cam@aipna.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) (11/23/89)
A number of comp.ai readers have emailed me to ask for details of postgrad and undergrad study in AI at Edinburgh, but in many cases, for reasons I haven't time to investigate, the return addresses don't work, so the following is a short summary, and addresses for further information. Please don't ask _me_ for more details; I may not know; and I may not be able to reply to your address anyway. The Department was established in 1966. It is a department in its own right, and probably the largest general AI research operation outside the USA. We have about 24 academic staff. I don't know how you size a dept, but as an indication we have about 120 people on our phone list. Although UK universities are in general being forced to contract, we have been exempt from this. We run two joint undergraduate degrees: 1) Liguistics and AI; 2) Computer Science and AI. These are four year courses, as is the custom in Scotland, where pupils leave school and enter university a year earlier than in England. Further info from the Faculty offices, addresses at end. [As a homework exercise, summarise in a few words what an English government obsessed with market forces is likely to do about funding the difference between 3-year English degrees and 4-year Scottish degrees.] We run a twelve-month conversion course within the University's MSc in Information Technology, leading to an MSc in IT: Knowledge-Based Systems. There are four themes within this degree: 1) Expert Systems; 2) Intelligent Robotics; 3) Natural Language; 4) Foundations of AI. A student selects 8 modules according to the theme rules from the 30-odd available, from the Depts of AI (11), CS(7), School of Cognitive Science(5), Electrical Engineering(3), Linguistics(2), Astronomy(1), Mechanical Engineering(1), Meteorology(1), and Physics(1). Two terms consist of lectures, tutorial work, and exams. The third term, _and_ the summer, consists of a project-based dissertation. The connection with Physics is the Edinburgh Concurrent Supercomputer Project, hosted by Physics, involving a 400 CPU Meiko transputer-based Computing Surface, the largest parallel computer in Europe. Part of our Dept's strength is its close association with the IT strength of Edinburgh University in general. We currently support research programmes involving PhD work, in the following areas: assembly robotics; mobile robotics; design; vision; mathematical reasoning; intelligent signal processing; education; natural language; speech; AI programming languages; intelligent front ends; knowledge-based planning; and knowledge-based systems. The above list of topics is not exhaustive. As a general rule PhD applications should include some details of what you want to study and why, since selection depends in the end on looking useful to a supervisor. We often advise people who don't know, to start with the MSc. It is now government policy in the UK that PhDs should take three years, and universities are punished if students exceed this. For more details please contact:- Joint AI and CS (BSc hons) Faculty of Science Office (Admissions) University of Edinburgh West Mains Road Edinburgh EH9 3JZ Scotland Joint AI and Linguistics (MA hons) Faculty of Arts (Admissions) University of Edinburgh David Hume tower George Square Edinburgh EH8 9JX Scotland Postgrad PhD and MSc in IT:KBS Admissions Secretary Department of Artificial Intelligence University of Edinburgh 5 Forrest Hill Edinburgh EH1 2QL Scotland Fax: 031 225 9370 -- Chris Malcolm cam@uk.ac.ed.aipna 031 667 1011 x2550 Department of Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh University 5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK
ainac@castle.ed.ac.uk (Nicolai A. Czempin) (11/23/89)
In article <1652@aipna.ed.ac.uk> cam@aipna.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) writes: You may be interested in what students here think. I'm a 1st year AI+CS Undergrad. I might be able to answer those questions a member of staff a) can't answer (e.g. student related+opinions) b) isn't allowed to answer (or he'll lose his/her job 8*) c) doesn't want to answer > >The Department was established in 1966. It is a department in its own >right, and probably the largest general AI research operation outside ^^^^^^^^ MHO is that this is the best place to go & do AI outside USA (apart from Sussex University, my second (and only other) choice. >the USA. We have about 24 academic staff. I don't know how you size a >dept, but as an indication we have about 120 people on our phone list. Well we have ~80 people doing the first year AI course, but you have to realize the unusual (for the UK, not the USA) system at EU. Overall I think the University has over 13000 students, and makes it one of the largest (if not THE) non-college Universities in Britain. >Although UK universities are in general being forced to contract, we >have been exempt from this. Nyaah,nyaah :~) > >We run two joint undergraduate degrees: 1) Liguistics and AI; 2) >Computer Science and AI.[...] OH no, wrong! I'm certainly doing AI+Comp.Sci., and I'd like to stress it. I wouldn't have come here just for CS. [ other stuff about PG deleted ] >The connection with Physics is the Edinburgh Concurrent Supercomputer >Project, hosted by Physics, involving a 400 CPU Meiko transputer-based >Computing Surface, the largest parallel computer in Europe. Part of our This thing is seriously huge!(But then again, I couldn't tell a CRAY from a DEC) > >Joint AI and CS (BSc hons) ah that's better > >Joint AI and Linguistics (MA hons) N.B. the MA! PLEASE NOTE that the above opinions are strictly my own. (I don't normally have a disclaimer, but I thought it would be appropriate in this case.) I am willing to help about UGing @ EU (If you can decypher it %^), but don't ask me about PG. -- Nicolai Czempin "I am not left-handed either"