1. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration1 Welcome Course –Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Instructor –Berthe Y. Choueiry (Shu-we-ri), choueiry@cse.unl.edu,choueiry@cse.unl.edu –OH: Mon/Wed 8:00—9:15 @ Burnett 120 Volunteer GTA’s –Shant Karakashian: TBA –Robert Woodward: TBA Attendance sheet –Please check your name

2. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration2 Pre-requisites –Contact instructor Track –Undergrads CS: Foundations, AI CE: Applications –Grad CS students: Theory track 3 credit-hours –Research intensive –Students: Committed, motivated, collegial, independent

3. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration3 Meetings Regular class –Burnett 120, Monday, Wednesday 8:00—9:15 am Recitation –Scheduled as necessary –Discuss homework, take quizzes, discuss projects Lectures will be given –By instructor –By visitors TBD –Occasionally, presentations by students

4. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration4 Help Office hours –Instructor: Monday, Wednesday: TBA Q&A: Send your questions –Email to cse496cp@cse.unl.educse496cp@cse.unl.edu –Ask your questions during class, by email Share: your ideas and good pointers with class –Send email to cse496-ml@cse.unl.educse496-ml@cse.unl.edu –Message will be broadcast to the entire class (use sparingly!) –Good pointers will be listed on the web under “Your catch”

5. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration5 Expectations I Mastery of pre-requisite's material Effort outside classroom –9 hours of work outside classroom, if you have pre- requisites –If you spend more time, let me know Attendance –Sign-up sheet circulated for attendance –Attendance of lectures (& recitation) is mandatory –Absence: maximum 4 sessions (including recitation) –Prior notification (email) for absence is mandatory

6. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration6 Expectations 2 Collaboration policy –Do discuss everything with others –But do it on your own –Always acknowledge sources & help received –Wiki page is set up for exchanging information Prompt response to notifications –Sent to your email address at CSE (you must have one) –Posted on web: cse.unl.edu/~choueiry/F11-496-896/ If you drop the class, let me know ASAP

7. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration7 Grading Pretest: 2% Quizzes: 28%, cannot not be made up Assignments: 40% –Programming and pen+paper –Turned-in on due date, before lecture –Delay penality: 20% per day, starting first minute after deadline –You may use any programming language acceptable to GTA’s Project: 30% –Individual (preferred) or in small teams (if really necessary) (  mid-term)  (  final) Feedback: –Glossaries and HWK will be graded –Grades will be posted on Blackboard –Need more feedback? Please, let us know how

8. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration8 Projects A list of possible projects is forthcoming, will include –Implement the game of Clue –Implement and evaluate an algorithm –Model and solve a (simple) practical problem –Investigate an advanced theoretical concept –Conduct a critical literature survey (at least 3 papers), etc. Alternatives –Propose your own project and discuss it with instructor At the end of project, you must submit with handin: –Project report: -report.ext –Slides: -defense.ext –Code: -code.tar

9. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration9 Improving your grades * Do the glossaries: weekly & final (8% total) –Must be typewritten, alphabetically sorted –Goal: entice you to do required reading Collect bonus points –100% attendance –Find bugs in slides, in lectures –Fill the course evaluation @ end of course –Be vocal in class, solve “riddles”, etc. Do extra work –Present a research paper (10% per presentation) –Write a critical summary of a research paper (5% per summary) –Write a chapter of a “textbook” (20% total) * Restrictions apply (deadlines, max number per student)

10. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration10 Important dates Regularly check schedule on the web (3 times/week) Wed, Aug24 –Pretest over 235 material Wed, Oct 19 –Project must be chosen, use handin Wed, Nov 9 –Progress report on projects due, use handin Wed, Nov 16 –First deadline for extra-credit work: 1 presentation, 2 summaries, 1 chapter write-up must be done by this date Wed, Nov 30 –Final glossary due –Project reports due in print and using handin –Second deadline for extra-credit work: All paper presentations (Max 2), summaries (Max 4), chapter write-up (Max 2) must be done by this date

11. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Important Dates (cont.) Regularly check schedule on the web (2, 3 times/week) Mon/Wed, Nov 28/30 – Quizzes may be given during class or recitation Fri, Nov 30 –Deadline for final glossary, in print and using handin –Project reports are due, in print and using handin Mon/Wed, Dec 5/7 (dead week) & Wed Dec 14 –Project presentations –Some presentations could be scheduled in evenings if necessary Wed, Dec 7 (midnight) –Projects code & defense slides (when applicable) due, use handin Course Administration11

12. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration12 Course material Content of the course –Introduction: definition and practical examples –Foundations and basic mechanisms –Advanced solving techniques –Extensions to the problem definition –Alternative approaches to solving the problem Course support –New textbook by Dechter (available at bookstore). Will not be followed linearly, but should be used for reference. –Book by Tsang (on reserve at LL, available on-line, out of print) –Constraint Networks, ebook by Lecoutre @ http://iris.unl.edu –Papers from: WWW, course web-page, library, electronic reserves, instructor, http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/, etc.

13. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration13 More resources Web –Check links: www.cse.unl.edu/~choueiry/F11-496-896 –Benchmark problems –Association for Constraint Programming Conferences –CP, AIOR, IJCAI, ECAI, NCAI (AAAI), FLAIRS... –Workshops in parallel to conferences Journals: –Constraints, AIJ, JACM, Annals of AI+Math, etc.

14. Problem Solving with Constraints, CSCE 496/896 Course Administration14 Your future: Jobs!! Commercial companies: Ilog, i2 Technologies, Trilogy, PeopleSoft/Red Pepper, Carmen Systems (Sweden), etc. Prestigious research centers: NASA Ames, Microsoft Research (Cambridget), PARC, JPL, SRI International, BT Labs (UK), Ilog (IBM?), etc. Start your own: Selectica, Seibel, Parc Technologies Ltd, In Time Systems Inc, Blue Pumpkin, etc. Academic: –Constraint languages –Modeling, constraint representation, reasoning & propagation mechanisms –Dedicated reasoning: diagnosis, planning & scheduling, design, configuration, Case-Based Reasoning, etc.