I am a
Professor in the Department of
Computer Science at the University
of Kentucky.This spring, I am teaching Discrete Math.
My research interests include decision making under uncertainty; automation of information elicitation; preference elicitation, representation, and aggregation; computational learning theory, and structural complexity.
I co-organized the UAI Workshop on Bayesian Applications in '07, and the AAAI Workshop on Preference Handling in AI in '07. I am currently working on (co-editing) a special issue of the International Journal of Approximate Reasoning based on the UAI workshop, and a special issue of AI Magazine on preferences. Recently, I was on the program committees for UAI '05, '06, '07; AAAI '05, '06; the VLDB '07, AAAI '07, ECAI '06, and IJCAI '05 Workshops on Preferences, plus various workshops and earlier conference PCs.
I am the PI on an ITR grant on Decision Making Under Uncertainty with Constraints. This is a multi-disciplinary, multi-professor project that applies decision-making analysis and software to academic advising and Kentucky Welfare to Work.
I am involved with the new Cognitive Science program here at UK. There is an undergraduate minor and a graduate certificate available.
A calendar of upcoming religious holidays.
I spent the academic year '06-'07 on sabbatical. I visited Bob Sloan at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Michael Littman and Eric Allender at Rutgers University, and then the Cork Center for Constraint Computation, in Ireland; friends in England; Joerg Rothe in Duesseldorf, Germany; Linda van der Gaag in Utrecht, Netherlands; Martin Mundhenk, Jena, Germany; Patrice Perny, Paris, France. I have posted many pictures from my travels.
My paper, ``The Computational Complexity of Probabilistic Plan Existence and Evaluation," M. Littman, J. Goldsmith, and M. Mundhenk, The Journal of AI Research, volume 9, pages 1--36, 1998, received honorable mention for the The Annual IJCAI-JAIR Best Paper Prize
In February 1998, I was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science (junior) mentoring award, in recognition of the support I have given to people in categories underrepresented in science: women, people of color, people with learning disabilities and physical handicaps, and people choosing alternative lifestyles. It was very nice to get official recognition of my ongoing mentoring work.
I dance with Squash Beetle Morris, I bicycle, and I contra dance. I also call contra dances, which means I teach the dances, and then prompt the dancers as they dance. My next gig is Feb. 22nd, in Lexington. The local dances in Lexington are at ArtsPlace at N. Mill and Church Streets; beginners should show up around 7:30 for the beginners' workshop. No partner or experience needed. The music is always live.
Krol Kevin Mathias
Joshua Guerin
Nick Mattei
Tom Dodson
Derek Williams
Kiran Bhuma
Stephen Christensen
Erik Jessup
Shelia Sittinger,
Christopher Wells
WEB pages for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science
Citeseer, a great research tool.
Great Theory Database at Universitaet Dortmund
An amusing article about my late grandmother, may she rest in peace.
Accesses since the new century (or the last crash):
Citizens ruled by fear are citizens primed for manipulation. We cannot allow the very real threats to our safety to rule our lives. We must live and act based on our deepest convictions.
As the US war machine continues to grind, as people the world over continue killing each other in the name of peace or justice, it is difficult for tree huggers and peaceniks to maintain their equilibrium. The work of trying to change the world is difficult and tiring, but we must, must allow ourselves time to stop and breathe, time to play and dance, as well as to mourn. Or else, what are we working for?