Valley d'Aigues Research

For over a century, the academic world has concentrated on the role of the specialist: experts who know more and more about a narrower and narrower field. This is inevitable; the capacity of each human mind is finite, so in-depth knowledge can only be expected if the width of the subject is restricted. However, the world still needs generalists, whose knowledge is not so deep, but integrated over a far wider span of subjects. Such people have, at their disposal, a very powerful method of problem-solving, and are able to find solutions to problems by analogy and cross-pollination across otherwise unrelated subjects. In addition, they are, indeed, also the integrators, bringing the work of the specialists together for the benefit of society.

A proposal can be made for setting up a Department of Generalist Science and Engineering. This is supported by an emphasis on books from the popular science section of the bookshops, and of the New Scientist weekly magazine.

Quora can be viewed as a world-wide tutorial system: sometimes it is me giving the tutorial on subjects that I feel confident to comment on; other times, it is me taking the part of the student, asking for a tutorial by someone more knowledgeable on the subject. Before that, there was usenet.

This page, by no means claims to present an exclusive list. Several of these projects are still 'work-in-progress'. I am always interested in acting as a consultant, advisor, partner or other type of collaborator on interesting projects.

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

• Computer Hardware Description Languages (CHDL)
• Automatic Back-Of-The-Envelope Calculator (ABOTEC)

Genetic Algorithms

• Combinator Mathematicians Modelled as a Deme-Network
• The Bottle Experiment (a genetic program to investigate the rate at which structure spontaneously arises)

Computerising genealogy

• Towards an Algebra for Genealogy

Technical Writing

• Investigations into How to Monitor Document Quality
• A model for Estimating Future Technical Writer Throughput
• Virtual Exhibition for industry
• Requirements management on the ITER project

Technical writers routinely have to rewrite and restructure the documents on which they work (and not just act as typists or translators). Of course, they can only do this in subjects that they understand. This means that technical writers must understand as wide a spectrum of subjects as that in which they intend to write. This understanding does not need to be carried to the point of being able to put it into engineering practice, of course. It is only necessary to be aware of the new techniques and terminology, and to understand fully what they mean when they appear in a document.

Computer Engineering

• Novel Computer Design using digital electronics
• Optical Computing and DNA Computing
• A Survey of Quantum Computing research
• Technical manuals for PCs

Microelectronics

• Wafer Scale Integration
• Data sheets for memory devices

Chemical Engineering

• Combatting climate change: Reducing our footprint
• Biofuels project

Astronomical Modelling

• Inter-Asteroid Collision Prediction

Cosmology

• Towards a theory of Everything

Artificial Consciousness

• Investigating possibilities for the Next Industrial Revolution

Statistical Analysis

• Modelling Daily Commute Times

Student Project Supervision

• Diminished-C (DimC) – a simple high-level programming language compiler project
• HTML summary-by-examples Crib Sheet
• Blank / Skeleton Thesis (for any students who might find this useful)
• Student Coursework Plagiarism Detection project

Nuclear fusion

• Central Integration Office (CIO) of the ITER Organisation: Not a specialist in the superconducting magnets, cryogenics, cyclotron heating, microwave heating, cooling water, vacuum, or diagnostics systems, but with sufficient knowledge of each to be able to talk to each of them

• Composting