BCS-FACS/LMS Evening Seminar by Prof. Peter O'Hearn: Reasoning about programs using a scientific method, 16 November 2010, 6pm, London

[paul...@googlemail.com]

(Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement)

BCS-FACS Evening Seminar Series -- joint seminar with LMS

Reasoning about programs using a scientific method

Prof. Peter O'Hearn
(Queen Mary University of London)

16 November 2010

6pm

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Meeting is held at the LMS HQ, not at BCS LondonHQ

London Mathematical Society
De Morgan House
57-58 Russell Square
London
WC1B 4HS

http://www.lms.ac.uk/contact/map.html
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Reasoning about programs has traditionally been done using deductive
reasoning, where mathematical logic is used to make proofs that
connect programs with specifications. In this talk Professor O Hearn
describes an approach where an automated reasoning tool approaches
program code as a scientist would in the natural world. Instead of
just deductive logic, versions of abductive reasoning (generation of
new hypotheses) and inductive generalization are used in an iterative
fashion to discover specifications that describe what programs do,
starting from bare code. The resulting specifications are partial or
conservative, but the inference/discovery aspect makes it much easier
to approach large code bases, quickly, than with the traditional
deductive-only approach. Professor O Hearn reports on experience using
a software tool - Abductor, which automates the method - on large
open-source code bases, and he speculates on the potential role of
automated scientific method in program verification and design. This
talk is based on joint work with Cristiano Calcagno, Dino Distefano
and Hongseok Yang.

Refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.

The seminar is free of charge and open to everyone. If you would
like to attend, please email Paul Boca [Paul...@googlemail.com]
by >>>14 November 2010<< . Pre-registration is required.

BCS-FACS Website: http://www.bcs-facs.org

LMS Website: http://www.lms.ac.uk/

Location of venue: http://www.lms.ac.uk/contact/map.html