Evolutionary Algorithms

Evolutionary Algorithms (also known as Genetic Algorithms) are an artificial intelligence technique for mathematical optimization. I studied them during my undergraduate years, within the context of Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Galapagos

In 2003, I wrote a neat and powerful piece of software called Galapagos for my 4th-year undergraduate thesis (download PDF). It was a framework for the development of advanced (i.e. distributed, parallel and/or hybrid) evolutionary algorithms, applicable to a wide range of computational challenging optimization problems. I applied it to a variety of transportation-related problems at the University of Toronto.

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Bridge-Optimizing Genetic Algorithm in Excel VBA

In the fall of 2003, my classmates and I were given an assignment in our Bridge Design course, to model the Salginatobel Bridge as a truss and analyse it using the Stiffness Method in Excel (ignoring buckling effects). As an additional challenge, we were to be awarded bonus marks if we could improve upon the efficiency of this, our professor's favourite bridge, by moving the members around.

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