[Past issues of the newsletter are available at http://www.bell-labs.com/topic/conferences/lics/ ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT SYMPOSIUM ON PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES (POPL98) San Diego, California, January 19-21, 1998 * Topics. The 25th symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL98) will address fundamental principles and important innovations and accomplishments in the design, definition, analysis, and implementation of programming languages, programming systems, and programming interfaces. Both practical and theoretical papers on principles and innovations are welcome, including both frameworks for them and reports on experiences with their use. Papers on a diversity of topics are welcomed, particularly ones that point out new directions. POPL98 is not limited to topics discussed in previous symposia or to formal approaches. In particular, papers integrating new principles into mainstream programming languages or widely used systems are encouraged. Authors concerned about the appropriateness of a topic may communicate by electronic mail with the program chair prior to submission. * Submission. Submissions consist of a 100-200 word ASCII abstract and a 5000 words summary. Submissions must be either electronic (encouraged) or postal (discouraged). Electronic submissions must be received by 6:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday, July 19, 1997. Submissions may be sent as a single e-mail message to popl98@pa.dec.com (MIME attachments are allowed). The message should contain both the ASCII abstract and the Postscript summary. Electronic summaries should be in Postscript form, which must be interpretable by Ghostscript. The Postscript must use standard fonts, or include the necessary fonts, and must be prepared for USLetter (8.5"x11") or A4 page sizes. Authors who cannot meet these requirements should submit hardcopy by post instead. Postal submissions must be sent to the program chair by airmail and postmarked (not metered) on or before Friday, July 11, 1997; 15 copies (printed double-sided if possible) must be provided. * Program Chair. Luca Cardelli (Digital Equipment Corporation). * General Chair. David B. MacQueen (Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies). * Program Committee. Luca Cardelli, Jeanne Ferrante, Andrew D. Gordon, Carl Gunter, Nevin Heintze, Neil Jones, Todd Knoblock, Xavier Leroy, Martin Odersky, Atsushi Ohori, Davide Sangiorgi, Scott Smith, Joe Wells, Katherine Yelick. AMS MATHEMATICS SUBJECT CLASSIFICATION Proposal for a new field Letter from Jurek Tyszkiewicz * Dear Colleagues, AMS is going to introduce some changes into the 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification and asks for input from all interested mathematicians. Their announcement is appended at the end of this message and can be found here. We, the finite-model-theorists, had a discussion concerning the location of their field in the new classification scheme, and the outcome is that the majority of us is in favor of the following: * There should be a new field "Logic in Computer Science" within the area 68 of Computer Science, say 68X, and it should include a subfield 68Xnn devoted to the finite model theory. * This project can be successful only if other communities which feel to belong to the "Logic in Computer Science" field participate in it with us, proposing their own subfields, and then start lobbying with us to get our proposal accepted. Therefore we ask and invite you to discuss this topic in your own communities as soon as possible, and to communicate the outcome to us, by sending email to Jurek Tyszkiewicz (see the address below), so that we can make a common proposal and submit it to the AMS. Best regards, Jurek Tyszkiewicz (jurek@informatik.rwth-aachen.de.) DIMACS WORKSHOP: SPECIAL YEAR ON LOGIC AND ALGORITHMS - ONE YEAR LATER July 23-25, 1997, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Call for Participation * You are invited to participate in a DIMACS Workshop on "Logic and Algorithms: One Year Later", which will be held at Rutgers University, on July 23-25, 1997. The goal of the workshop is to follow up on the 1995-1996 Special Year on Logic and Algorithms (SYLA) that was aimed at bridging a dichotomy in computer science between two major branches of research, one in algorithms and complexity, and the other one in models and semantics. SYLA focused on three bridge areas: computer-aided Verification (CAV), finite-model theory (FMT), and proof complexity (PC). The workshop will cover the three major topics of the Special Year. The program of the workshop will consist of 1-hour-long