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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	pJanuary 16, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. James E. White
␈↓ ↓H␈↓200 College Street
␈↓ ↓H␈↓North≡eld, Minnesota 55037

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Dr. White:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓You␈αare␈αone␈αof␈αseveral␈αpeople␈αwith␈α
PhD's␈αand␈αsome␈αteaching␈αexperience␈αin␈αmathematics␈α
planning
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α
convert␈αto␈α
computer␈αscience.␈α
 In␈αmy␈α
opinion,␈αif␈α
you␈α
can␈αmanage␈α
it,␈αthe␈α
best␈αway␈α
to␈αdo␈α
it␈α
is␈αin
␈↓ ↓H␈↓place,␈α
maintaining␈αyour␈α
actual␈αposition␈α
and␈αincreasing␈α
the␈α
amount␈αof␈α
research␈αyou␈α
do␈αin␈α
computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓science␈αuntil␈αyou␈αhave␈αthe␈αbackground␈αto␈αtransfer␈αto␈αcomputer␈αscience␈αat␈αyour␈αown␈αor␈αsome␈αother
␈↓ ↓H␈↓school.␈α If␈αyou␈αcan't␈αdo␈αthis,␈αthen␈αgetting␈αPhD␈αlevel␈αsupport␈αin␈αa␈αcomputer␈αscience␈αarea␈α
has␈αbeen
␈↓ ↓H␈↓possibile␈αfor␈αseveral␈αpeople␈αwhom␈αI␈αknow␈αin␈αthe␈α
past␈αbut␈αI␈αguess␈αit␈αis␈αnow␈αmore␈αdi≠cult,␈α
and␈αin
␈↓ ↓H␈↓particular,␈α∩we␈α∩have␈α∪no␈α∩openings.␈α∩ The␈α∩last␈α∪alternative␈α∩is␈α∩to␈α∩enter␈α∪as␈α∩a␈α∩graduate␈α∪student␈α∩in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer science and we have at least one graduate student who has done this.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓In␈α∞my␈α∞opinion,␈α∞the␈α∞books␈α∞you␈α∞have␈α∞mentioned␈α∞are␈α∞somewhat␈α∞peripheral␈α∞to␈α∞computer␈α∞science.␈α
 I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓would␈α↔suggest␈α⊗that␈α↔you␈α⊗also␈α↔study␈α↔some␈α⊗of␈α↔the␈α⊗more␈α↔central␈α⊗≡elds␈α↔of␈α↔computer␈α⊗science;
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mathematical␈α∂theory␈α∂of␈α∂computation,␈α∂arti≡cial␈α∂intelligence,␈α∂semantics␈α∂of␈α⊂programming␈α∂languages
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α⊂the␈α⊂theory␈α⊂of␈α⊃algorithms.␈α⊂ I␈α⊂would␈α⊂recommend␈α⊃books␈α⊂by␈α⊂Manna␈α⊂(mathematical␈α⊃theory␈α⊂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computation), Nilsson (arti≡cial intelligence), and Knuth (algorithms).

␈↓ ↓H␈↓In␈α⊂the␈α⊂past,␈α⊂we␈α⊂have␈α⊂succeeded␈α⊂in␈α⊂getting␈α⊂some␈α⊂form␈α⊂of␈α⊂≡nancial␈α⊂aid␈α⊂for␈α⊂almost␈α⊂all␈α∂graduate
␈↓ ↓H␈↓students␈α⊂admitted␈α⊂to␈α⊃the␈α⊂PhD␈α⊂program␈α⊃and␈α⊂we␈α⊂are␈α⊃particularly␈α⊂interested␈α⊂in␈α⊃getting␈α⊂minority
␈↓ ↓H␈↓graduate students.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science