Laboratory and Program

Web Site:  www.rpi.edu/dept/ppcs/MM/mm.uc.html

Director: Selmer Bringsjord selmer@rpi.edu www.rpi.edu/$\sim$brings

Mission:

The Minds & Machines Laboratory is about high-tech creativity: it's about creating technologies at the intersection of cognition and computation that will change the marketplace as the century turns, and define the roles of minds and machines in the economy of the new millenium. Students who enter the Minds & Machines Program gain access to this Lab, where even as first-year BS students they can do hands-on, cutting-edge research. Inevitably, the M&M Program/Lab also fosters friendly debate and discussion regarding the fascinating ``big" philosophical issues raised by its subject matter -- such as: Are human minds fundamentally machines? How smart can artificial agents get? $\ldots$

What Enrolled BS Students Do:

$\rightarrow$ Create and manage autonomously smart machines, for example:

$\bullet$ artificial agents $\bullet$ spiders $\bullet$ immobots $\bullet$ robots $\bullet$ AIs and ALife in games $\bullet$

$\rightarrow$ Create and manage machine systems designed to make us -- minds -- smarter, e.g.:

$\bullet$ systems enabling VR telepresence $\bullet$ browsers that learn $\bullet$ smart flight simulators $\bullet$

How do I Enroll @ the BS Level? What's My Major?

The process is similar to that used by MIT's Media Lab. You enroll by gaining admission to Rensselaer, and to the M&M Program/Lab. To apply to the M&M Program/Lab, communicate to the Director, Selmer Bringsjord, your interest, background and aspirations regarding the type of technologies that drive the Lab. If accepted to Rensselaer and to the Minds & Machines Program/Lab, you are given security clearance to use the Lab (and Lounge), assigned an advisor, are welcomed into the M&M community, and to one or more of its research teams.

As to a specific major, you have a number of options, including the BS in IT and Psychology, the Computer Science/Psychology and Computer Science/Philosophy dual majors, Engineering/Psychology and Engineering/Philosophy dual majors, and ``straight" Psychology. Sample curricula are shown on the back side of this sheet.

For Further Information:

Email us, visit our web site (which greatly amplifies the brief info on this sheet), or phone.

Sample Four-Year Sequence for BS in IT and Psychology
(One of the Appropriate Curricula for students in the Minds & Machines Program/Lab)
 

Freshman Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
The IT Revolution: Myth or Reality?	4	Politics and Economics of IT	4
Algorithms and Programming	4	Data Structures & Systems	4
Calculus I	4	General Psychology	4
Minds & Machines (first-yr studies)	4	Intro to Logic	4
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Computer Organization	4	Computer Architecture, Networking & OS	4
Human Computer Interfaces	4	Creativity in Human and Artificial Agents	4
Human Factors in Design	4	Exploiting the Information World	4
Calculus II	4	Experimental Methods & Statistics	4
Junior Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Managing IT Resources	4	IT Elective (SE/DB/IS)	4
Probability and Statistics for IT	4	Elective	4
Intro to AI	4	Elective	4
Cognition and the Brain	4	Human Computer Interaction	4
Senior Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
IT Studio/Capstone Experience	4	Elective	4
Cognitive Psychology	4	Elective	4
Senior IT-Psych Capstone Project	3	Senior IT-Psych Capstone Project	3
Elective	4	Elective	4

Typical Four-Year Sequence for Computer Science-Psychology Dual Major
(One of the Appropriate Curricula for students in the Minds & Machines Program/Lab)

Freshman Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Computer Science I	4	Computer Science II	4
Calculus I	4	Calculus II	4
Science Option	4	Science Option	4
Minds & Machines (FYS)	4	General Psych	4
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Data Struct & Alg	4	Models of Comp	4
Mult Calc & Mat Alg	4	Math Option	4
Human Factors in Design	4	Exp Methods & Stat	4
Computer Org	4	Free Elective	4
Junior Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Programming Lang	4	Software D&D	4
Intro to Logic	4	Computability and Logic	4
Intro to AI	4	Comp Sci Option	4
Psychology Elective	4	Human Computer Interaction	4
Senior Year
Fall Semester		Spring Semester
Comp Sci Option	4	Free Elective	4
Comp Sci Option	4	Free Elective	4
Minds & Machines Project	3	Minds & Machines Project	3
Philosophy of AI	4	Free Elective	4