survey talks as well as shorter 1/2-hour-long talks. The speakers will report on research results that arose during the Special Year or following it. During the Special Year, we conducted many specialized workshops. In this workshop, we will focus on bringing the three topics together, in an attempt to provide participants with a broader view of the field. * Organizers. Eric Allender, Robert Kurshan, Moshe Vardi. * Invited speakers. CAV: N. Immerman, O. Kupferman, R. Kurshan. FMT: M. Grohe, L. Libkin, M. Otto, E. Rosen. PC: S. Buss, P. Pudlak, T. Pitassi, A. Razborov. * Complete program and registration info. See the URL above. INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON FIRST-ORDER THEOREM PROVING (FTP97) October 27-28, 1997, Schloss Hagenberg, near Linz (Austria) Research Institute for Symbolic Computation (RISC) * The FTP workshop is intended to focus effort on First-Order Theorem Proving as a core theme of Automated Deduction, and to provide a forum for presentation of very recent work and discussion of research in progress. The workshop welcomes original contributions on theorem proving in first-order logics, including resolution and tableau methods; equational reasoning and term-rewriting systems; constraint-based reasoning; unification algorithms for first-order theories; specialized decision procedures; propositional logic; abstraction; first-order constraints; complexity of theorem proving procedures; and applications of first-order theorem provers to problems in artificial intelligence, verification, mathematics, as well as other areas. Papers that bridge the areas of theorem proving and constraints (e.g., in the areas of equational reasoning, term rewriting systems, and satisfiability problems) are especially welcome. * Invited talk ``The Theorema Project: An Overview'' will be given by Bruno Buchberger of the Research Institute for Symbolic Computation. * Program Committee. Maria Paola Bonacina and Ulrich Furbach (co-chairs), Wolfgang Bibel, Ryuzo Hasegawa, Alexander Leitsch, Reinhold Letz, Christopher Lynch, Neil Murray, David Plaisted, Michael Rusinowitch. * Submission. Extended abstract of no more than 5 pages 11pt should be sent by electronic mail, as uuencoded gzipped Postscript files, to ftp97@cs.uiowa.edu by August 27, 1997. FIRST CALL FOR JOURNAL CONTRIBUTIONS ACM Computing Surveys 1998 Symposium on Partial Evaluation * The Symposium on Partial Evaluation is a collection of short articles characterizing the state of the art, stating challenging problems, and outlining promising directions for future work. Topics of interest include all areas of partial evaluation and semantics-based program manipulation, automatic program transformation, and their applications. Contributions should be expository in nature and should explain relevant trends in partial evaluation in both general and technical terms, with a maximum of clarity and conciseness. Statements of open problems that have a potential impact on the future development are particularly welcome. Every effort should be made to make contributions self-contained and understandable to a general audience. * Guest editors: Olivier Danvy, Robert Glueck, Peter Thiemann * Submission. Submissions should be no longer than 1000 words. They should adhere to the instructions for authors stated in http://www.acm.org/surveys/Authors.html. Please send your submission as a postscript file by electronic mail to sope98@brics.dk, by September 30, 1997. Each submission should be accompanied by a plain ASCII message giving the title, authors, and the postal and electronic address of the corresponding author. SPECIAL ISSUE OF JUCS * After ten years of Gurevich's Abstract State Machines, the Special ASM issue 3.4 (1997) of J.UCS is ready. The contributing authors are Ahrendt, Blass, Boerger, Dexter, Gurevich, Kwon, Schellhorn, Soparkar, Spielmann, Stroetmann, Wallace. 1997 INT'L CONF ON THEOREM PROVING IN HIGHER ORDER LOGICS (TPHOLs97) Call for Participation Aug 19-22, 1997, Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA * Topics. The conference will be a venue for presentations on the following topics, among others: advances in interactive theorem proving, proof automation and decision procedures, applications of mechanized theorem proving, comparison between different theorem proving approaches, exploiting external tools within theorem provers and incorporating theorem provers into larger systems. * Invited Speakers. Robert Constable, Deepak Kapur, Doron Peled. * Conference Chair. Elsa Gunter. * Registration. Deadline for early registration and hotel reservation is Jun 20, 1997. Registration and further information at the URL above