Scientific Inquiry 1

 Professors Philip Johns, Neil Clarke, Jan Gruber, Ajay Mathuru, and Bill Piel 

In the genetic algorithm exercise, each student created a simple “genome” that constituted all possible moves a “forager” could employ in a simple “field” on which there were lots of “food.” In essence, students programmed the genome for a foraging organism. These genomes then competed against each other – and against mutating and evolving genomes that followed the basic rules of genetics and natural selection. That is, intelligently designed (by students) genomes competed against naturally selected ones. Every year we have run this exercise, the naturally selected genomes outperform the student-designed ones.