Print
Introduction
Information and its cognate concepts are frequently used in increasingly varied areas of scientific and scholarly investigations, from computing and engineering to philosophy and the social sciences. As a consequence, a great deal of interesting and exciting research is taking place in a wide range of fields, which do not always communicate with each other. This seminar series, hosted in Oxford by the Department of Engineering Science in collaboration with the IEG, aims to bring together leading experts in the broadly construed area of information research, with the goal of offering a stimulating series of talks and discussions on "the nature and scope of information". The series seeks to explore the links and commonalities between various disciplines with an interest in the nature of information. The focus is on conceptual and theoretical approaches as well as practical and ethical implications, with an emphasis on future directions and programmes of research about information and the open questions currently facing us. The Department of Engineering Science supports a wide range of research under the broad heading of "information engineering", working on practical and computational solutions, with a sound theoretical basis, to the problems of information. There is a particular interest in applications to the medical domain. The IEG is Oxford's research group in philosophy of information. It is a collaboration between the Oxford University Computing Laboratory (OUCL) and the Faculty of Philosophy. The group works on the conceptual foundations of the nature, scope and life of information.Schedule and Location
A second series of seminars will take place in Oxford's Trinity term 2009, on the 28th of April and the 26th of May. Each seminar is two hours long, consisting of an hour-long presentation by a guest speaker, followed by discussion. Seminars will take place in Lecture Room 8 in the Department of Engineering Science, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ. The full programme can be found here, and detailed directions and a map of the Department can be found here.
The original seminars ran every two weeks from the 27th of January to the 10th of March 2009, during Oxford's Hilary Term.