AGENTLINK UPDATE # 9 --- 12 October 1998 This is the email newsletter of AgentLink -- Europe's Network of Excellence for Agent-based Computing. The AgentLink WWW site is http://www.AgentLink.org/ IMPORTANT: Please take the time to ensure that every member of your group receives a copy of the AgentLink update. If you have a group mail alias, why not ask for this alias to be added to the AgentLink update list? To add someone to this mailing list (not necessarily a member of AgentLink), just send a request to mailto:coordinator@AgentLink.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: * Initial feedback on SIG kick-off meetings, 24-25 Sept 1998, Brussels * Two new SIGs -- Agents in telecoms, Agent-based simulation * Deadline for new SIG proposals: 1 December 1998 * AgentLink plenary meeting at PAAM-99 * AgentLink support for MAAMAW-99 travel * New AgentLink administrative + WWW coordinator * AgentLink Newsletter * Request for data -- agent teaching & training in Europe ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Initial feedback on SIG kick-off meetings, 24-25 Sept 1998, Brussels The kick-off meetings for the first three special interest groups were held in Brussels on 24th September, with a plenary session at which the SIGs reported their initial results held the following morning. There was a healthy level of interest in these meetings, with 76 people in total attending on the first day. If we can sustain this level of interest and activity, then AgentLink will be regarded as an overwhelming success! Thanks to everyone who attended -- and remember to get travel claims in ASAP! The SIG coordinators are writing up the results of the first meetings, and a summary of these will be published in the second issue of the AgentLink newsletter (see below). The full reports will, of course, be made available on the AgentLink WWW site. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Two new SIGs -- Agents in telecoms, Agent-based simulation At the management committee meeting on 25 Sept 1998, approval was given to two new special interest groups, in the areas of agents in telecoms (coordinator Sahin Albayarak -- mailto:sahin@cs.tu-berlin.de), and agent-based simulation (coordinator Rosaria Conte -- mailto:rosaria@pscs2.irmkant.rm.cnr.it). Full details of these will be announced in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, contact the coordinators if you are interested. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Deadline for new SIG proposals: 1 December 1998 With the approval of two more SIGs, AgentLink now supports five in total, meaning that there is only funding available in the current budget to support one more. In order to ensure that every prospective SIG coordinator is aware of this, and has a fair and equal chance to prepare a SIG proposal, it was decided to set a deadline of 1 December 1998 by which date proposals must be received for this final SIG. No proposals will be considered prior to this date. Details of how to generate and submit a SIG proposal are documented on the AgentLink WWW site (follow the link to SIGs in the sidebar). The successful SIG proposal will receive resources for two meetings in the period January-October 1999 -- one of these meetings will be at the AgentLink plenary meeting (see below). The aim is then to support about 2-3 meetings per year thereafter if/when AgentLink receives continuation funding. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * AgentLink plenary meeting at PAAM-99 AgentLink will be holding a plenary meeting, to be co-located with the PAAM-99 conference to be held in London between Tuesday 20 April and Thursday 22 April 1999. The purpose of this meeting will be to investigate both the key issues facing the agent R&D community, but also the key issues and strategic direction of AgentLink itself. In order to maximise participation, it was agreed at the July management committee meeting to co-locate the SIG meetings with this event. AgentLink will provide travel support to participants of the plenary meeting and SIGs, and has negotiated a significant number of free registrations to PAAM-99 for delegates of the plenary meeting and participants in the SIG meetings. Full details will be announced in the coming months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * AgentLink support for MAAMAW-99 travel As part of its support for agent-related research activities, AgentLink has agreed to provide travel support for those AgentLink members who have full papers accepted at the MAAMAW-99 workshop. Details to be announced in the near future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * New AgentLink administrative + WWW coordinator As of 28 September, AgentLink has a full time administrator and WWW manager, based at Queen Mary & Westfield College, London, UK. Hugo Brailsford has previously worked on similar projects, and will act as a first point of contact for the communication and infrastructure issues of the network. You can contact Hugo at: Hugo Brailsford Dept of Electronic Engineering Queen Mary & Westfield College University of London London E1 4NS, United Kingdom email H.F.Brailsford@elec.qmw.ac.uk tel (+44 171) 975 5537 fax (+44 181) 981 0259 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * AgentLink Newsletter The first issue of the AgentLink newsletter is being printed, and all member nodes will receive copies as soon as it appears. The second issue is already being planned. Paul Davidsson (mailto:Paul.Davidsson@ide.hk-r.se) is the editor of the newsletter, and he would be keen to hear from anyone who is interested in writing a piece for issue two. The aim of the AgentLink newsletter is to provide a relatively informal way of communicating both what's happening in AgentLink, but also what's happening in the agent world generally. We are looking for: - feature articles, including informal summaries of new products, experimental software, research programs and results, opinion pieces, and so on; - short descriptions of projects, labs, and companies; - conference and workshop reports and book reviews. AgentLink news is not an academic journal, so we won't publish academic articles. Pieces should follow the conventions of similar publications (such as AI Magazine, or IEEE Internet), and be relaxed in style, with short lists of references, etc. Length is also an issue - features should be no more than a few pages. Contributions will not be formally refereed. The deadline for articles for issue 2 is 13 November 1998. