An Introduction and Orientation to Faculty Projects & Interests

1. An Introduction and Orientation to Faculty Projects & Interests Department of Computing Sciences November 5, 2012

2. Overview • Faculty are full-time and part-time members • Interests range from theoretical foundations to practical applications • Some research is sponsored – funding for assistantships sometimes available • Actively seeking external sponsorship and partnership • Interdisciplinary research promoted

3. Grand Challenges of Computing CSC 9025

4. What is the “Grand Challenges of Computing” course? • CSC 9025 - Replaces old CSC 9020 “Independent Study” • Mandatory for graduate students • Conduct independent research under guidance of a faculty advisor • Encouraged to tackle topics in our discipline that interest you AND your advisor • Intended for completion in a single semester • Extension to second semester possible • Keep your eyes open for interesting topics!

5. Research Topics and Projects Sampler

6. Research Topics (1) • Programming languages and systems control for Mindstorm robots.

7. Research Topics (2) • Contexts for optimum web search strategies.

8. Research Topics (3) • Algorithm taxonomy: examples from traditional games.

9. Research Topics (4) • Web site taxonomy and focused design principles.

10. Research Topics (5) • Packing spheres into an ellipsoid: heuristic search strategies.

11. Research Topics (6) • Code optimization: 20Kb vs. 20Mb program space.

12. Research Topics (6) • Non-visual interfaces.

13. Research Topics (7) • Virtual reality in interdisciplinary projects.

14. Research Topics (8) • Web services: development, description, deployment.

15. Research Topics (9) • Constructing and maintaining wireless network topologies.

16. Research Topics (10) • Folding and unfolding polyhedra.

17. Research Topics (11) • Programming games and applications for the Droid, iPhone and iPod Touch.

18. Dr. Robert Beck Projects

19. Packing Problems Pack n equally sized spheres into the unit sphere and calculate the radius of the small spheres as a function of n. • Alternatively, use an ellipsoid of revolution instead of the unit sphere • Alternatively, solve the problems in two dimensions • Use a heuristic approach • Use a genetic algorithm • Project team is formed and working

20. Program for Website Creation and Evaluation (PCWE) • Funding for non-profit organization website renovation • Requested changes become data • Systematic evaluation against design principles • Automatic measurements

21. Computing in Context • Focused on computing and music at Villanova • Also on design of inquiry based learning activities • And specificially • ChucK as a language • Music processing tools • IBL Example: List ALL the properties of a note

22. Digital Humanities A broad topic with many research threads: • Applications of location awareness—guided tours • Models in social networks—pipelines, agents, transactions, communities • Systems thinking, computational thinking, X thinking • Text as data

23. Dr. Lillian (Boots) Cassel Projects

24. Dr. Lillian Cassel Research interests: Digital Libraries Computing Ontology Information and the Web Interdisciplinary Computing Some Current Projects www.computingportal.org A large digital library project for computing education, funded by NSF. Computing Portal Connecting Computing Educators www.distributedexpertise.org/computingontology Computing Ontology A complete definition of the computing disciplines, in collaboration with ACM Just starting With Dr. Way, Dr. Matuszek, and help from Dr. Papalaskari, funded by NSF Earlier and Broader Access to Machine Learning We will hire undergraduate help

25. Dr. Mirela Damian Projects

26. Damian: Research Topics (1) • Constructing and maintaining wireless network topologies.

27. Damian: Research Topics (2) • Folding and unfolding polyhedra.

28. Damian: Research Topics (3) • DNA Computing: How can DNA molecules solve computational problems?

29. Dr. James Dullea Projects

30. Interests and Projects • Information Management • Data Modeling • Data Warehousing • Data Mining • Information Metrics

