Conversational Concurrency

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: Tony Garnock-Jones
Date: 19 June, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

As programming language researchers, before we can concentrate on theory
or on implementation, we have to have some idea of what it is we're
trying to do - what /programming model/ our theories will describe and
our implementations will reflect.

In this talk, I will informally introduce /conversational concurrency/,
a new programming model for organising interaction in groups of
concurrent components.

My aim will be to build intuition for the model. After an overview of
the model, comparing it to the related Actor and Tuplespace models, I
will give a brief demo, and will conclude by touching on relevant
questions of theory and implementation.

SICSA Pre-EC Day 2018

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 21 June, 2018
Time: 09:30 - 17:30
Location:Edinburgh Napier University, Merchiston Campus, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The SICSA Artificial Intelligence Research Theme is pleased to support the forthcoming Pre-EC Day 2018 which takes place on Thursday 21 June at Edinburgh Napier University The inaugural SICSA Pre-EC meeting will allow presenters of papers at upcoming evolutionary computing conferences to showcase their work to researchers in Scotland working in the area of Evolutionary Computation. The day will also provide an opportunity for researchers unable to attend the summer conferences to hear about some of the latest research being undertaken in Scotland. We welcome authors of accepted papers from the upcoming EC conferences (including but not limited to) GECCO, CEC, ALIFE and PPSN to present their work. The meeting will give you the chance to present your talks in front of a friendly audience and get feedback before your main presentation. If you wish to present it is essential that you send us the details of your publications here before 01/06/2018. Hospitality will be provided throughout the day. There is also limited assistance with costs available for people who need to travel the night before to attend the all-day event. Please contact Emma Hart directly about this. For more information visit the website or contact Andreas Steyven

The physics of quantum computation (SoCS Seminar series)

Group: School of Computing Science
Speaker: Sarah Croke, University of Glasgow, Physics
Date: 22 June, 2018
Time: 15:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

Friday 22 June at 15:00-16:00, School of Computing Science, Lilybank Gardens F121 (conference room)

Abstract: The physics of quantum systems is fundamentally different from that of classical systems of our everyday experience. Perhaps the fundamental differences are that it is amplitudes, and not probabilities, that add in quantum mechanics, and that measurement causes disturbance. These two simple principles give rise to new information processing possibilities when the systems carrying information are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. I will introduce some of the physics underlying these new possibilities, and give a brief overview of their consequences.

Conversational Concurrency

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: Tony Garnock-Jones
Date: 19 June, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

As programming language researchers, before we can concentrate on theory
or on implementation, we have to have some idea of what it is we're
trying to do - what /programming model/ our theories will describe and
our implementations will reflect.

In this talk, I will informally introduce /conversational concurrency/,
a new programming model for organising interaction in groups of
concurrent components.

My aim will be to build intuition for the model. After an overview of
the model, comparing it to the related Actor and Tuplespace models, I
will give a brief demo, and will conclude by touching on relevant
questions of theory and implementation.

SICSA Pre-EC Day 2018

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 21 June, 2018
Time: 09:30 - 17:30
Location: Edinburgh Napier University, Merchiston Campus, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The SICSA Artificial Intelligence Research Theme is pleased to support the forthcoming Pre-EC Day 2018 which takes place on Thursday 21 June at Edinburgh Napier University The inaugural SICSA Pre-EC meeting will allow presenters of papers at upcoming evolutionary computing conferences to showcase their work to researchers in Scotland working in the area of Evolutionary Computation. The day will also provide an opportunity for researchers unable to attend the summer conferences to hear about some of the latest research being undertaken in Scotland. We welcome authors of accepted papers from the upcoming EC conferences (including but not limited to) GECCO, CEC, ALIFE and PPSN to present their work. The meeting will give you the chance to present your talks in front of a friendly audience and get feedback before your main presentation. If you wish to present it is essential that you send us the details of your publications here before 01/06/2018. Hospitality will be provided throughout the day. There is also limited assistance with costs available for people who need to travel the night before to attend the all-day event. Please contact Emma Hart directly about this. For more information visit the website or contact Andreas Steyven

The physics of quantum computation (SoCS Seminar series)

Group: School of Computing Science
Speaker: Sarah Croke, University of Glasgow, Physics
Date: 22 June, 2018
Time: 15:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

Friday 22 June at 15:00-16:00, School of Computing Science, Lilybank Gardens F121 (conference room)

Abstract: The physics of quantum systems is fundamentally different from that of classical systems of our everyday experience. Perhaps the fundamental differences are that it is amplitudes, and not probabilities, that add in quantum mechanics, and that measurement causes disturbance. These two simple principles give rise to new information processing possibilities when the systems carrying information are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. I will introduce some of the physics underlying these new possibilities, and give a brief overview of their consequences.