or by email to tphol@research.bell-labs.com. 3RD IC-EATCS ANNUAL ADVANCED SCHOOL Models and Paradigms of Concurrency 15-19 September 1997, CISM, Udine, Italy * Scope. The IC-EATCS (European Association of Theoretical Computer Science) Advanced Schools focus on specific subjects of Theoretical Computer Science, and address an international public formed both by PhD students and by researchers who wish to deepen their knowledge of the field. Besides the didactical purpose, these events aim at the dissemination of advanced scientific knowledge and at the promotion of international contacts and exchange of ideas among scientists. They intend to be an occasion, especially for the youngest participants, to meet other people interested in their research with whom to discuss ideas and to compare approaches and results. The IC-EATCS 1997 Advanced School will focus on "Models and Paradigms for Concurrency". The aim is to provide a overview of some of the hot topics in the field of Concurrency Theory, particularly concerning computational models and linguistic paradigms. * Organizers. Furio Honsell, Catuscia Palamidessi, Paolo Serafini. * Program. There will be 3 main courses of 10 hours each. Every course will be parted in 5 lectures of 2 hours, one per day. Additionally, there will be invited talks, one per day, of 1 hour and half each. Main courses will be given by Samson Abramsky, Prakash Panangaden, Davide Sangiorgi. Invited talks will be given by Pierpaolo Degano, Moreno Falaschi, Roberto Gorrieri, Furio Honsell and Simone Martini. * Application. To apply, participants should fill the enclosed Application Form and return it, either by hard or electronic mail, to: IC-EATCS 1997 Advanced School Secretariat, CISM, Palazzo del Torso, Piazza Garibaldi 18, 33100 Udine, Italy. Email: cism@uniud.it, before 30 June 1997. FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS OF PROGRAM CONSTRUCTION June 15 - 17, 1998, Marstrand, Sweden * Topics. High quality papers on original research are solicited, typically in one of the following areas: formal specification of sequential and concurrent programs; constructing implementations to meet specifications; in particular, program transformation; program analysis; program verification; convincing case studies. While this list is not exclusive it is intended to show the focus of the conference. * Submission. Full papers should be submitted in Postscript format by e-mail to reach Johan Jeuring by December 15, 1997. The details of the submission procedure can be found at http://www.md.chalmers.se/Conf/MPC98/how_to_submit.html. * Program committee. Ralph-Johan Back, Roland Backhouse, Richard Bird, Eerke Boiten, Dave Carrington, Robin Cockett, David Gries, Lindsay Groves, Wim Hesselink, Zhenjiang Hu, Barry Jay, Johan Jeuring, Dick Kieburtz, Christian Lengauer, Lambert Meertens, Sigurd Meldal Bernhard M=F6ller, Chris Okasaki, Jose Oliveira, Ross Paterson, Mary Sheeran, Doug Smith. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT Set Theory: On the Structure of the Real Line Tomek Bartoszynski, Haim Judah A K Peters, 1995 ISBN 1-56881-044-X Hardcover, 560 pp, $78.00 * This book reflects the current state of research in a major area of descriptive set theory. Its focus is measure and category in set theory, most notably on results dealing with asymmetry. Indeed, the authors delve into study of a deep asymmetry between the concept of Lebesgue measurability and the Baire property and obtain surprising findings on the structure of the real line. The book consists of three interwoven parts: results that can be proven in Zermelo-Fraenkel Set Theory (and its extensions), independence results, and the 'tools' used to accomplish both. With its attention to basic concepts and broad range of recent findings, this book is a valuable reference tool. The clear and concise exposition also makes it well suited as a textbook in set theory for the intermediate to advanced graduate student. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT The Most Complex Machine: A Survey of Computers and Computing David J. Eck A K Peters, 1995 ISBN 1-56881-054-7, Hardcover, 464 pp, $54.00 * This unique introduction to computer science takes the unusual tack of presenting the fundamental ideas and principles upon which the field is built rather than trying to teach the reader how to program or become an expert computer user. The book on one level examines that most complex machine, the computer, and provides an overview appropriate for all students regardless of whether they pursue their studies in computer science. But it is the idea of complexity itself, and the methods for creating and understanding that complexity, that are the book's real subject. Eck masterfully uses his detailed examination of the computer and its applications as a tool for elucidating more abstract ideas. The book contains an annotated bibliography and each chapter ends with a set of thought-provoking questions that are meant to be >read and pondered< (answers included). The book will please computer scientists because it conveys concepts rather than the usual list of >recipes<, and it will be helpful to students because it serves as a useful introduction to tools they will use for the rest of their professional and personal lives. