An Introduction and Orientation to Faculty

Projects & InterestsDepartment of Computing Sciences

November 5, 2012

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

Overview

Grand Challenges of Computing

CSC 9025

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!

What is the “Grand Challenges of Computing” course?

Research Topics and Projects Sampler

Research Topics (1) Programming languages and systems

control for Mindstorm robots.

Research Topics (2) Contexts for optimum web search

strategies.

Research Topics (3) Algorithm taxonomy: examples from

traditional games.

Research Topics (4) Web site taxonomy and focused design

principles.

Research Topics (5) Packing spheres into an ellipsoid: heuristic

search strategies.

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

space.

Research Topics (6) Non-visual interfaces.

Research Topics (7) Virtual reality in interdisciplinary projects.

Research Topics (8) Web services: development, description,

deployment.

Research Topics (9) Constructing and maintaining wireless

network topologies.

Research Topics (10) Folding and unfolding polyhedra.

Research Topics (11) Programming games and applications for

the Droid, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Dr. Robert BeckProjects

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

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

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

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

Dr. Lillian (Boots) Cassel

Projects

Dr. Lillian CasselResearch interests:

Digital LibrariesComputing OntologyInformation and the

WebInterdisciplinary

ComputingSome Current Projects

Computing PortalConnecting Computing Educators

A large digital library project for computing education, funded by NSF.

Computing Ontology A complete definition of the computing disciplines, in collaboration with ACM

www.computingportal.org

www.distributedexpertise.org/computingontology

Just startingEarlier and Broader Access to Machine Learning

With Dr. Way, Dr. Matuszek, and help from Dr. Papalaskari, funded by NSFWe will hire undergraduate help

Dr. Mirela DamianProjects

Damian: Research Topics (1) Constructing and maintaining wireless

network topologies.

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

DNA Computing: How can DNA molecules solve computational problems?

Damian: Research Topics (3)

Dr. James DulleaProjects

Information Management Data Modeling Data Warehousing Data Mining Information Metrics

Interests and Projects

Dr. William Fleischman

Projects

Ethics Research topics related to ethical issues and

themes Electronic voting Outreach activities

Dr. Vijay GehlotProjects

Blood Matching Process Modeling Project34

Model Components

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35

Results36

Number of samples = 16where 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 = 3where Request Set = [[(3,[8])],[(4,[12])],[(4,[12])],[(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])]]Number of matched samples = 8where 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 = 5where 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 = 0where Hold Samples = []Number of discarded samples = 3where Discarded Samples = [([([9],[])],12),([([5],[]),([3],[])],12)]Number of unique assigned requests to samples = 2where 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 = 2where 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 = 1where Actual Unmatched Requests = [[(3,[8]),(4,[11,12])]]

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.

37

Results38

Dr. Don GoelmanProjects

Databases for Many Majors: A Student-Centered Approach (Dietrich & Goelman) – through 2/2013

Expansion of the Project (? – keep your fingers crossed - !)

Funded Projects (Sort of)

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

Funded Project (NSF DUE): Databases for Many Majors

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/

Databases for Many Majors (continued)

Databases: conceptual modeling Databases: schema integration Databases: XML for non-majors Databases: NoSQL databases

Other Interests and Projects

◦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

Current and Recent Independent Studies

Prof. Catherine Helwig

Projects

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

Algorithm Visualizations for Teaching and Learning

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.

Developing applications (games) on Mobile Phones and Small Devices

Dr. Giorgi JaparidzeProjects

Computational Theory Artificial Intelligence Logic Projects

◦ Computability Logic◦ Interactive Computation

Interests and Projects

Dr. Daniel JoyceProjects

Interests and Projects Department Web Team Lead Programming Team Coach Graduate Independent Study / Grand Challenges Coordinator

◦ http://csc.villanova.edu/academics/gradIS Teaching Senior Projects Course

◦ http://www.csc.villanova.edu/~joyce/csc4790/index.html Research Interests

◦ Software development/engineering◦ Web programming◦ Security◦ Computer Science Education

