Undergraduate Studies in A-Life Programming

Bachelor of Science in Artificial Life Programming

Artificial Life, or A-Life, is an interdisciplinary major that applies the principles of living systems to achieve novel solutions to complex real-world problems. Students study the scientific, engineering, philosophical and social issues involved in the ability to synthesize life-like behaviors in computers. They will learn how simple, low-level rules can lead to emergent properties and high-level, life-like behavior.

Topics will include studies of the origin of life, self-assembly, growth and development, evolutionary and ecological dynamics, animal and robot behavior, social organization and cultural evolution.

Students will be able to create self-organizing systems that behave like living organisms in a digital environment. Students will be versed in aspects of evolutionary algorithms, agent based models and cellular automata.

Artificial Life Programming Objectives:

• Analyze problems and design, build and test software systems in a team environment using industry-standard software engineering processes encompassing all phases of the software lifecycle to solve them.
• Demonstrate the ability to choose the most appropriate programming languages, standards and technologies to meet the requirements of specific projects and communicate these decisions clearly in written and oral forms.
• Create a software application that exhibits emergent behaviors and/or other properties of living systems.
• Design and develop applications based on artificial life methodologies such as evolutionary algorithms, agent-based models and cellular automata.
• Apply artificial life principles and methodologies to enhance the quality of software systems.
• Investigate the ethical and philosophical issues involved in simulating aspects of living systems in digital environments.

A complete list of courses recommended for the A-Life Programming major for the Bachelor's degree.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

The University's Core curriculum is crafted to provide all technology students with learning experiences designed to engage them on the larger issues associated with technology and technological advancement, to provide them with interaction skills relevant to the modern technological workplace, and to help them develop the thinking and learning habits of lifelong learners. The core does not focus on specific technologies; rather, it drives towards a thorough discussion of the influence and implications that technologies hold on society, on law, and on ethics. The core also incorporates contemporary ideas about understanding of self and others, teamwork, communications and leadership in a technology environment.

These ideas are intended to provide students with the ability to diagnose interactions with peers and increase their success through adaptation. Finally, when addressing the development of lifelong learning and thinking habits, the core empowers students with thinking, inquiry and evaluation skills designed to assist in gaining, mastering and applying knowledge on an ongoing manner. All core classes address the question "What do all students of technology need to know?" Regardless of their selected major, all students within the University are required to complete the Core curricula in order to earn their degree from the University.

UAT Core classes are established each catalog year through the use of the University's program revision model. An Academic Dean of the University can waive any Core class that is discontinued within a catalog year.

Bachelor University Core Objectives

• Demonstrate a basic knowledge of ongoing legal and ethical issues applicable to technology fields.
• Demonstrate the application of strategies useful in information research.
• Be able to articulate the roles and requirements for successfully managing a technology-based project.
• Successfully serve on a team that manages a technology project from concept to completion.
• Produce a portfolio of complete, complex works representative of the technology discipline being studied.
• Apply a diverse set of thinking approaches in appropriate contexts to technology-based and interaction-based situations to produce successful outcomes.
• Articulate and apply knowledge of future studies techniques to understand potential emerging technology environments and their impacts.
• Articulate at least four of the ethical challenges that face a globally diverse, technology-connected society.
• Produce and present an innovative senior project
• Successfully apply knowledge from the discipline being studied through internship.