IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 October 11, 1993 Volume X, Number 39 Issue 183 ********************************************************** I. NOTICES A. Meeting Announcements/Calls for Papers 1. Lazerow Lecture at GSLIS, UCLA C. Miscellaneous 1. Graduate Study in Cognitive & Neural Systems at Boston U. II. QUERIES B. Requests for Information 1. Paternity of Articles 2. Sort of an FAQ on NLP for IR 3. Online Access to Government Agencies ********************************************************** I. NOTICES I.A.1. Fr: Efthimis N. Efthimiadis Re: S.E.Robertson "Lazerow Speaker" at GSLIS-UCLA -- Announcement LAZEROW LECTURE at GSLIS, UCLA The Graduate School of Library & Information Science, UCLA, and the Student Chapter of ASIS present: Professor Stephen E. Robertson in the 1993 ISI Lazerow Lecture on: "RETRIEVAL AND RELEVANCE: ON THE EVALUATION OF RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS" DATE: Thursday November 11, 1993 TIME: 12-2pm VENUE: 111 GSLIS Building Graduate School of Library & Information Science University of California, Los Angeles 405 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024-1520 Telephone: 310-825-8799; Fax: 310-206-4460 PARKING: UCLA Parking available at $5. FEE: FREE RECEPTION: reception with light refreshments will follow the Lecture ABSTRACT: An overview of the history of the testing and evaluation of information retrieval systems, from the late fifties and Cranfield to the present day and TREC, is presented. Some themes are highlighted, particularly the idea of a test collection, more recent work on interactive systems, and the definition of the "system". This legacy is contrasted with the situation in system evaluation in other areas (e.g. expert systems or interface design). Two themes are developed in further discussion: the investigation of user information-seeking behaviour in the context of the use of formal systems, and the concept of relevance and its uses in information retrieval. Stephen E. Robertson Professor and Head Centre for Interactive Systems Research Department of Information Science School of Informatics City University London, EC1V 0HB, U.K. Originally a mathematician, Robertson holds the MSc in Information Science from City University in London, England. Following graduation, Prof. Robertson worked in the research department of a professional society, took a PhD at University College London, where he subsequently was a Fellow. He returned to City University in 1978, and is now Department Head. He is on sabbatical for 1993-94. Robertson heads a research team on retrieval system design and evaluation, and human information-seeking behaviour. ********** I.C.1. Fr: Announce@cns.bu.edu Re: Graduate Study in Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University DEPARTMENT OF COGNITIVE AND NEURAL SYSTEMS (CNS) AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY Stephen Grossberg, Chairman Gail A. Carpenter, Director of Graduate Studies The Boston University Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems offers comprehensive advanced training in the neural and computational principles, mechanisms, and architectures that underly human and animal behavior, and the application of neural network architectures to the solution of technological problems. Applications for Fall, 1994 admission and financial aid are now being accepted for both the MA and PhD degree programs. To obtain a brochure describing the CNS Program and a set of application materials, write, telephone, or fax: Department of Cognitive & Neural Systems Boston University 111 Cummington Street, Room 240 Boston, MA 02215 617/353-9481 (phone) 617/353-7755 (fax) or send via email your full name and mailing address to: rll@cns.bu.edu Applications for admission and financial aid should be received by the Graduate School Admissions Office no later than January 15. Late applications will be considered until May 1; after that date applications will be considered only as special cases. Applicants are required to submit undergraduate (and, if applicable, graduate) transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The Advanced Test should be in the candidate's area of departmental specialization. GRE scores may be waived for MA candidates and, in exceptional cases, for PhD candidates, but absence of these scores may decrease an applicant's chances for admission and financial aid. Non-degree students may also enroll in CNS courses on a part-time basis. DESCRIPTION OF THE CNS DEPARTMENT: The Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems (CNS) provides advanced training and research experience for graduate students interested in the neural and computational principles, mechanisms, and architectures that underlie human and animal behavior, and the application of neural network architectures to the solution of technological problems. Students are trained in a broad range of areas concerning cognitive and neural systems, including vision and image processing; speech and language understanding; adaptive pattern recognition; cognitive information processing; self- organization; associative learning and long-term memory; computational neuroscience; nerve cell biophysics; cooperative and competitive network dynamics and short-term memory; reinforcement, motivation, and attention; adaptive sensory-motor control and robotics; active vision; and biological rhythms; as well as the mathematical and computational methods needed to support advanced modeling research and