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT The Incompleteness Phenomenon Martin Goldstern, Haim Judah A K Peters, 1995 ISBN 1-56881-029-6, Hardcover, 264 pp, $54.00 * From the time of Aristotle, in our quest for precision and order, we have often relied on mathematics to supply us with >the truth<. But although the mathematical sciences boast of being the epitome of exactness, can they always supply us with the right answer? What is >the truthBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT Logical Dilemmas: The Life and Work of Kurt Goedel John Dawson A K Peters, 1997 ISBN 1-56881-025-3, Hardcover, 376 pp, $49.95 * This definitive biography of the logician and philosopher Kurt Goedel is the first in-depth account to integrate details of his personal life with his work and is based on the author's intensive study of Goedel's papers and surviving correspondence. Goedel (1906-1978) is considered to be the preeminent logic researcher of the 20th century. His noted works on the completeness of first-order logic, the incompleteness of formal number theory, and the relative consistency of the Axiom of Choice and the Continuum Hypothesis established bounds on the efficacy of formal methods in investigating foundational questions. He is also noted for his unique and distinctive writings on the philosophy behind mathematics, and his lesser-known results in cosmology raised problematic issues in the philosophy of time. Dawson, a logician and historian of science, examines the life of this driven man whose work on the foundation of mathematics has fundamentally changed our thoughts on these subjects and has stimulated much of the research conducted in this century. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT Kreiseliana: About and Around Georg Kreisel Piergiorgio Odifreddi, editor A K Peters, 1997 ISBN 1-56881-061-X, Hardcover, 512 pp, $60.00 * This multifaceted collection of essays, reminiscences, and professional papers combine to create a exceptional tribute to the unusual, enigmatic, and ultimately fascinating personality of Georg Kreisel. An eminently influential logician and mathematical philosopher, Kreisel is revealed as much more in this entertaining combination of viewpoints from famous contributors like Verena Huber-Dyson, Sol Feferman, and Francis Crick. While mathematics fans will delight in this look at Kreisel, this book aims to communicate to a wider circle his unique personal and intellectual influence. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: Complexity, Logic and Recursion Theory Edited By Andrea Sorbi Marcel Dekker, Inc Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Mathematics Series/187 February, 1997 $150.00, ISBN: 0-8247-0026-0 * Integrating several classical approaches to computability, this volume offers detailed coverage of recent research at the interface of logic, computability theory and theoretical computer science. Written by distinguished experts from seven countries, the volume is an excellent resource for complexity and recursion theorists, theoretical computer scientists and logicians. The volume is a collection of survey/research papers representing the research undertaken within the project of the Human Capital and Mobility European network ``Complexity, Logic and Recursion Theory''. SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TEMPORAL LOGIC Hulme Hall, Oxford Place, Victoria Park, Manchester, England July 14 - 18, 1997 Call for participation * See the above URL for program and conference information. COPENHAGEN LOGIC SUMMER SCHOOL 97 August 11-22 * The summer school primarily aims at Nordic Ph.D. students, but is open to all interested in mathematical logic. * Registration deadline. June 23, 1997. * Program. Klaus Grue: Basic logic. Dag Normann: Recursion theory. Herman Jervell: Proof theory. Morten Heine Sorensen: Untyped lambda calculus. Thierry Coquand: Typed lambda calculus. Neil Jones: Complexity. Erik Palmgren: Effective enumeration. Erik Palmgren: Domain theory. Klaus Grue: Map theory. Anders Kock: Category theory.