Hampshire College

About: Hampshire College is a education organization based out in Amherst Center, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Genetic programming & Population. The organization has 461 authors who have published 998 publications receiving 40827 citations.

Preaching Science and Islam: Dr. Zakir Naik and Discourses of Science and Islam in Internet Videos

Abstract: Internet videos are one form of “new media” that enable us to study the movement of narratives. Lectures addressing both Islam and science appear often in these videos. One of the most popular speakers in this material is Dr. Zakir Naik, a Muslim preacher from India. Naik’s lectures often interpret select modern scientific discoveries to “prove” the divine origin of the Qurʾān, a pseudo-scientific endeavor known as iʿjāz ʿilmī. This paper contextualizes Naik’s branding and how he draws upon the authority of science and Western scientists. Naik has been able to trade on both his medical training and his South Asian roots by combining formulaic presentations from famous pro-Islamic Westerners such as Dr. Maurice Bucaille with stylings learned from preachers such as Ahmad Deedat. Garnering both devoted fans and vociferous critics, Naik has developed into a recognizable cultural symbol with his own transnational authority.

An Interview with James Kwesi Anquandah

Abstract: Professor James Kwesi Anquandah was Ghana’s first archaeologist. He was also the first Ghanaian to become head of the Archaeology Department at the University of Ghana, which was the first archaeology department in sub-Saharan Africa, established in 1951. Dedicating his life to Ghanaian archaeology, particularly during the difficult years in Ghana in the 1980s and early 1990s, Anquandah had a significant impact on the development of archaeology in Ghana. In addition to his research, advisory and curatorial work, Professor Anquandah was instrumental in the training of three generations of Ghanaian archaeologists. During the course of a professional career that spanned nearly six decades, Professor Anquandah made archaeology relevant and accessible to all Ghanaians.

Transfer Learning of Genetic Programming Instruction Sets

Abstract: The performance of a genetic programming system depends partially on the composition of the collection of elements out of which programs can be constructed, and by the relative probability of different instructions and constants being chosen for inclusion in randomly generated programs or for introduction by mutation. In this paper we develop a method for the transfer learning of instruction sets across different software synthesis problems. These instruction sets outperform unlearned instruction sets on a range of problems.