Information theory events took place at Texas A&M University on April 1, 2017. These events were planned in conjunction with the Physics and Engineering Festival. The Organizing Committee for this introduction to information theory invited the public to a series of entertaining and informative events with puzzles, posters and a presentation. Everyone was welcome to participate.

Schedule

  • April 1 at 12:00PM: Public Lecture – A Few Bits of Information Theory – Jack E. Brown Chemical Engineering Building, Room 108. (Free Pizza)

Information theory is rooted in the work of Claude Shannon, who is one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. He is considered to be the father of the digital age. In his landmark paper published in 1948, he developed an elegant theory called information theory, which introduced the modern concept of information and provided guidelines on how to efficiently acquire, compress, store and transmit information. Just as how Newton’s and Einstein’s theories shaped our understanding of the physical world, Shannon’s information theory has shaped our understanding of the digital world.

In this interactive presentation, we will introduce the main ideas behind information theory through hands-on activities. We will also show how information theory has shaped the development of CD players, Ipods, hard disks, flash memories, deep-space communications, cellular phones and wireless networks, to name a few. The presentation is aimed at the general public and only requires curiosity about high-tech gadgets. Middle school and high school students are highly encouraged to attend.

Physics & Engineering Festival 2016

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University will host the Shannon Event on Saturday (April 9) in conjunction with the Texas A&M Physics and Engineering Festival.

April 30 marks the 100th birthday of Claude Shannon, who is best known for developing the mathematical foundations of communication (establishing the field of information theory), data compression, digital computers, cryptography, circuit complexity, flow networks and juggling, as well as laying foundations of artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction.

The Shannon Event will include booths and a poster presentation in the Mitchell Physics Building, with hands-on activities such as real-time face/body tracking with PTZ -panning, camera tilting and zooming. There will also be a public presentation by Dr. Krishna Narayanan and Dr. Tie Liu titled, “Claude Shannon: A pioneer of the information age.” The presentation will be at noon in room 106 of the Jack E. Brown Chemical Engineering Building.

For more information about the Physics and Engineering Festival, visit http://physicsfestival.tamu.edu/.