Type of Talk: AI

Speaker Name: Matthew Ca

mpbell

Speaker Affiliation: UT Austin Department of Mechanical Eng

ineering

Date: November 3 2006

Start Time: 3:00p.m.

Location: ACES 2.402

Host: Risto Miikkulainen

Talk Title:
Search Methods for Finding Optimal Graph Topologies

Talk Abstract:

This research offers a fundamental new view of topology
optimizat

ion. To date topological synthesis approaches
are simply augmentations
of existing stochastic optimization
techniques. The generic approach d

efined here combines aspects
of existing optimization techniques graph
theory mathematical
programming artificial intelligence and shape a

nd graph
grammars. Graph transformation research has existed for
ne

arly 40 years in an esoteric corner of artificial intelligence
but only
recently has the work been deemed useful in design
automation as knowl

edge and heuristics of a particular problem
domain can be encapsulated

into rules. In this presentation
various example problems are presente

d that are in the process
of being solved by these newly defined search
methods.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Campbell joined the Department

of Mechanical Engineering
at the University of Texas at Austin in 2000
and is currently
an Associate Professor in the Manufacturing and Desig

n area.
His research focuses on computational methods that aid the

engineering designer earlier in the design process than
traditional opt

imization would. To date he has been awarded
$1.57 million in research
funding including the CAREER
award for research into a generic graph

topology optimization
method. This research represents a culmination of
past computational
synthesis research including the automatic design o

f sheet
metal components multi-stable MEMS devices MEMS resonators <

br>function structures and electro-mechanical configurations.
Dr. Camp

bell is a member of the AAAI the AIAA Phi Kappa
Phi Honor Society Pi
Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honorary
Fraternity the ASME the AS

EE and the Design Society and
has been acknowledged with best paper aw

ards at conferences
sponsored by the latter three.