A recombination of the Sixth Annual Genetic Programming Conference (GP-2001) and the International Conference on Genetic Algorithms (ICGA-2001) Scheduling : Bringing Together Theory and Practice Special Session at GECCO 2002 Part of the Evolutionary Scheduling and Routing Track The GECCO 2002 home page can be seen here

A good deal of the "theoretical" scheduling research which is currently being undertaken could provide significant benefits if it were applied in industry and commerce. One of the principal barriers to the take up of this research is the lack of a dialogue between problem "owners" in industry and commerce and problem "solvers" in academia. A major dificulties is the clash between the "publish or perish" mindset of academics and commercial confidentiality considerations. However, in recent times there has been a move in the academic literature towards greater acceptance and understanding of the problems of publishing research where commercial confidentiality is an issue. Substantial mutual benefits are possible, with those in industry and commerce able to realise profitability imporvements, and those in academia benefitting from access to "real" problems. This workshop will bring together researchers from industry, academics already working with industry, and academics who would like to increase their industrial contacts to discuss mechnanisms for bridging the gap between scheduling theory and practice. We will also look forward towards problems which will be of increasing importance to industry and commerce in the longer term, and which should be one of the drivers for future theoretical research.

• Michael Pinedo, New York University, Stern School of Business, Operations Management Department
  
  Title: Heuristic Methods Applied to Real World Scheduling
  Abstract: To Be Announced

1. David Montana, BBN Corporation (Paper Title : How to Make Scheduling Research Relevant)
2. Hugo Duncan, Alcan (Paper Title : Using Genetic Algorithms in Industry - An Art or a Science?)
3. Bill Kirchmier, IPPSA (Paper Title : The International production Planning and Scheduling Association (IPPSA))

• Edmund Burke
• Peter Cowling
• Hugo Duncan
• Peter Fleming
• Graham Kendall
• Bill Kirchmier
• Martin Middendorf
• David Montana
• Wim Nuijten
• Sanja Petrovic
• Michael Pinedo
• Stephen Smith