Undergraduate Programin Cognitive Science

Spring 2014

Size and Make-up of Majors

• 49 COGS majors• By year:

– 13 seniors– 13 juniors– 12 sophomores– 8 freshmen

• By major:– COGS: 17– COGS/CSCI: 18– COGS/GSAS: 7– Other COGS duals: 7 (MATH, PHIL, PSYC, BIOL, BMED, ISCI)

Fall 2011 Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 20140

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Curriculum

Two New Faculty

• Marjorie McShane– Computational Linguistics, Knowledge

Engineering– Teaches “Introduction to Linguistics” this

semester• Sergei Nirenburg

– Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Modeling, Natural Language Processing

– Teaches “Language Endowed Intelligent Agents” this semester

News on Dual Majors

• If you are a dual major, it used to matter whether you list COGS as your primary or secondary major as far as the HASS Core goes.

• This is no longer the case: you can list majors in any order you prefer.

COGS Core Courses

• Behavioral Neuroscience or Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience

• Sensation and Perception (Structure of Language no longer offered)

• Knowledge and Rationality (Metaphysics & Csns and Phil of AI no longer offered)

• Cognitive Modeling (LISP for AI no longer offered) -> can use Intelligent Virtual Agents or Affective Computing as substitute)

• Intro to AI -> can use Game AI or Learning & Advanced Game AI as a substitute)

Senior Thesis

• Find a Faculty Member to do your Thesis with: Your Thesis Faculty Advisor

• Fill out thesis form with Thesis Faculty Advisor (bring to Registrar before add deadline)

• Thesis Faculty Advisor will lay out requirements of thesis– Meetings– Literature Research– Experimental Research– Write-Up

• You do not have to do thesis in last semester

Online Courses

• Udacity (~40 courses, mostly CSCI, self-paced, wide variety of course lengths)– Introduction to AI, Artificial Intelligence for Robotics,

The Design of Everyday Things

• Coursera (500+ courses; wide variety)– Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks, Computational

Neuroscience, Natural Language Processing, etc.

• EdX (100+ courses, various fields)• Possibility of getting 1-2 credits Independent

Study for successful completion of courses (Add Deadline: Monday, 2/3)

Wednesday Issues in Cognitive Science Seminar

• It is possible for undergraduates to receive 1 credit through the Issues in Cognitive Science Lecture Series:– Write 1 page response paper about talk for 6

talks of your choice– Register for “Issues in Cognitive Science” at

400 level– Restricted to COGS majors or dual majors

with PHIL or PSYC

Speakers This Semester• February 5, Robert Goldstone, Learning Grounded in Perception and Action,

Indiana University• February 19, Mark Finlayson, Computational Human Narrative

Understanding, Computer Science and AI Lab (CSAIL), MIT• March 5, John Hummel, How the Brain Maps Relations, University of Illinois• March 19, Gabe Diaz, Visual Guidance of Action, RIT• March 26, Oliver Layton, Neuroscience of Vision, Visiting Researcher• April 30, Will Bridewell, Cognitive Systems for Belief Revision, Naval

Research Lab• May 7, Ralph Wojtowicz, Baker Mountain Research Corp.• All other talks this semester are by COGS graduate students• For a complete schedule of speakers go to Speaker Series off of Cognitive

Science department home page• If you think of a potential speaker, let me know!

Research

Undergraduate Research

• Cog Sci students are strongly encouraged to do hands-on research

• Undergraduate Research Program (URP)– http://www.rpi.edu/dept/urp– Fill out URP form:

• You have to write a 500 word proposal!• for course credit (deadline = course add deadline =

3rd Monday of semester)– Also fill out an Independent Study/URP Registration form

• for $ (deadline: sometime 3rd week of semester)

• Research can be used for Senior Thesis

Summer URP (SURP)

• Competitive program– Applications reviewed by multiple faculty

• $3500 stipend for 10-week summer research

• Need to find faculty member willing to support research efforts during 10-week period

• Deadline: February 14!• SURP

Overview Research Labs

• Linguistics and Knowledge Engineering (Dr. Marjorie McShane and Dr. Sergei Nirenburg)

• CogWorks Lab (Dr. Wayne Gray)• RAIR Lab (Dr. Selmer Bringsjord)• Sim Lab (Dr. Mei Si)• Neuroplasticity (Dr. Larry Reid)• Visual Reasoning (Dr. Bram van Heuveln)

Visual Reasoning

Research Page

Paperwork• Declare or add Cognitive Science Major

– Fill out Change of Major form– Curriculum Coordinator: Betty Osganian (Sage 4301)

• 1 credit for lectures– Fill out Independent Study form

• 200/400 PHIL/PSYC “Issues in Cognitive Science”• Senior Thesis

– Find thesis advisor– Fill out Thesis Registration form

• URP– Fill out URP form– For credit:

• Fill out Independent Study form as well• Credits to be determined by project advisor• Deadline = Course Add Deadline: Monday, 2/3

– For $ (URP matches up to $400):• Find faculty member with $!• Deadline: Tuesday, 2/4