Note: this is a dynamic schedule, it will almost definitely change as the semester progresses, so make sure to regularly check for changes!
| Week | Event | Date | Topic | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1 | Monday 8/19 | Course Logistics | Syllabus |
| Lecture 2 | Wednesday 8/21 | Introduction to Randomized Search Algorithms & Assignment Series 1 | Chapter 1 | |
| Lecture 3 | Friday 8/23 | Introduction to EC | Chapter 2 | |
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 8/23 | 12-5pm in 3127K Shelby Center (CSSE Library) | ||
| Week 2 | Lecture 4 | Monday 8/26 | Review of Genetics and Neo-Darwinian Evolution Theory | Section 2.3 |
| Lecture 5 | Wednesday 8/28 | EA components, operation, and performance measures | Chapter 3 | |
| Lecture 6 | Friday 8/30 | EA components, operation, and performance measures | Section 3.4.2 | |
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 8/30 | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 1a | Sunday 9/1 | Implementing Stochastic Algorithms | ||
| Week 3 | Labor Day | Monday 9/2 | ||
| Lecture 7 | Wednesday 9/4 | Representation & Variation | Chapter 4 | |
| Lecture 8 | Friday 9/6 | Permutation Recombination Operators | Section 4.5.2 | |
| Week 4 | Last Drop Day | Monday 9/9 | Last day to drop without a W showing in ones transcript | |
| Lecture 9 | Monday 9/9 | Population models, parent selection, and survivor selection | Chapter 5 | |
| Lecture 10 | Wednesday 9/11 | Selection, statistical Analysis for EAs, termination, behavioral observables | Sections 5.2, 3.2.8, 9.1, 9.2 | |
| Lecture 11 | Friday 9/13 | Selection, statistical Analysis for EAs, termination, behavioral observables | Sections 5.2, 3.2.8, 9.1, 9.2 | |
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 9/13 | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 1b | Sunday 9/15 | Implementing Evolutionary Algorithms | ||
| Week 5 | Lecture 12 | Monday 9/16 | Statistical analysis for EAs, survivor selection, termination | Sections 3.2.8, 5.3, 9.1, 9.2, |
| Career Fair | Tuesday 9/17 | Engineering and Technology Career Fair | ||
| Lecture 13 | Wednesday 9/18 | Constraint Handling | Chapter 13 | |
| Lecture 14 | Friday 9/20 | Evolutionary Strategies & Parameter Control | sect;4.4.2,6.2, Chapter 8 | |
| Week 6 | Lecture 15 | Monday 9/23 | Permutation Recombination Operators | Sections 3.2.5, 4.5 |
| Lecture 16 | Wednesday 9/25 | Exam Review | Chapters 1-5 (not 5.5), 13, and some of 7 & 9 | |
| Exam 1 | Friday 9/27 | Exam covering all material covered through Lecture 16 | Chapters 1-5 (not Section 4.6 nor Section 5.5), Sections 6.1 & 6.2, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, and Chapter 13 | |
| Week 7 | Lecture 17 | Monday 9/30 | Parameter Tuning & Control | Chapters 7 & 8 |
| Lecture 18 | Wednesday 10/2 | Parameter Tuning & Control | Chapters 7 & 8 | |
| Lecture 19 | Friday 10/4 | Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) | Chapter 12 | |
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 10/4 | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 1c | Sunday 10/6 | Constraint Satisfaction and Self-Adaptation | ||
| Week 8 | Lecture 20 | Monday 10/7 | Memetic EAs, Lamarckianism, Baldwin Effect | Chapter 10 |
| Mid-Semester | Tuesday 10/8 | Mid-Semester - 36th Class Day | ||
| Lecture 21 | Wednesday 10/9 | Evolutionary Programming | Section 6.3 | |
| Fall Break | Friday 10/11 | |||
| Week 9 | Lecture 22 | Monday 10/14 | Multimodal problems and spatial distribution | §5.5 |
| Lecture 23 | Wednesday 10/16 | Genetic Programming: The Movie | Section 6.4 | |
| Lecture 24 | Friday 10/18 | Genetic Programming: The Movie | Section 6.4 | |
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 10/18 | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 1d | Sunday 10/20 | Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms | ||
| Week 10 | Lecture 25 | Monday 10/21 | Genetic Programming continued | Sections 4.6, 6.4 |
| Lecture 26 | Wednesday 10/23 | Exam Review | Chapters 1-5, Sections 6.1-6.4, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, Chapters 10, 12 & 13 | |
| Exam 2 | Friday 10/25 | Exam covering all material covered through Lecture 26 | Chapters 1-5, Sections 6.1-6.4, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, Chapters 10, 12 & 13 | |
| Week 11 | Lecture 27 | Monday 10/28 | Hyper-heuristics: Inverse Diffusion case study & Self-Configuring Crossover | slides on class website |
| Lecture 28 | Wednesday 10/30 | GP Varieties & GPac Controller Implementation | slides on class website | |
| TA Lab Hours | Wednesday 10/30 | 1-3pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Lecture 29 | Friday 11/1 | Hyper-heuristics | ||
| Last Withdraw Day | Friday 11/1 | Last Day to Withdraw | ||
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 11/1 | 12-1:55, 3:05-5:00pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 2a | Sunday 11/3 | Tree Representations | ||
| Week 12 | Spring Registration | Monday 11/4 | Registration Period for Spring Semester Opens | |
| No Class | Monday 11/4 | No Class | ||
| Lecture 30 | Wednesday 11/6 | GA Schema Theory (Part 1) | §16.1 | |
| Lecture 31 | Friday 11/8 | GA Schema Theory (Part 2) | §16.1 | |
| Week 13 | Lecture 32 | Monday 11/11 | Learning Classifier Systems | §6.5 |
| Lecture 33 | Wednesday 11/13 | Hyper-heuristics | ||
| Lecture 34 | Friday 11/15 | Hyper-heuristics | ||
| TA Lab Hours | Friday 11/15 | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Assignment 2b | Sunday 11/17 | Genetic Programming | ||
| Week 14 | Invited Lecture | Monday 11/18 | GP for National Security | |
| Lecture 35 | Monday 11/18 | CIAO plots, Asynchronous Parallel EAs, Design of Fitness Functions | ||
| Lecture 36 | Wednesday 11/20 | Evolving Artificial Neural Networks | ||
| Lecture 37 | Friday 11/22 | Evolving Artificial Neural Networks | ||
| Week 15 | No class | Monday 11/25 | Thanksgiving Break | |
| No class | Wednesday 11/27 | Thanksgiving Break | ||
| No class | Friday 11/29 | Thanksgiving Break | ||
| Week 16 | Lecture 38 | Monday 12/2 | Interactive EAs | Chapter 14 |
| TA Lab Hours | Monday 12/ | 12-5pm in 2159 Brown-Kopel | ||
| Lecture 39 | Wednesday 12/4 | Exam Review | Chapters 1-5, Sections 6.1-6.5, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, Chapters 10, 12-15, Section 16.1 | |
| Assignment 2c | Wednesday 12/4 | Genetic Programming & Coevolution | ||
| Exam 3 | Friday 12/6 | Exam covering all material covered through Lecture 39 | Chapters 1-5, Sections 6.1-6.5, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, Chapters 10, 12-15, Section 16.1 | |
| Week 17 | Final Exam | Friday 12/13 8:00-10:30am | Comprehensive Exam covering all course material (regular class room) | Chapters 1-5, Sections 6.1-6.5, Chapters 7 & 8, Sections 9.1 & 9.2, Chapters 10, 12-15, Section 16.1 |