IR Seminar: Investigating How Conversational Search Agents Affect User’s Behaviour, Performance and Search Experience

Group: Information Retrieval (IR)
Speaker: Mateusz Dubiel, University of Strathclyde
Date: 25 June, 2018
Time: 15:00 - 16:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

Abstract:
Voice based search systems currently do not support natural conversational interaction. Consequently, people tend to limit their use of voice search to simple navigational tasks, as more complex search tasks require more sophisticated dialogue modelling. Previous research has demonstrated that a voice based search system’s inability to preserve contextual information leads to user’s dissatisfaction and discourages further usage. In my talk I will explore how people’s search behaviour, performance and perception of usability change when interacting with a conversational search system which supports natural language interaction, as opposed to a voice based search system which does not.

Short bio:
Mateusz Dubiel is a PhD candidate in the department of Computer and information Sciences at Strathclyde University in Glasgow . His research is focused on development and evaluation of conversational search agents. Mateusz holds an MSc in Speech and Language Processing fromThe University of Edinburgh.

SICSA AI Theme workshop: ReaLX’18: Reasoning, Learning & Explainability in AI

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 27 June, 2018
Time: 10:30 - 17:00
Location: Robert Gordon University, Garthlee Campus, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

SICSA AI theme is supporting the forthcoming ReaLX'18 which is taking place on Wednesday 27 June at Robert Gordon University Reasoning, Learning and Explainability are key to AI systems that must interact naturally to support users in decision making. Systems need to be capable of explaining their output. Regulations increasingly support users rights to fair and transparent processing in automated decision-making systems. Addressing this challenge is steadily becoming more urgent as the increasing reliance on learned models in deployed applications continues to be driven by the recent success of deep learning and other data-driven systems. Though models learned directly from data offer improved accuracy, mapping these concepts to facilitate human reasoning is difficult. In contrast, reasoning systems can offer transparency through logical alignment of representation and reasoning methods to allow the necessary insight into the decision-making process. This is a core principle behind explainability and is critical if we are to use AI with the intent of improving user performance and experience. The ReaLX’18 workshop will provide a forum to share exciting research on real AI methods, highlighting and documenting promising approaches, and encouraging further work, thereby fostering connections among SICSA researchers interested in AI. We expect to draw interest from AI researchers working in a number of related areas including NLP, ML, reasoning systems, intelligent user interfaces, conversational AI and adaptive user interfaces, causal modelling, computational analogy, constraint reasoning and cognitive theories of explanation and transparency. Registration To register attendance for the workshop, please visit the Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/realx-2018-tickets-45549937088?aff=es2 We ask at least one author of each accepted paper to attend the workshop to present. A paper which is not presented at the workshop (as either poster or orally) will not be put forward for publication. Accommodation For students also attending the SICSA PhD Conference the following day, please remember that accommodation will be provided for you at Woolmanhill Student accommodation for the nights of the 27th and 28th of June. Therefore, we would encourage as many of you as possible to attend this workshop. Food and Drink Lunch will be provided, with tea and coffee offered during breaks.

SICSA PhD Conference 2018

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 27 June, 2018
Time: 00:00 - 00:00
Location: Robert Gordon University, Sir Ian Wood Building, Robert Gordon University, United Kingdom

