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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1986)
4 Friday, October 10, 1986/The Battalion/Page 3 State and Local search program drawing clients A&M works on artificial intelligence ^ - v/W+- - |# spf ^. a . yinii^ii,..... aaiia By Curtis Leonard Reporter lesearchers at Texas A&rM are ■eloping artificial intelligence Igiams that are attracting such cli- as the Chrysler Corp., the U.S. wee and Scott and White Medi- §:linic. rtilicial intelligence is one of the est areas of research for the las Engineering Experiment Sta- I, but it already houses one of the |(M collections of artificial intelli- |nu applications development nil. are in the country, he artificial intelligence lab, ivnas the Knowledge Based Sys- Laboratory, has been in exis- :efor about a year and a half, di- etloi Richard Mayer says. ■laver defines artificial intelli- Bceas“the scientific discipline of | r people acquire and use know- e." SiM researchers are creating iware and computer systems that do the mental work of humans, v are attempting to make com- rs more productive, easier to [and, in ef fect, smarter, y using artificial intelligence ap- itions software, people in a cer- tield can access highly valuable information that has been gathered by experts, Mayer says. Some infor mation would be difficult or impossi ble to obtain in a usable form with out such systems, he says. Bill Knappenberger, systems ana lyst for advanced manufacturing of Chrysler Corp. in Detroit, says, “The lab has already completed two proto type systems that were delivered re cently to the Chrysler Corp. in the area of automotive engineering.” One of the prototype systems, the cooling systems adviser, aids in the designing of an automobile’s radia- tor, shroud and fan, Knappenberger says. The other prototype, the fastener selection adviser, helps engineers choose the best type of fasteners for two automotive components, he says. “There are about 3,000 to 4,000 different fasteners that range from evervthing to nuts and bolts to tiny glue strips,” Knappenberger says. “There are only three experts on fasteners, and the AI (artificial intel ligence) system will take some of the current tedium out of fastener selec tion for the experts.” Both systems are being used in a verv limited domain, he savs, and delivery systems are being designed for widespread use. Chrysler says it is pleased with the work done so far, and other projects for engineering and manufacturing are planned for the future, Knap penberger says. The lab also is working on an in formation management system for the U.S. Air Force. Mayer says A&M researchers are working on a system with several other universities and businesses that will link the different offices and departments of the Air Force with businesses. Linking depart ments will help increase the produc tivity of white-collar workers, he says. The problem now is that most of the departments have different com- puters which use different lan guages and data bases, he says. For example, he says, it’s hard for manufacturing and engineering de partments to share data when their computing systems are different. Yet communication between the two is vital, he says. Mayer says the biggest problem with developing a system is getting different departments to agree on the meaning of words. He says “oil well,” for example, means one thing to engineers, some thing else to manufacturers and still something else to an accounting de partment. Scott and White Medical Clinic, which recently opened its doors in College Station, is working with the lab to set up a new type of patient in formation system. If data on patients could be cross- listed and a system designed to “read between the lines,” medical research would benefit immensely, Mayer For example, if the patient’s infor mation sheet says a person was born and raised in a particular city and then moved elsewhere to go to col lege, Mayer says he would want the artificial intelligence program to re alize that the person had spent about 17 vears in the city he was born in and then list that person along with other asthma patients who lived in the same city. This type of record comparison and research is impractical for a doc tor to perform manually, Mayer savs. ilotorcyle course helps riding skills a. I By Greg Bailey Reporter /ith the help of the Motorcycle ling Course offered through the [lege Station Community Educa- Project, some students obtain r operator’s license, others get a h nee to hone their riding skills, H all learn some things that could ^their lives. he course, which is offered ithly, is given on two consecutive lays and Saturdays and spon- d by the Motorcycle Safety ndation and the Texas Depart- it of Public Safety. The Friday ions are devoted to classroom in struction while Saturdays are re served for range work — beginning at 7 a.m. In order to legally ride a motorcy cle in Texas, all motorcyclists must pass vision and driving tests, as well as a written test, which are issued by the DPS. Riders between the ages of 15 and 18 are required to take the MRC and pass both written and skills tests in order to take the DPS licensing ex amination. Some insurance companies are of fering those completing the course a 10-percent discount on their liability premiums. The eight hours of classwork in cludes instruction on safety rules, riding skills, insurance information, inspections and troubleshooting. At the end of the