applications. The CNS Department awards MA, PhD, and BA/MA degrees. The CNS Department embodies a number of unique features. It has developed a curriculum that consists of twelve interdisciplinary graduate courses each of which integrates the psychological, neurobiological, mathematical, and computational information needed to theoretically investigate fundamental issues concerning mind and brain processes and the applications of neural networks to technology. Nine additional advanced courses, including research seminars, are also offered. Each course is typically taught once a week in the evening to make the program available to qualified students, including working professionals, throughout the Boston area. Students develop a coherent area of expertise by designing a program that includes courses in areas such as Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Psychology, in addition to courses in the CNS curriculum. The CNS Department prepares students for thesis research with scientists in one of several Boston University research centers or groups, and with Boston-area scientists collaborating with these centers. The unit most closely linked to the department is the Center for Adaptive Systems (CAS). Students interested in neural network hardware work with researchers in CNS, the College of Engineering, and at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Other research resources include distinguished research groups in neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and neuropharmacology at the Medical School and the Charles River campus; in sensory robotics, biomedical engineering, computer and systems engineering, and neuromuscular research within the Engineering School; in dynamical systems within the Mathematics Department; in theoretical computer science within the Computer Science Department; and in biophysics and computational physics within the Physics Department. In addition to its basic research and training program, the Department conducts a seminar series, as well as conferences and symposia, which bring together distinguished scientists from both experimental and theoretical disciplines. 1993-94 CAS MEMBERS and CNS FACULTY: Jacob Beck Daniel H. Bullock Gail A. Carpenter Chan-Sup Chung Michael A. Cohen H. Steven Colburn Paolo Gaudiano Stephen Grossberg Frank H. Guenther Thomas G. Kincaid Nancy Kopell Ennio Mingolla Heiko Neumann Alan Peters Adam Reeves Eric L. Schwartz Allen Waxman Jeremy Wolfe ********************************************************** II. QUERIES II.B.1. Fr: Dora Noussia Re: Paternity of Articles I am currently involved in developing a prototype IR environment for Greek text collections. Last week, a national language research institute directed a question to me on how such a system could be used for identifying the paternity (author identification) of specific documents. They want to concentrate on a collection of articles published in a specific newspaper of the last century and they want to find which of these articles had been authored by a specific politician. The paternity of these articles is in general unknown because the articles were published by default anonymously. However, some articles (not many) have thus far been recognised by the author himself. In addition, there are other known documents by the same person (e.g., talks to the Parliament, etc.). >From the linguistic point of view, I know that there are some manual methods of analysing the linguistic phenomena (e.g., examine the occurences of specific words or phrases, or recognising a particular syntax type, etc.) I understand that the problem is to relate subject matter and thus the "standard" similarity computation is not enough. I would appreciate any related feedback (e.g., bibliography) on methods that could be developed in an IR environment for identifying document paternity. Please reply via e-mail to: noussia@grpatvx1.bitnet and I will post a summary of replies to this list. Thank you in advance, Dora Noussia ********** II.B.2. [response to II.B.1., 9/27/93, Vol.X,No.37,Issue 181] Fr: David Lewis Re: Sort of a FAQ on NLP for IR I think Padmini's idea for an FAQ for IR research is great! Anyone interested in producing this might take a look at the resource list and bibliography that Liz Liddy and I did for our tutorial on NLP for IR. It obviously is focused on NLP issues in IR but does contain some useful general information as well. It's available by anonymous FTP to canberra.cs.umass.edu (128.119.40.171). The directory is /pub/papers/lewis and there's versions of the file in nlirbib93.ps and nlirbib93.tex. Dave David D. Lewis AT&T Bell Laboratories email: lewis@research.att.com 600 Mountain Ave.; Room 2C-408 ph. 908-582-3976 Murray Hill, NJ 07974; USA dept. fax. 908-582-7550 ********** II.B.3. Fr: Susan Schafer Re: Requesting Info.: On-Line Access to Govt. Agencies Hello, As part of my thesis, I am interested in compiling an electronic directory of government agencies who serve the public through computer databases. Specifically, I would like to compile a list (and brief description) of specific federal, state, and local government agencies that provide computer-based information to the general public. I am working with a group that plans to make this information available free of cost on the Internet - possibly via Gopher, WAIS, and/or MOSAIC. I will be very grateful if you can provide me information about: (i) existing directories that attempt to privde this information, and/or (ii) the names/contact persons for government agencies that currently offer online access. Any information you have regarding such databases or governmental agencies will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Susan Schafer University of Illinois ********************************************************** III. