Dear Colleagues, In the early 70's, Dana Scott founded the "Peripatetic Seminar on Sheaves and Logic", and it has thrived. However, recently, several new people in related areas, in particular Computer Science, have been put off by the title: they say they know nothing about sheaves, so assumed the seminar would not interest them. So at the latest meeting, this weekend, we discussed a possible name change (and implicitly a precise formulation of the subject of the seminar). It was agreed to hold a competition for a new name. Dana agreed to adjudicate, and is offering a bottle of Scotch to the winner: he reserves the right to withdraw the offer if no entry impresses him. Evidently, a new name should reflect the interests of all people we would like to attract, including sheaf theorists, but also people in related parts of Computer Science and Physics. Please send all entries to me; I will collate them, and forward them to Dana. It would be best to have a decision before the next seminar is announced, probably late in summer. Best wishes, John Power.
I would like to go on record as suggesting the same name for the PSSL. I think "logic" covers a lot of ground and don't like the idea of replacing part of a name on the grounds that it will "put some people off". Personally I think "sheaves" in the general context it is used in the name of the seminar is relevant to computer science. Regards, Murray
Open letter to John Power <ajp@dcs.ed.ac.uk>, and the readers of CATEGORIES, with the hope it will be forwarded to Dana Scott, adjudicator: , How about "Peripatetic CSAPL Seminar"? People can read what they wish into the initials -- Computer Science and Programming Languages -- Categories, Sheaves and Presheaves, Logic -- Combinatorics, Sets and Posets, Linguistics -- Computer Systems, Applied Physics, Lazy [evaluation] -- ... . , I'd pronounce CSAPL hungarian-style: approximately "chapel" ("choppel" for the purists, if they take to omitting that "accent aigue" over the A ). Then, of course, each meeting would need its own special preacher for the Sunday morning sermon, but we've never been at a loss for a suitable candidate before ... :-) . Some may even be pleased to see the initials APL (and the programming language for which it stands) resuscitated within the formation CSAPL . But please don't let that influence your decision, as many more may not be. Cheers. -- Fred Fred E.J. Linton Wesleyan U. Math. Dept. 649 Sci. Tower Middletown, CT 06459 E-mail: <FLINTON@eagle.Wesleyan.EDU> ( or <fejlinton@{att|mci}mail.com> ) Tel.: + 1 203 776 2210 (home) or + 1 203 347 9411 x2249 (work)
participants (3)
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Fred E.J. Linton -
John Power -
Murray Adelman