The SICSA PhD Conference 2018 will take place on 28 & 29 June 2018 at Robert Gordon University   The SICSA PhD Conference has become one of the highlights of the SICSA events calendar, bringing together Computing Science and Informatics PhD students, leading academics, and industry practitioners for 2 days of workshops, keynote presentations and social events. The conference is an event aimed specifically at Informatics and Computing Science PhD students and is organised each year by a hard working committee of PhD students and members of the SICSA Executive. The event will feature keynote talks from Professor Bill Buchanan (Edinburgh Napier University) and Andrew Richards (CEO Codeplay). Workshops will include: Hackathon Your Career in Academia – Balancing Teaching and Research Your PhD – What’s next? Web Accessibility: Learn new techniques to improve assistive technologies design 5 Statistical Mistakes You are Likely to Make Student Wellbeing: Managing your PhD Journey How to do a Systematic Literature Review Demystifying the PhD Thesis There will also be a poster competition; plus networking, dinner and drinks in the grand surroundings of the Trinity Hall, Aberdeen on the evening of 28th June. Registration for the conference is funded by SICSA, as is accommodation at the RGU residences for those living outside of Aberdeen on both 27th and 28th June. For full details about the conference programme, please visit the Conference Web Site We have Opportunities for Sponsors who wish to get involved with this great event. Please contact admin@sicsa.ac.uk for full details.  

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: Roly Perera, University of Glasgow
Date: 03 July, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

Manycore Summer School 2018

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 16 July, 2018
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: School of Computing Science, Sir Alwyn Williams Building, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

We are pleased to be supporting the forthcoming Manycore Summer School 2018 which is part of the MaRIONet; The UK Manycore Network. About MaRIONet The Manycore Research, Innovation and Opportunities Network is funded by EPSRC throughout 2016-19. Our aim is to enhance the capability of the UK manycore research community through focused engagement of academic and industrial researchers. The network is coordinated at Glasgow by Jeremy Singer and Phil Trinder. The Manycore Summer School The transition to manycore systems is arguably the greatest challenge facing the ICT industry, Computational Science, and Computing Science research. The manycore revolution is fundamentally changing multiple levels of the computation execution stack: from processor architecture, through systems software, to applications. The MaRIONet Summer School offers researchers an opportunity to learn theory and practice of a range of emerging many core technologies from leading academic and industrial researchers The PhD Summer School will be held from Sunday 15th to Friday 20th July 2018 at the University of Glasgow. Registration Now Open! Registration is free for PhD students and early career researcher (Post-Docs), due to sponsorship from the UK Manycore Network and SICSA . Please complete the online application form to apply to participate in the Manycore Summer School. We also require an email letter of support from your supervisor or line manager, before we can confirm your registration. Full details are provided once you have completed the application form

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 17 July, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

AI-augmented algorithms -- how I learned to stop worrying and love choice

Group: Formal Analysis, Theory and Algorithms (FATA)
Speaker: Lars Kotthoff, University of Wyoming
Date: 23 July, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Often, there is more than one way to solve a problem. It could be a different
parameter setting, a different piece of software, or an entirely different
approach. Choosing the best way is usually a difficult task, even for experts.
AI and machine learning allow to leverage performance differences of
algorithms (for a wide definition of "algorithm") on different problems and
choose the best algorithm for a given problem automatically. In AI itself,
these techniques have redefined the state of the art in several areas and led
to innovative approaches to solving challenging problems.

In this talk, I will give examples of how AI can help to solve challenging
computational problems, what techniques have been applied, and how you can do
the same. I will argue that AI has fundamental implications for software
development, engineering, and computer science in general -- stop making
decisions when coding, having more algorithmic choices is better!

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 31 July, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 14 August, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 28 August, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

TBC

Group: Programming Languages at University of Glasgow (PLUG)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 11 September, 2018
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 203 Meeting Room

DemoFest: Bringing Research to Life

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 06 November, 2018
Time: 16:00 - 19:00
Location: Our Dynamic Earth, 112-116 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 8AS, United Kingdom

DemoFest 2018 will take place on 6th November (4-7pm) at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh. DemoFest provides a perfect opportunity for your organisation to experience, first-hand, the cutting-edge research taking place in Scottish universities. Our exhibitors will talk about their research, tell you why it’s important to your organisation, and demonstrate their technology working in real-time. The event also provides a space for you to discuss future collaborations, business opportunities, internships, employment opportunities and much more. The 2018 event will feature: Keynote talk from Ali Shah, Head of Emerging Technology & Strategic Direction at the BBC Keynote talk from Jamie Graves, CEO ZoneFox Exhibition hall with 50 technology demonstrations from 14 Scottish Universities Event Partner Exhibitions DemoFest 2018 will focus on the following key areas: Artificial Intelligence Big Data Cyber-Security Networking & The Cloud Robotics and Autonomous Systems Understanding Complex Systems User-Experience DemoFest is organised by SICSA in partnership with ScotlandIS. Opportunities for Sponsors