (UBC).  Thanks to all the people who submitted papers for
possible inclusion in these sessions.

Additional information about the conference can be obtained at the
Web site

    http://bucky.stanford.edu/cef97/schedule.html

5.  FORTHCOMING SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ARTICLE

     A short piece on the impact of chaos in the social sciences,
written by Blake LeBaron, is scheduled to appear in the _Scientific
American_.  A postscript copy of the paper can be obtained at

    http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~blebaron/writing/sciamer.html

It will be interesting to see what type of editorial comment might be
included on this piece, possibly via the title!

NOTE: A copy of the artificial stock market paper by Blake et al.,
discussed in a previous ACE news note, is available at Blake's
home page address.

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