31. Dr. William Fleischman Projects

32. Ethics • Research topics related to ethical issues and themes • Electronic voting • Outreach activities

33. Dr. Vijay Gehlot Projects

34. Blood Matching Process Modeling Project

35. Model Components

36. Results Number of samples = 16 where Sample Set = [[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[9]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[8]),(4,[])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[8]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[9]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[11])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])],[(1,[]),(2,[]),(3,[]),(4,[12])]] Number of unique requests = 3 where Request Set = [[(3,[8])],[(4,[12])],[(4,[12])],[(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])]] Number of matched samples = 8 where Matched Samples = [([13],[(4,[12])]),([15],[(4,[12])]),([16],[(4,[12])]),([8],[(4,[12])]),([7],[(3,[8]),(4,[11])]),([6],[(3,[8])]),([1],[(4,[12])]),([12],[(4,[12])])] Number of pantry samples = 5 where Pantry Samples = [([14],[(4,[11])]),([4],[(4,[11])]),([2],[(3,[9]),(4,[11])]),([10],[(3,[9]),(4,[11])]),([11],[(4,[11])])] Number of hold samples = 0 where Hold Samples = [] Number of discarded samples = 3 where Discarded Samples = [([([9],[])],12),([([5],[]),([3],[])],12)] Number of unique assigned requests to samples = 2 where Assigned Samples = [([(4,[12])],[([13],[(4,[12])]),([15],[(4,[12])]),([16],[(4,[12])])]),([(4,[12])],[([13],[(4,[12])]),([15],[(4,[12])]),([16],[(4,[12])])]),([(3,[8])],[([7],[(3,[8]),(4,[11])]),([6],[(3,[8])])]),([(4,[12])],[([8],[(4,[12])]),([1],[(4,[12])])]),([(4,[12])],[([8],[(4,[12])]),([1],[(4,[12])])]),([(4,[12])],[([12],[(4,[12])])]),([(4,[12])],[([12],[(4,[12])])])] Number of unique possibly unmatched requests = 2 where Possibly Unmatched Requests = [([(3,[8])],[]),([(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])],[]),([(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])],[]),([(3,[8])],[]),([(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])],[])] Number of actual unmatched requests = 1 where Actual Unmatched Requests = [[(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])]]

37. CARMMA Project Develop a set of tools and techniques for Network Performance Management and Service Assurance. Create a generalized and extensible framework to accommodate future needs and expansion. Build a unified dashboard that facilitates the understanding of the relationships between network resources, customer services and their respective performance indicators.

38. Results

39. Dr. Don Goelman Projects

40. Funded Projects (Sort of) • Databases for Many Majors: A Student-Centered Approach (Dietrich & Goelman) – through 2/2013 • Expansion of the Project (? – keep your fingers crossed - !)

41. Funded Project (NSF DUE): Databases for Many Majors • Collaborative research with Prof. S. Dietrich, Arizona State University • Calendar: March, 2010 – February, 2013 • Curriculum development for database education to diverse majors • Software development: two animations • Advantages of (normalized) database technology over loser (I mean non-normalized) alternatives • Introduction to querying

42. Databases for Many Majors (continued) • Technical issues • Programming in FLASH/FLEX • Porting to mobile devices • Customization of the animations to majors • Driven by producers (Goelman/Dietrich) and consumers • XML-based • Rollout of animations - pretty mature • Home page: http://databasesmanymajors.faculty.asu.edu/

43. Other Interests and Projects • Databases: conceptual modeling • Databases: schema integration • Databases: XML for non-majors • Databases: NoSQL databases

44. Current and Recent Independent Studies • Ramya Numboori: NOSQL Data Stores • Hao Zhang: Database Querying in C# • Takashi Binns: DB Systems for Geographical Applications • Rogelio Dolor: Database Compression • Priyanka Mummadi: Franchise Management Systems: Architecture • Palanisamy Ramamoorthy: SOA and Integration • Shishir Kaushik: Online Marketing • Sruthi Cherukuri: Utilities for Data Warehouses

45. Prof. Catherine Helwig Projects

46. Algorithm Visualizations for Teaching and Learning • Develop algorithm visualizations along with mini-tutorials for computer aided instruction in Data Structure and Algorithm classes. • Visualizations as a mini-tutorial with animations portraying different parts of the algorithm. • Sample of five animations of ADT’s (and looking for more) http://www.csc.villanova.edu/~helwig/index1.html • Graph algorithms at http://algoviz.org/fieldreports • AlgoViz.org is supported by the National Science Foundation under a grant

47. Developing applications (games) on Mobile Phones and Small Devices • J2 Micro Edition (J2ME) which is the version of the Java 2.1 platform that is designed for use with smaller devices such as PDA’s, mobile phones etc. • Since the size of small devices varies greatly, there are two profiles provided by the J2ME. The first,CLDC configuration , has a unique profile for Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP toolkit). • Lab for Data Structures and Algorithms III developing a small app for the Blackberry.

48. Dr. GiorgiJaparidze Projects

49. Interests and Projects • Computational Theory • Artificial Intelligence • Logic • Projects • Computability Logic • Interactive Computation

50. Dr. Daniel Joyce Projects