SUBJECT: &NAME and &NAME &NAME &NAME Call for Papers & &NAME : &NAME &NAME on &NAME in Biological & Software Systems &NAME and &NAME &NAME &NAME sponsored by &ORG ( &NAME of &NAME ) The University of &NAME &ORG &NAME &NAME on &NAME in Biological and Software Systems &NUM April &NUM ( &NAME ) , University of &NAME , &NAME &NAME Speakers : * &NAME &NAME ( &NAME University , &NAME ) * &NAME &NAME ( &NAME University , &NAME ) * &NAME &NAME ( &NAME Institute , University of &NAME , &NAME ) * &NAME &NAME ( University of &NAME , &NAME ) * &NAME &NAME ( University of &NAME , &NAME ) SYMPOSIUM AIMS This &NAME symposium follows upon the growing awareness from academia , industry , and research communities of the importance of evolvability , tentatively defined as , the capacity of populations to exhibit adaptive heritable &NAME partcular , the symposium focuses on the relation between evolvability and sensor and effector evolution . The symposium aims to encourage a dialogue between various workers in areas that might benefit from a possible common framework addressing evolvability and sensor / effector evolution . The symposium addresses &NUM aspects that are believed to be central in understanding fundamental biological mechanisms , like information information discovery , acquisition , processing and transmission , both on the level of populations and individuals : these mechanisms are evolvability and sensor evolution . &NAME Darwinian evolution characterized by heritable variation and selection is not by itself sufficient to account for the capacity to vary and inherent phenotypic expressions of fitness . Rigidity of genotype-phenotype mappings , as often used in evolutionary computation , constrains the dynamics of evolution to a small space of possible biological or artificial systems . Open-ended evolution is not possible under such constraints . &NAME , by itself , cannot fully explain the advant of genetic systems , the flexible genotype-phenotype mappings , heritable fitness . This presents a challenge both to biologists seeking to understand the capacity of life to evolve and to computer scientists who seek to harness biological-like robustness and openness in the evolution of artificial systems . To what extent does evolvability require a population of discrete individuals on which to act ? How can higher levels of sensory individuality arise ? &NAME has been variously defined as the ' genome 's ability to produce adaptive variants when acted on by the genetic system ' ( &NAME & &NAME , &NUM ) , as the ' capacity to generate heritable phenotypic variation ' ( &NAME & &NAME , &NUM ) ; and as characterized by evolutionary watersheds ' opening the ' floodgates to future evolution ' , such as segmentation and body plans ( &NAME , &NUM ) . On the other hand , unconstrained or inappropriately constrained variability and change can lead to lack of stability , ' cancer ' , nonheritability of fitness , lack of evolutionary power , and so on . &NAME &NAME In natural evolution one finds impressive examples of the principle of exploiting and creating new sensory channels and information they carry . &NAME , tactile , auditory and visual , but also e.g. electrical and even magnetic senses have evolved in a multitude of variants , often utilizing organs not originally ' intended ' for the purpose they serve at present . Biologically evolving systems are able to adaptively construct their own hardware and software . The new sensors create new ways of giving meaning to and interpreting the world . Many biological sensors reach a degree of structural and functional complexity and of efficiency which is envied by engineers creating man-made sensors . Sensors enable animals to survive in dynamic and unstructured environments , to perceive and react appropriately to features in the biotic and abiotic environment , including members of the own species as well as predators and prey . &NAME artificial sensors for hardware or software systems suggests a similar approach taken for generating life-like behaviour , namely using evolutionary techniques in order to explore design spaces and generate sensors which are specifically adapted with respect to environmental and other fitness related constraints . The creation of channels of sensory input and effectory output lead to higher evolvability as new relevance criteria are developed that confer a survival advantage to future offspring . CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS We solicit abstracts for poster or oral presentation ( appox . &NUM minute talk ) reporting working in this exciting area . Talks should address an interdisciplinary audience , but may nevertheless deal with issues at the cutting edge of research . Send submissions in plain text ( &NAME ) format only to &EMAIL . The submission should show author name ( &CHAR ) , full addresses , submission title , and an abstract of not more than &NUM words . Submissions should include a statement of the preferred mode of presentation : poster / oral . TOPIC FOCUS ON EVOLVABILITY & SENSOR EVOLUTION Suitable topics are or involve ( this is not an exhaustive list ! ) : * Evolution of physical sensors * Formation of Relevance criteria * Design concepts for artificial sensors and their evolution , the role of sensors in building complete , autonomous agents and how they interact with the environment * Relationship between sensors , perception and actuation * Simulated artificial sensors , experiments modeling natural sensor evolution * Abstract sensor evolution models , abstract mathematical modeling of evolution of sensors and the information processing required * Features of the Genotype-Phenotype Mapping and relation to sensor evolution * Modularity & &NAME * Evolution of Individuality * Organogenesis * Genetic Control of &NAME &NAME * Signal &NAME & Robustness in &NAME * &NAME of Environmental Variation * Evolution of Complexity * Co-evolution of Control , &NAME , and Ontogeny * &NAME Evolution * Selecting for &NAME * Embodiment and &NAME &NAME * Evolution of Sensory Processing PROGRAM CHAIRS * &NAME &NAME ( University of &NAME ) * &NAME &NAME ( University of &NAME , &NAME ) GENERAL CHAIR * &NAME &NAME ( University of &NAME ) PARTICIPATION Participation is open to all students , researchers , or industry representatives with interests in evolvability in biological and software systems . Please register by sending an e-mail &EMAIL giving your name and affiliation . There is no registration &NAME . Participation is limited to about &NUM participants . Non-presenters are welcome to participate if places remain , so please register your interest as early as possible . Authors may submit abstracts ( max . &NUM words ) for oral presentation or posters . Attendance and participation by non-authors , students , researchers from industry and academia is also welcome ( but may be restricted subject to space limitations ) . SUPPORT FOR NETWORK MEMBERS & GRADUATE STUDENTS Members of the &NAME &NAME on &NAME in Biological and Software Systems can be reimbursed for partial or full costs of reasonable domestic travel , subsistence and accomodation if presenting an invited or accepted talk ( or poster ) . Limited support for post-graduate students is also available . ( Please contact &NAME &NAME as soon as possible to arrange this . ) SUBMISSION DETAILS Email submissions are preferred but , alternatively , hardcopy submissions may be sent to : Dr. &NAME &NAME ( &NAME &NAME ) Natural Computation Group University of &NAME &NAME , &NAME &NAME &NAME Kingdom IMPORTANT DATES &NUM &NAME &NUM : &NAME &NAME &NAME Due &NUM March &NUM : Notification to Authors &NUM April &NUM : &NAME PUBLICATION PLANS Abstracts of accepted and invited papers will be published as a technical report of the University of &NAME , available in hardcopy and on-line . Invited and some selected papers based on accepted and invited talks will invited for submission for edited volumes on the symposium topic , to be published by a well-known scientific publisher . The Symposium will comprise keynote talks , contributed talks , posters , and a panel discussion with participants from different research areas . VENUE , TRAVEL AND ACCOMODATION It is anticipated that the Symposium will take place in &NAME Hall at the University of &NAME . * See webpage link below for Travel directions Last &NAME &NUM January &NUM &NAME &NAME : &WEBSITE &NAME &NAME &NAME &WEBSITE 