NATURAL COMPUTING 2011-12

Natural Computing 2011-12 (to be updated before each lecture)

This is a level 9 course taken by 3rd-year undergraduate and MSc students.

Lectures are Tuesdays 15:00-15:50 in 7 Bristo Square Lecture Theater 1 and Fridays 15:00-15:50 7 Bristo Square Lecture Theater 1

Lectures have started on Tuesday 20/9/2011.

Schedule (to be updated)

Lecture	Date	Topic	Links
1.	20/09	Introduction	(slides)
2.	23/09	Genetic algorithms: Introduction	(slides)
3.	27/09	The canonical genetic algorithm	(slides)
4.	30/09	The schema theorem	(slides)
5.	04/10	The building block hypothesis	(slides)
6.	07/10	Hybrid GAs	(slides) (GA in the news)
7.	11/10	Multiobjective optimisation, Evolution strategies	(slides)
8.	14/10	Differential evolution, Genetic programming	(slides)
9.	18/10	Genetic programming II	(slides, suppl. 1, 2)
10.	21/10	Ant colony optimisation	(slides)
11.	25/10	Ant colony optimisation II	(slides)
12.	28/10	Particle swarm optimisation	(slides)
13.	01/11	Metaheuristic optimisation	(slides)
14.	04/11	Comparison of metaheuristic algorithms	(slides)
15.	08/11	DNA computing	(slides)
16.	11/11	Molecular computing	(slides)
17.	15/11	Membrane computing	(slides)
18.	18/11	Brief introduction to quantum computing

Tutorials start in week 3. Sign-up for the tutorial will be possible from week 2. You will receive a note from ITO on how to sign-up. Please contact the lecturer if you have not received this note by the end of week 2.

1. Tutorial (3-7/10): (exercises 1, hints for solutions)
2. Tutorial (10-13/10): (exercises 2, hints for solutions)
3. Tutorial (17-20/10): (exercises 3, hints for solutions)
4. Tutorial (24-27/10): (exercises 4, hints for solutions)
5. Tutorial (31/10-3/11): (exercises 5, hints for solutions)
6. Tutorial (7-10/11): (exercises 6, hints for solutions)
7. Tutorial (14-17/11): (exercises 7, no solutions given)
No tutorials on 21-24/11

Tutorials are in weeks 3-9, i.e. starting on Monday 3th October. They are in Appleton Tower (AT). The final tutorial is a revision tutorial given by your tutor before the exam around the end of the Easter vacation or the start of the exam period. Tutorials are

Mondays
group 1: 16:10-17:00 (AT 4:07)

Tuesdays
group 2: 13:05-13:55 (AT 4.14a)

Wednesdays
group 3: 12:10-13:00 (AT 4.14a)
group 4: 13:05-13:55 (AT 4:14a)

Thursdays
group 5: 12:10-13:00 (AT 4.14)

Assignments: There are two marked assignments. The first assignment is worth 10% of the course mark. The second assignment is worth 20% of the course mark. The assignments are to be handed in, resp., on 27/10/2011, 4pm and 24/11/2011, 4pm.

Exam: worth 70% of the course mark, taken at the end of Semester 2.
Visiting students can take the exam already at the end of Semester 1.

Further information: Page of the 2009/2010 course on Genetic Algorithms and Genetic Programming (GAGP)

Lecturer: Michael Herrmann. The best way to contact Michael is to e-mail him from your sms address, including NAT in the subject. He is michael dot herrmann at ed dot ac dot uk.

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