Overview
During the past 20 years, geometric group theory has developed many different facets, including relations with geometry, topology, analysis, and logic. The new, more geometric, perspectives have enabled rapid progress on many of these fronts. A tremendous solidification of previously disparate results has also occurred. In algorithmic group theory, in recent years, more and more interconnections between computer science and classical group and semigroup theory have been discovered. Automata theory has motivated the definition of new classes of groups, for instance, automaton groups and automatic groups. Techniques from rewriting theory, data compression, and automata theory are used in order to solve more efficiently word problems as well as other computational problems in (semi)group theory. The program of the workshop will capitalize on this recent surge of activity in both areas.