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Request for data -- agent teaching & training in Europe R E Q U E S T F O R D A T A : +--------------------+ | | ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AND TEACHING | PLEASE DISTRIBUTE! | ON AGENT-BASED COMPUTING IN EUROPE | | ---------------------------------------------- +--------------------+ This Request For Data is an AgentLink effort, with the purpose to evaluate and improve the current situation in training and teaching on agent-based computing in Europe, both in academic and industrial environments. AgentLink --- the ESPRIT Network of Excellence for Agent-based Computing --- is a coordinating organization for research and development activities in the area of agent-based computer systems funded by the European Commission. As such, AgentLink supports a range of activities aimed at raising the profile, quality, and industrial relevance of agent systems in Europe. (For further details, please visit the AgentLink homepage at http://www.AgentLink.org/ ). The answers will be compiled and evaluated. The results of evaluation will be made public as an AgentLink report, and used as a basis for establishing a training and teaching material database and developing recommendations for curricula on agent-based computing. People from both academia and industry --- in Europe, US, and Asia/ Pacific Rim --- are asked for filling the subsequent brief questionnaire. Detailed replies are much appreciated, although partially filled questionnaires are also of help. Please distribute this Request for Data to other people from academia and industry who might be able to contribute! The Request for Data is also available via the admin/documents page of the AgentLink WWW site. Filled questionnaires should be sent not later than December 15, 1998 via email (preferably) or hard copy to Gerhard Weiss Institut fuer Informatik Technische Universitaet Muenchen D-80290 Muenchen, Germany weissg@informatik.tu-muenchen.de Feel free to contact Gerhard Weiss if you have any questions concerning this Request for Data. Thank you very much in advance for your efforts! ================ CUT HERE Q u e s t i o n n a i r e Please answer the following questions as detailed as possible (although partially filled questionnaires are also welcome), and forward this questionnaire to other people inside and outside your organization who might be able to contribute. 1. Your full address (name, organization, telephone, fax, email)? 2. If your organization is a university/academic organization: 2.1. How many students study computer science at your organization? 2.2. What department/chair/group do you belong to? (Please answer the following questions w.r.t. your department/chair/group, and forward this Request for Data to other parts of your organization.) 2.3. For each agent-related training and teaching activity (e.g., course, seminar, project) offered by people associated with your department/chair/group: - Title? - Lecturer (contact information, esp. name and email)? - Duration and hours per week? - Contents (esp. main topics treated)? - Literature recommended to students? - Part of a regular curriculum? - Offered by regular members of staff or by other people (e.g., researchers on fixed term contracts or PhD students)? - Regularly offered? - Status (past, ongoing, planned)? - Average number and education level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, or PhD) of participating students? - IMPORTANT: Is the material used public (e.g., available via WWW)? 2.4. How many (i) master, (ii) diploma, and (iii) PhD theses, on the average per year, are concerned with agent-related topics at your department/chair/group? 2.5. Do you think there is a need for offering (further) agent-related training and teaching activities at your organization/department/ chair/group, or at universities/academic organizations in general? Describe the activities that you recommend or would like to see. 3. If your organization is an industrial/commercial organization: 3.1. How many employees work at your organization? 3.2. What department/section/group do you belong to? (Please answer the following questions w.r.t. your department/section/group, and forward this Request for Data to other parts of your organization.) 3.3. For each agent-related project, both research and application, in which your department/section/group is involved: - A one-sentence project description? - Methods and techniques of agent-based computing applied or investigated in this project? - Number of people involved? - Status (past, ongoing, planned) and duration? 3.4. For each agent-related course and seminar in which people working at your department/section/group have participated: - Title? - Offered by? - Duration? 3.5. Do you think there is a need for (further) agent-related training in your department/section/group, or in industry in general? Describe the training activities that you recommend or would like to see. 4. Any other comments? =========================================================================== END ------------------------------------------------------------