Notes on Objectives of Technical Sessions
                      (June 15,16,17)



     The  focus  will  be  on  applications  of   artificial
intelligence  to  the  development of systems for scientific
inquiry and problem  solving  in  medicine,  psychology  and
chemistry.

     The  special  sessions  should  bring  together  active
workers in these areas.  The purpose is to:
i.  present current approaches; 
ii.  exchange experiences;
iii.  evaluate achievement and difficulties; and
iv.   facilitate  utilization  of  the  SUMEX-AIM  network
environmment for further work in the field.
The main participants are  expected  to  be  the  designers,
implementors and experimenters with AIM systems.

     Typical issues are:
1.  Modes  of  knowledge  acquisition,  representation,  and
modification.    Types   of   collaboration  needed  in  the
development  and  management  of  domain-specific  knowledge
bases.

2.  Overall approach to system  design.   Representation  of
knowledge  of  various  types.   Strategies of inference and
problem solving.

3.  Approaches to  system  development  and  implementation.
Languages  and  programming  techniques.  Software tools and
project management.  Work in a network environment.

4.   System  Testing  and  Evaluation.   Collaboration  with
users.  Strategies for system modification.
5.   Problems and advantages of computer networking for the
field of biomedical inquiry.

     The major interactions are expected to take place   1.)
among system  designers  and  builders-  and    2.) between
them  and  the  discipline  experts  (those  who  act  as
authors of knowledge bases) and users.  However, it is hoped
that  participation  of  a  selected  number  of  discipline
experts  (physicians,  psychologists  and  chemists)  in the
workshop (especially those  who  are  now  interacting  with
system   designers)   will   provide   them  with  a  better
appreciation of system prospects  and  problems.   In  turn,
this will enable computer scientists and system designers to
have a better  understanding  of  the  modes  of
collaboration that are possible in AIM projects.