COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00002 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	.require "let.pub" source
C00005 ENDMK
C⊗;
.require "let.pub" source
.macro ltr(add,sal) ⊂
∂AIL add ∞

Dear sal:

	David Wilkins is now finishing his PhD thesis entitled
%2Using Patterns and Plans to Solve Problems and Control Search%1
under my direction with much additional advice from Hans Berliner
of CMU.  I think the thesis will represent a substantial advance
in AI, because it applies pattern matching to a more difficult
heuristic problem than has yet been treated, namely chess tactical
positions.  The one previous attempt - 
Albert L Zobrist and Frederick R. Carlson Jr.
 - was not very
successful, because the notion of pattern it used was too limited.
Wilkins's patterns match a larger part of human thought processes
and involve time as well as space.
The extended notion of pattern used in the thesis is Wilkins' idea;
I only contributed the idea that the use of patterns in chess
requires such extension.

	Wilkins hasn't had teaching experience beyond serving as
a TA here and at Iowa State, in each case giving a few lectures.
However, he is well organized and quick in conversation and writes
reasonably well, so I don't think he will have difficulty in teaching.

	He is pleasant and co-operative and strongly motivated to
doing good research.

.sgn
. ⊃


.if false then begin
.ltr(|Professor William E. Riddle↓Department of Computer Science↓Campus Box No. 430
.↓University of Colorado at Boulder↓Boulder, Colorado 80309|,Professor Riddle);

.ltr(|Professor Jack Minker↓Department of Computer Science↓University of Maryland
.↓Colllge Park, Maryland 20742|, Dear Jack);

.ltr(|Professor Jerry Feldman↓Department of Computer Science↓Mathematical Sciences Bulding
.↓The University of Rochester↓Rochester, New York 14627|,Dear Jerry);
.end

.ltr(|Chairman↓Dept. of Information Sciences↓237 Applied Sciences Building
.↓U.C.S.C.↓Santa Cruz, California 95064|,Sir);