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Intellect

Workshop on Technology for Family History and Genealogical Research at BYU March 9

The Computer Science Department at Brigham Young University will host the sixth annual Workshop on Technology for Family History and Genealogical Research Thursday, March 9, from 7 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the BYU Conference Center.

Peter Norvig, director of Machine Learning, Search Quality and Research at Google, Inc., will give the keynote address on “The Future of Search.”

Registration is $60 or $38 with BYU or student ID. Registration includes a printed syllabus and a DVD recording of the proceedings, along with a continental breakfast, catered lunch and afternoon snacks. For registration and details, visit fht.byu.edu or call (801) 422-8925.

Norvig will address the trends and future direction in search, as well as key advances in technology and research to the ongoing development of better search techniques for several fields, including genealogy and family history.

Prior to his job at Google, Norvig worked as the senior computer scientist at NASA and head of the 200-person Computational Sciences Division at Ames Research Center. A fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, he also co-authored the textbook “Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach.”

Norvig received a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Brown University and a doctoral degree in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. He has also been a professor at the University of Southern California and a research faculty member at Berkeley.

The conference will also host a luncheon speaker, morning and afternoon technical presentations and a panel discussion.

Writer: Brian Rust

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