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS III.1 Fr: Bill Hersh Re: Health Informatics Training HEALTH INFORMATICS RESEARCH TRAINING AT OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY The Biomedical Information Communication Center (BICC) at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) is seeking qualified applicants for its National Library of Medicine-sponsored postdoctoral research training program in health informatics. With six appointed and seven adjunct faculty, the BICC is one of the country's leading institutions in health informatics research. Its health informatics training program is designed to prepare individuals for many types of careers in the application of information technology in health care. FACILITIES: Nestled in the west hills of Portland, OHSU is just an hour away from the Cascade mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The training program is housed in the state-of-the-art 74,000 sq. ft. BICC Building, which contains offices, classrooms, the library, and other information technology resources. Advanced personal computers and workstations are available for all fellows. Virtually all computers on campus are connected to Ethernet or Token-Ring networks, each with access to the Internet. OHSU also offers its own on-line information service (ORHION) and has personal computers throughout the clinics and hospitals, affording many unique opportunities for training and research. PREREQUISITES: Qualifications for applicants include an M.D. (residency training preferred) or a Ph.D. in either biological science or an area relevant to informatics. SUPPORT: Financial support in the form of NLM-funded fellowships is available for U.S. citizens or permanent residents only. CURRICULUM: The primary focus of the program is to provide a structured research experience in one or two of the areas listed below (under Faculty Interests), along with course work in informatics. Fellows will survey the field broadly during their two to three year fellowship and will be expected to complete research projects. Upon completion of their training, they should be able to describe their results clearly in both oral and written form. The overall goals are to prepare trainees to (a) direct their own health informatics research efforts at medical centers that actively embrace the Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) agenda, or (b) take leadership positions in the growing number of hospital and/or commercial efforts in health informatics. There are many opportunities for classroom learning in the program. The BICC faculty itself teaches several courses, including an introductory informatics course as well as those on advanced topics, such as information retrieval and medical decision making. Most fellows have availed themselves to a seminar series for fellows in the Division of General Internal Medicine and/or formal courses available in statistics, computer science, and decision science at nearby Portland State University. There is a degree option for a Master of Public Health with a specialization in health informatics. The BICC also provides a bi- weekly seminar, with a combination of inside and outside speakers. FACULTY INTERESTS: BICC faculty work on a variety of their own as well as institutional projects. These include: - Clinical information systems and computer-based patient records. OHSU is currently implementing a large electronic medical record effort running on networked personal computers with a graphical user interface. - Information retrieval. The BICC runs its own on-line information service for Oregon clinicians (the ORHION system) and also does ongoing research in the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems. - Outcomes research. Several OHSU faculty are interested in this increasingly important area of medical research and collaborate with experts at the BICC. - End-user computing in medicine. Several BICC faculty teach as well as do research on the role of end-user computing for clinical users. - Telemedicine. Outside the metropolitan Portland area, Oregon is mostly a rural state. Providing information and services is a major goal of OHSU, and one project involves satellite link-up of video conferences, image transfer, and teaching of courses. - Medical decision making and decision analysis. - Image analysis APPLICATION: Applications are now being accepted for January 1, July 1, and September 1, 1994 start dates. Applications for the July and September start dates should be received no later than February 1, 1994. For more information, please contact: Kent A. Spackman, M.D., Ph.D. Chief Medical Information Officer Associate Director of Health Informatics BICC Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, OR 97201-3098 Voice: 503-494-4502 Fax: 503-494-4551 Email: spackman@ohsu.edu William Hersh, M.D. Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Informatics Oregon Health Sciences University BICC 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, OR 97201-3098 Voice: 503-494-4563 Fax: 503-494-4551 Email: hersh@ohsu.edu ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. 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