SMLC 2013

Schedule

 

 

“Synthetic Modeling of Life and Cognition: Open Questions” (SMLC 2013)

University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy 12-14.09.2013

University of Bergamo, Monastery of Sant'Agostino,
Piazzale Sant'Agostino, 2
Conference Hall (Aula Conferenze)
24129 Bergamo, Italy

 

Program

 

Registration will open on the 12.09.2013 at 10.00 am (Registration Room).

Thursday, 12.09.2013

10.30

Welcoming Note
Luisa Damiano (University of Bergamo) and Vincent C. Müller (Anatolia College/ACT & University of Oxford)

Introduction
Gianluca Bocchi (University of Bergamo)

10.50

Keynote Session 1

10.50 Keynote talk
Stuart Kauffman (The Institute for Systems Biology of Seattle, USA)
Answering Descartes: Beyond Turing

11.40 Respondent's Comment - Gianluca Bocchi (University of Bergamo, Italy)

12.00 Discussion

12.20

Lunch

13.20

Welcoming Note
Stefano Paleari (Dean of the University of Bergamo)

Keynote Session 2

13.30 Keynote talk
Ricard Solé (Pompeu Fabra University, Spain)
Synthetic life: cells, machines and the boundaries of evolution

14.20 Respondent's Comment - Alvaro Moreno (University of the Basque Country, Spain)

14.40 Discussion

15.00

Coffee Break

15.20

Open Question session – Question 1
What are the possibilities and the limits of the synthetic study of the origins of life?

15.20 - L. Bich (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
Beyond the principle of continuity at the origins of life: Synthetic Biology and the challenge of prebiotic transitions PDF

15.40 - K. Ruiz-Mirazo (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
On life's nature and the intrinsic limits of Synthetic Biology PDF

16.00 – Discussion

16.20

Open Question session – Questions 3
Does the synthetic modeling of life need teleology?

16.20 – M. Hersch (University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
Harnessing teleology for one's own purpose PDF

16.40 – A. Moreno (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
Why Minimal life requires functional constraints PDF

17.00 – Discussion

17.20

Coffee Break

17.30-19.00

Open Question session – Mixed: Questions 13, 4 and 9

Question 13 - Which levels of abstraction are appropriate in the synthetic modeling of life and cognition?
17.30 – G. Dodig Crnkovic (Mälardalen University, Sweden)
Info-computational constructivism in modeling of life PDF

Question 4 - How can we test for artificial life?
17.55 - H. Zenil, G. Ball, J. Tegner (Karolinska Institute, Sweden)
Testing for Non-linear Sensitivity and Programmability PDF

Question 9 - The extended mind thesis: can it be explored synthetically?
18.20 – J. Arranz, J. Noble, M. Brede (University of Southampton, UK)
Selective pressures towards the evolution of extended memory - PDF

18.45 – Discussion

 

Friday, 13.09.2013

09.00

Keynote Session 3

09.00 Keynote talk
Giulio Sandini (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy)
Brain for robots

09.40 Respondent's Talk
Luciano Fadiga (University of Ferrara & Italian Institute of Technology, Italy)
Robots for brains

10.20 Discussion

10.40

Coffee Break

11.00

Keynote Session 4

11.00 Keynote talk
Giorgio Metta (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy)
Developing Intelligence in Humanoid Robots

11.50 Respondent's Comment – Paul Dumouchel (Ritsumeikan University, Japan)

12.10 Discussion

12.30

Lunch

13.30

Keynote Session 5

13.30 Keynote talk
Minoru Asada (Osaka University, Japan)
Can "Synthetic Methodology" cause a paradigm shift?

14.20 Respondent's Comment – Fabio Bonsignorio (University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)

14.40 Discussion

15.00

Coffee Break

15.20

Open Question session – Question 6
What is the role of embodiment in the synthetic exploration of cognition?

15.20 – M. Hoffman, A. Roncone, G. Metta (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy)
Modeling the development of human body representations - PDF

15.40 – T. Yamamoto (CiNet, NICT, Japan) and H. Ishiguro (Osaka University, Japan)
Interaction between information representation and physical dynamics as a key to understand cognitive processes - PDF

16.00 – F. Bonsignorio (University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)
The Role of Embodiment in Life and Cognition PDF

16.20 - Discussion

16.40

Coffee Break

16.50-17.50

Open Question session – Question 7
How can one build an agent aware of its environment?

16.50 – M. Spencer (University of Reading), E. Roesch (University of Reading), J. Bishop (Goldsmiths, University of London), S. Nasuto (University of Reading)
Emergent representations from stochastic diffusion dynamics - PDF

17.10 – D. Mazzei and D. De Rossi (Research Center E. Piaggio, University of Pisa, Italy)
Social Robots' Umwelt - PDF

17.30 - Discussion

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20.30

Workshop Dinner

 

 

Saturday, 14.09.2013

09.00

Keynote Session 6

09.00 Keynote talk
Angelo Cangelosi (University of Plymouth, UK)
Embodied Language Learning: From Sensorimotor Intelligence to Symbols

09.50 Respondent's Comment – Vincent C. Müller (Anatolia College/ACT, Greece, & University of Oxford, UK)

10.10 Discussion

10.30

Coffee Break

10.50

Keynote Session 7

10.50 Keynote talk
Pier Luigi Luisi (University of Rome Three, Italy)
Contingency in molecular evolution

11.40 Respondent's Comment – Luisa Damiano (University of Bergamo, Italy)

12.00 Discussion

12.20

Lunch

13.20

Open Question session – Question 5
What can synthetic biology offer to the study of cognition?

13.20 - M. Lucantoni (University of Rome Three, Italy)
Autopoiesis, Metabolism, Cognition - PDF

13.40 – L. Bich and A. Moreno (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
On the role of Synthetic Biology in the investigation of minimal cognition: an argument from the point of view of regulation - PDF

14.00 – F. Bianchini (University of Bologna, Italy)
Emergence from biology to cognition: the case of super-organisms - PDF

14.20 - Discussion

14.40

Open Question session – Question 11
What are the characteristics and roles of synthetic models?

14.40 – M. J. Schroeder (Akita International University, Japan)
Modeling of Life and Cognition: Synthetic, but Not Alchemic - PDF

15.00 – M. Bertolaso (University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy)
On the Bio-Logic of Soft Robotics: Cognitive Robotics as Functional Integrated Systems - PDF

15.20 – M. Mirolli (ISTC-CNR, Italy)
The several uses of computational models as scientific tools - PDF

15.40 – Discussion

16.00

Coffee Break

16.10-16.40

Panel discussion