class, students take the MRC Knowledge Test. “By the end of the day those stu dents are dragging,” says Christine Landphair, one of the four course instructors. “They’ve driven 32 miles and it’s taken them about eight hours to do it.” After their range work, students take the Motorcycle Operator Skills Test. Landphair and her husband Har low, both course instructors, assume that students have never ridden a motorcycle and take their time in fa miliarizing students with the ma chines. The next course will be given on Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25. Those inter ested in taking the course should contact Alonzo Wood in the College Station Community Education office at 696-3820. There is a $50 fee to take the course, and students must provide leather gloves, a long-sleeve shirt or jacket, and leather boots or shoes that cover the ankles. Motorcycles used in the course have been pro vided by local dealers and helmets will be provided for those who need them. In Advan< Apartheid protest march scheduled Students Against Apartheid is sponsoring a march against apartheid today at 4:30 p.m. The protest march will begin across the street from College Station City Hall and will go through campus to Rudder Fountain. The march is to protest invest ment by Texas A&M in compa nies in South Africa. Dutch soprano to perform at Rudder Critically acclaimed Dutch so prano Elly Ameling will bring German art songs, or “lieder,” to Texas A&M tonight at 8 in Rud der Auditorium. Ameling’s appearance, spon sored by the Memorial Student Center’s Opera and Performing Arts Society, will feature pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolf gang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Jo hannes Brahms, Felix Mendels sohn and Franz Liszt. Pianist Ru dolf Jansen will accompany Ameling. The “lied,” a combination of poetry and music written for pi ano and voice, has its origins in 19th-century Germany. The lieder were originally written to be sung and enjoyed in homes but later became a popular form of entertainment for the stage. Germany poetry, particularly the works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, provided the text for the lieders that usually dealt with na ture, legends and love. Ameling is considered to be one of the world’s best female concert singers of the lieder. She performs in several cities around the world each year. This year critics honored Ameling with the title “La Vestale Del Lied,” an Italian term that proclaims she is among the best of women performers of the Ger man art song. Ameling has worked to encourage other sing ers by establishing the Elly Amel ing Lied Prize, awarded each year at the International Vocal Com petition of s’Hertogenbosch held in the Netherlands. Senate to look at evaluation policy A resolution suggesting uni form course/instructor evalua tions be given all Texas A&M professors will be considered by the Faculty Senate in its meeting Monday in 601 Rudder Tower at 3:15 p.m. A joint committee made up of faculty and student senators has compiled a list of recommenda tions for evaluating teachers and courses on a University-wide ba sis, which they hope will be ad ministered no later than Fall 1987. Currently, some evalua tions are given at the end of each semester, but not uniformly throughout the University. In other business, the Senate will elect a deputy speaker from a list of four nominees. The former deputy speaker, Dr. Jerry Gaston, Hfrterl last spring, was chosen as the new associate provost, at which time he resigned his Senate position. The Senate also plans to dis cuss requiring graduating seniors to take Finals at the same time as other students. Beginning in Spring 1988, de gree candidates will be required to take final exams. But, as the regulation is now written, finals for graduating seniors may or may not overlap with finals for other students. According to the Senate, this does not comply with the intent of the regulation, therefore it is requesting that the undergraduate and graduate cat alogues omit the final exam schedule as well as the date for re porting grades for degree candi dates. slat EW AGGIE MANAGEMENT CHANELLO'S PIZZA PIZZA DELIVERS II TASTE THE AGGIE DIFFERENCE" NORTHGATE/CAMPUS 846-3768 TEXAS AVE. -C.S. South of Univ. 696-0234 and South of Cam P us OPEN EARLY - OPEN LATE TOPPINGS XTRA CHEESE SAUSAGE GR. BEEF THICK CRUST JALAPENO ANCHOVY G. OLIVE BL. OLIVE MUSHROOMS PEPPERONI HAM GR. PEPPER ONION PARTY SMALL LARGE SIZE 12" 16" 20" Cheese 5.42 8.01 12.73 Adi. items (each) 1.00 1.50 2.00 SUPREME 9.42 12.73 18.85 p«pp«ronl aausae* gr. ollva muah. gr pappar onion FAVORITE 9.42 12.73 18.85 ham gr. baaf bl. ollva muah. gr. pappar onion EBA 10.37 14.13 19.97 (Everything But Anchovy) plus tax specials good until 10/31/86 unlimited toppings unlimited toppings unlimited toppings 160Z. .50C 320Z $7.50 $11.50 $15.50 .75<: Drinks Free Delivery-30 minutes Sandwiches Hot Sandwiches: Foot Long $4.00 Half $2.50 Submarine: Ham, Salami, Sauce, Cheese Italian: Ham, Salami, Sauce, Onion, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Cheese Vegetarian: Onion, Green Pepper, Mushroom, Sauce, Cheese Cheese breadsticks with ranch or pizza sauce §5.00 §8.00 §12.00 PIZZA DELIVERS f <8> Lunch Specials good (11-4) daily 1 footlong & chips + 32 oz. cola $5.00 2-10” pizzas - your choice + 2 large colas $7.50 NEW Cheese Breadsticks with Ranch or Pizza sauce Dipum" Free 8" with 16" or 20" Pizza good until 10/31/86