Session details: Undergraduate workshop

This half day workshop will take place on Saturday July 7th 2012 and will involve presentations by approximately 6 selected undergraduate students conducting research in some aspect of evolutionary computation. Students will make 15-20 minute presentations to an audience that will include a 'mentor' panel of established researchers in evolutionary computation. Presentations will be followed by a 10 minute question and discussion period led by the mentor panel. Other students are encouraged to attend as a means of strengthening their own research.

The goals of this workshop are to (1) Provide a forum allowing undergraduate students to put a capstone on their undergraduate research activities, by presenting their work at an international conference; (2) Encourage teaching faculty to consider undergraduate research opportunities for their students in the EC field; (3) Prepare undergraduate students for graduate work in EC areas; (4) Encourage sharing and networking amongst teaching faculty with students participating in undergraduate research projects in EC; (5) Provide networking opportunities for graduate school faculty and undergraduate students interested in pursuing advanced degrees; and (6) Encourage more emphasis on education at the GECCO Conference.