Connectionists: MESS 2018 - last two days to the application deadline!!

[Mario Pavone]

Call for Participation (apologies for multiple copies)
## please forward it to those who may be interested ##

-- TWO DAYS TO THE APPLICATION DEADLINE --


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MESS 2018 - Metaheuristics Summer School
- from Design to Implementation -
21-25 July 2018, Taormina, Italy

https://www.ANTs-lab.it/mess2018/
mess.school at ANTs-lab.it
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** APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15th April 2018 **


MESS 2018 is aimed at qualified and strongly motivated MSc and PhD  
students; post-docs; young researchers, and both academic and  
industrial professionals to provide an overview on the several  
metaheuristics techniques, and an in-depth analysis of the  
state-of-the-art. As first edition, MESS 2018 wants to analyze all  
metaheuristics from its designing to its implementation. In  
particular, in MESS 2018 will be analyzed modern heuristic methods for  
search and optimization problems, as well as the classical exact  
optimization methods, seen also in the metaheuristics context.

All participants will have plenty of opportunities for debate and work  
with leaders in the field, benefiting from direct interaction and  
discussions in a stimulating environment. They will also have the  
possibility to present their recently results and/or their working in  
progress through oral or poster presentations, and interact with their  
scientific peers, in a friendly and constructive environment.


** Confirmed Speakers

+ Christian Blum, IIIA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- Lecture 1: Construct, Merge, Solve & Adapt: A Recent Hybrid Metaheuristic
- Lecture 2: Swarm Intelligence in Combinatorial Optimization

+ Juergen Branke, Warwick Business School, UK
- Lecture 1: Simulation-based optimisation
- Lecture 2: Multi-objective optimisation

+ Salvatore Greco, University of Catania, Italy & University of Portsmouth, UK
- Lecture 1: Basic Concepts of Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding/Making
- Lecture 2: Using Preference Elicitation in Evolutionary  
Multiobjective Optimization

+ Yaochu Jin, University of Surrey, UK
- Lecture 1: Data-driven surrogate-assisted evolutionary  
multi-objective optimization
- Lecture 2: Multi-objective machine learning

+ Gunther Raidl, Technische Universitat Wien, Austria
- Lecture 1: Pushing the Limits with Hybrid Metaheuristics
- Lecture 2: Large Neighborhood Search Techniques

+ Helena Ramalhinho Lourenco, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
- Lecture 1: Extensions of Iterated Local Search
- Lecture 2: Issues and examples of applying metaheuristics in business

+ Mauricio Resende, AMAZON, USA
- Lecture 1: Biased Random-Key Genetic Algorithms ? part I
- Lecture 2: Biased Random-Key Genetic Algorithms ? part II

+ Celso Ribeiro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
- Lecture 1: Optimization by GRASP ? Part I
- Lecture 2: Optimization by GRASP ? Part II

+ Andrea Schaerf, University of Udine, Italy
- Lecture 1: Simulated Annealing and Friends: Introduction to  
Randomized Local Search Methods
- Lecture 2: Simulated Annealing, we need to talk: Critical Analysis  
of Real-World Applications of Randomized Local Search Methods to  
Scheduling and Timetabling Problems

+ Fabio Schoen, Unviersity of Florence, Italy
- Lecture 1: Large scale global optimization methods: basics
- Lecture 2: Large scale global optimization methods: examples of applications

+ El-Ghazali Talbi, University of Lille 1, France
- Lecture 1: TBA
- Lecture 2: TBA

+ Daniele Vigo, University of Bologna, Italy
- Lecture 1: Heuristic approaches for Vehicle Routing Problems - part I
- Lecture 2: Heuristic approaches for Vehicle Routing Problems - part II


** Tutorial

+ Luca Di Gaspero, University of Udine, Italy
Title: TBA

+ Paola Festa, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
Title: ?Successful applications of GRASP and its hybrids for hard  
combinatorial problems?


** Short Talk and Poster Presentation

All participants may submit an abstract of their recent results, or  
works in progress, for presentation and having the opportunities for  
debate and interact with leaders in the field. Mini-Workshop  
Organizers and Scientific Committee will review the abstracts and will  
recommend for the format of the presentation (oral or poster). All  
abstracts will be published on the electronic hands-out book of the  
summer school.

The Abstracts must be submitted by *April 15, 2018*.


** Sponsor & Scholarships:

Thanks to the sponsorship by EU/ME METAHEURISTICS working group  
(https://www.euro-online.org/websites/eume/), some scholarships for  
the best participants will be available.

More sponsors and scholarships will be announced soon!!


** Certificate:
Participants will be delivered a certificate of attendance indicating  
the number of hours of lectures. The school will involve a total of  
36-40 hours of lectures, which allows to all PhD, and master students  
to may get *8-ECTS* points.


** School Directors

+ Salvatore Greco, University of Catania, Italy
+ Panos Pardalos, University of Florida, USA
+ Mario Pavone, University of Catania, Italy
+ El-Ghazali Talbi, University of Lille 1, France
+ Daniele Vigo, University of Bologna, Italy


** Oral & Poster Presentation Organizers

+ Luca Di Gaspero, Unviersity of Udine, Italy
+ Paola Festa, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy


** Metaheuristics Competition Chair

+ Raffaele Cerulli, University of Salerno, Italy


** More Information:

https://www.ANTs-lab.it/mess2018/   --   mess.school at ANTs-lab.it
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MetaheuristicsSchool/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MESS_school


-- 
Dr. Mario Pavone (PhD)
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
University of Catania
V.le A. Doria 6 - 95125 Catania, Italy
tel: 0039 095 7383034
fax: 0039 095 330094
Email: mpavone at dmi.unict.it
http://www.dmi.unict.it/mpavone/
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MESS 2018 - Metaheuristics Summer School
21-25 July 2018, Taormina, Italy

W: https://www.ANTs-lab.it/mess2018/
E: mess.school at ANTs-lab.it

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MetaheuristicsSchool/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MESS_school
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