Project Ideas◦ Collecting and analyzing data related to the software development process◦ Report on the use of a new technology to create a system, perhaps comparing it

to use of a different technology◦ Investigating the status of the “good guys” vs “bad guys” situation in computer

security◦ Classifying “classes” based on the signatures of their methods ...◦ What “types” of learners learn X best when approach Y is used

Dr. Frank KlassnerProjects

Web-Based Software Systems Artificial Intelligence Signal Processing Robotics & Evolutionary Learning, MSE iPhone Applications Virtual Reality, Cave

Interests and Projects

Dr. Anany LevitinProjects

Anany LevitinAlgorithm design techniques are general strategies for

algorithmic problem solving (e.g., divide-and-conquer, decrease-and-conquer, greedy, etc.)

paramount for designing algorithms for new problems provide a framework for classifying algorithms by design idea

Algorithmic puzzles are puzzles that requires design or analysis of an algorithm

illustrate algorithm design and analysis techniques as general problem solving tools (computational thinking)

some puzzles pose interesting and still unanswered questions entertainment technical job interviews

Anany Levitin (cont.)

Algorithm design techniques projects thinking backward; design by cases how to solve it (G. Polya) vs.

how to solve it by an algorithm

Algorithmic puzzles projects a few specific puzzles (research and visualization) taxonomies of algorithmic puzzles

57

Dr. Paula MatuszekProjects

• Artificial Intelligence– knowledge-based systems– ontologies and the semantic web– knowledge capture and sharing– Machine learning

• Natural Language Processing/Text Mining– Computer understanding of natural (human) languages– Finding, extracting, summarizing, visualizing information from

unstructured text• Project

– Broader and Earlier Access to Machine Learning: NSF project to develop machine learning materials for non-computer science students.

Interests and Projects

Prof. Najib NadiProjects

Systems Programming Systems Administration

◦ Linux◦ Solaris◦ Mac OS X

Web Application Development Current projects:

◦ Systems setup for upcoming programming contest◦ IBM ThinkPad Linux configuration for cityteam ministries◦ Thin Client performance analysis◦ VU community Dropbox

Interests and Projects

Dr. Mary-Angela Papalaskari

Projects

Artificial Intelligence: - Augmented reality - Conversational agents - Reasoning with incomplete information  - Machine learning - Computer Vision

Computer Science Education: - Teaching and learning computer science through service to the community - Computing for non-CS majors - Computer science through media computation - PACSE: Philadelphia Area Computer Science Educators

Interests and Projects

Dr. James SolderitschProjects

Cyber Security◦ Adaptive Network Defense◦ Data Protection and Privacy◦ Security within the Smart Grid◦ Ethical Hacking

Modeling and Simulation◦ Software Architectures as Executable Models◦ Security Modeling for Service Oriented

Architectures◦ Discrete Event Simulation

Interests and Projects

Dr. Tom WayProjects

Department of Computing Sciences 66

Active ProjectsParsing & Translation Nanocompilers & Nanocomputers (Nanotech) Sentiment Analysis & Tracking (AI) Tremor Filtering Wii Pointer (Rehab Engr) SNITCH plagiarism analyzer (Sim & Tools)

CS Education Distributed Expertise learning modules (CS Ed) Machine Learning modules (CS Ed) ACT Lab (CS Education)

Department of Computing Sciences 67

ACT Lab Research GroupsApplied Computing Technology Laboratory

Director of Research

Dr. Tom Way

Com. Sci.

Education

High Perf.

Computing

Rehab. Engineeri

ng

Simulation & Tools

Information

Fluency

Databases

Other Groups..

.

Nanotech

Department of Computing Sciences 68

Back-burner Projects Using Magic to Teach CS (CS Education) Green Computing (Green Comp.) Speech Recog. for note-taking (Rehab Engr) Info. literacy using science satire (Info. Fluency) Many other ideas

actlab.csc.villanova.edu

Prof. Barbara Zimmerman

Projects

• Software Project Management • Web Design• Database Systems• Inter-discipline applications of database

- Manchester Mummy project - Egypt- Alaska- South America

Current Interest

DRA ABU el-NAGA – Thebes, Egypt

St. Lawrence Island mummy

THE CHURCH – 400AD

Flow from Mummy to Slides