Algorithmics, a research area of information science, develops basic methods to efficiently use computers. Without these methods, sequencing of the human genome, an efficient search in the internet or route planning on the internet or with navigation systems would not be feasible. From September 15 to 19, 2008, the ALGO 2008, the most important conference on algorithms in Europe, will take place at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
The conference will be organized by the chairs headed by Professor Dorothea Wagner and Professor Peter Sanders from the Institute for Theoretical Informatics. The KIT expects up to 300 experts from all over the world to participate in the four conferences. The “European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA)” will deal with general issues. The “Workshop on Algorithms in Bioinformatics (WABI)” will focus on algorithms in biology, while the “Workshop on Approximation and Online Algorithms (WAOA)” will concentrate on algorithms that may solve very difficult problems in an approximate manner at least. The “Workshop on Algorithmic Approaches for Transportation Modeling, Optimization, and Systems (ATMOS)” will cover algorithms to improve public transport means: They may contribute to an efficient management of delays, for instance, when deciding which train should wait for others.
A number of internationally renowned scientists will give presentations, among them Leslie Valiant from Harvard University. He was the first to create a solid basis for computers capable of learning, which are more flexible than traditional programs with their precisely prescribed behavior. Current research activities of Valiant concentrate on a model facilitating efficient programming of multi-core processors. Mark Overmars from Utrecht University is working on robots and items moving flexibly in complex environments. Eytan Ruppin from Tel Aviv University represents metabolic processes on the computer and, thus, contributes to the understanding of many diseases. Rolf Möhring from the TU Berlin is concentrating on optimizing a number of processes that are aimed at e.g. preparing better subway timetables, reducing the times for changing trains, or decreasing the total number of trains in public passenger transport.
For further information and a detailed program of the conference, click Algo 2008.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the merger of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Universität Karlsruhe. This merger will give rise to an institution of internationally excellent research and teaching in natural and engineering sciences. In total, the KIT has 8000 employees and an annual budget of 700 million Euros. The KIT focuses on the knowledge triangle of research – teaching – innovation.
The Karlsruhe institution is a leading European energy research center and plays a visible role in nanosciences worldwide. KIT sets new standards in teaching and promotion of young scientists and attracts top scientists from all over the world. Moreover, KIT is a leading cooperation partner of industry.