This course introduces you to the emerging field of computational intelligence, a distinct approach to machine intelligence that diverges from traditional AI. The course encompasses artificial neural networks, evolutionary computing, and probabilistic reasoning.
The soft computing approach offers numerous potential applications to nearly any field. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts briefly and then to move quickly on to application techniques. We will not assume prior knowledge of the theory, but we will move quickly, so those new to the subject matter will need to study extra hard. Though this is a difficult subject to teach as a 500-level course, and even more so as a 400-level one, I will make every effort to structure the course in a way appropriate to those levels. Each student will be required to develop one significant application as a project during the semester.
I try to manage the course in such a way to make it as open ended as possible. By that I mean that on the one hand I try to make it possible for beginning graduate students and upper level undergraduates with no background in these areas to do well in the course if they apply themselves. But on the other hand, I try to make it possible for already advanced students to expand their knowledge further. In practical terms, students will ideally come to the class with the following knowledge:
Basic competence in applied mathematics, which we will define here as calculus at least through partial derivatives and basic familiarity with concepts of optimization as well as discrete mathematics.
Enough computer competence and programming skill to implement their projects on the computer in some form.
Instructor: - Sadamori Kojaku (Assistant. Prof.) - Office: J19
We use Discord for quicker informal communications, Q&A, team discussions, and other casual conversations. We will send you an invitation link through Brightspace. Feel free to NOT use your full name (e.g., “Jane D.”)
Announcements will be sent via Brightspace and Discord. Many course-related information will be shared on Discord. So, you will miss a lot of information if you are not on Discord.
Sadamori's Office on Discord