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CREST Centre of Excellence in

Formal Methods in Programming2003-04

Ralph BackDirector

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Programming Methods Group

• Programming Methods Research Group at Abo Akademi 1984 –– Ralph Back, founder– Kaisa Sere– Joakim von Wright– Johan Lilius– Large number of Ph.D.s and post docs during the years

• Decided to divide research group into five research labs 2002 –

• Programming Methods Group continues as CREST: Centre for Reliable Software Technology

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Center of Excellence in Formal Methods in Programming

• Four labs were nominated as a Center of Excellence in research 1.1.2002 – 31.12.2007

• Name: CoE in Formal Methods in Programming• Nominated by the Academy of Finland• Funded by

– Academy of Finland– Åbo Akademi– TEKES

• Alltogether some 30 Centers of Excellence in Research in Finland (three in CS)

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CREST Laboratories

• Distributed Systems Lab– Kaisa Sere

• Embedded Systems Lab– Johan Lilius

• Mechanized Reasoning Lab– Joakim von Wright

• Software Construction Lab– Ralph Back and Ivan Porres

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Main research directions

• theoretical foundations of programming languages and programming methods

• extending formal methods to new application areas

• building computer supported tools for formal methods

• studying the use of formal methods in the software construction process as a whole, and

• case studies on how to apply formal methods.

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People engaged in CREST

• In total some 50 persons right now• Researchers in different categories

– professors– post docs– Ph.D. students– M.Sc. studens– Undergraduates– laboratory staff– administrative staff

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CREST

• CREST: Center for Reliable Software Technology– Center: can have different kinds of activities, not all

related to the Department or TUCS– Reliability: this is the key feature that we want to

improve in systems (the mission/focus in the center)

– Software: the main focus, but also hardware-software (systems)

– Technology: the main focus is on advancing technology, by research and development

– CREST is a research center

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CREST Facilities inDataCity 4th floor, A-B

• Everybody in CREST on the 4th floor• Embedded Systems Lab in old Liekki facilities• Distributed Systems Lab and Mechanized

Reasoning Lab in old TUCS facilities• Software Construction Lab in IB 4th floor

facilities• Gaudi in new facilities next to Liekki

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CREST activities

• Conference organizations (IFM2002, TTA 2002)• Summer Schools (SRF 2002)• Seminars every second week• Courses and special seminars• Meetings (EEF meeting, IFIP WG2.3 meeting, ...)• Parties and free activities• Project meetings

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Foundations of programming

• Modelling temporal properties with contracts (Back, von Wright)

• Compositional refinement of action systems (Back, von Wright)

• Algebraic structures for refinements (Back, Solin, von Wright)

• Program variable model (Back, Preoteasa, von Wright)

• Probabilistic refinement (Mingshen)• Imperative programs as process algebras (Bos,

Baeten)

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Extending formal methods 1: Refinement calculus extensions

• Refinement for games and interactive systems (Back, von Wright)

• Quantitative program logic (Celiku, von Wright)

• Reasoning about dynamic data structures (Back, Preoteasa, Xiaocong)

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Extending formal methods 2: Action systems and refinement

• Continuous action systems (Back, Cershi, Petri, Porres, Westerholm)

• Action systems in modeling (Kok, Petre,Plosila, Ruksenas, Rönkkö, Ravn, Seceleanu, Sere)

• Distributed networks (Boström,Ilic, Löfman, Sere, Troubitsyna, Walden, Yan)

• Architecture of dependable systems (Troubitsyna)

• Action systems and SoC design (Plosila, Secelanu, Sere, Walden)

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Extending formal methods 3: Theory of heterogenous systems

• Semantics and code generation for UML diagrams (Björklund , Lilius, Porres)

• A redefinition of the semantics of Rialto in B (Björklund, Lilius)

• A new code generator for SDF diagrams (Björklund, Lilius)

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Extending formal methods 4: High-school mathematics

• Teaching structured derivations in high school (Back, Peltomäki, Salakoski, von Wright)

• High school math book project (Back, von Wright)

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Extending formal methods 4: Modeling of factory production

• Process algebra modelling of factory production (Bos, Baeten)

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Computer supported tools 1

• Refinement calculator (Laibins, Celiku, von Wright)

• UML to B transformation (Snook, Walden)• Mathematical derivation editor (Back, Bos,

Preoteasa)• Combining model checking with simulation

(Bos)

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Computer supported tools 2

• System modeling workbench (Alanen, Porres)• Model analysis and transformation tool

(Alanen, Porres)• Model repository (Alanen, Porres)• System construction workbench (Back,

Milovanov, Norrgrann)

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Computer supported tools 3

• The Rialto compiler (Lilius)• Rialto compiler and SMW integration (Lilius,

Porres)• The Taco tool (Lilius, Lundström, Virtanen)• Verification of heterogenous systems (Lilius)

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Software processes and architectures 1

• Stepwise feature introduction (Back, Milovanov, Norrgrann)

• Extreme programming (Back, Hirkman, Milovanov, Porres, Preoteasa)

• Model driven development (Alanen, Lilius, Porres, Truscan)

• UML based design (Plosila, Seceleanu, Troubitsyna)

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Software processes and architectures 2

• Control systems (Petre, Sere, Troubitsyna Walden)

• Safety issues (Romanovsky, Troubitsyna )• Fault tolerance in software development

(Laibinis, Troubitsyna, Walden )• The Taco design flow (Lilius, Truscan,

Virtanen)• Design methods for heterogenous systems

(Lilius, Truscan)• The relationsship of data-flow and object-

orientation (Fernandes,Lilius, Truscan)

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Case studies

• Distributed systems and mobility (Bonsangue, Kok, Petre, Sere, Walden, Yan)

• Applying formal methods to industrial systems (Sere, Walden)

• Gaudi factory software case studies (Alanen, Back, Bos, Milovanov, Porres, Preoteasa)

• Nokia case study: the Ladder process (Back)• Financial planner (Back, Back, Hirkman, Milovanov)• The IPv6 router (Lilius, Virtanen)• The Uva (Lilius, Österberg)

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Discussion points

• Laboratory infrastructure: full time software developers

• Gaudi software factory, development plan and funding

• Mechanized reasoning lab, leadership• Grand challenge project: unifying forces in the

different labs• Deeper collaboration with some application

field (e.g., health science, biotechnology, e-government)

• Research program in reliable software construction

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Feedback

• observations• recommendations• open questions

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Observations (i)

• thanks for interesting chats/demos• International Research!• good efforts on ”external impact”• PhD students ”happy”• ”societal impact” is there• intra-group communication good• how to reproduce the energy of the ESL?• Gaudi model

– ellect to focus on small, or– think about changes

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Observations (ii)

• Ralph’s Leadership (Academy Prof) is key• Are you comfortable with the demographic

spread• really getting FM used might be

moredisruptive to process• refine experimental methodology on Gaudi

(and educational research)• this time’s format better

– choose key points next time

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Recommendations

• senior appointment in MRL• would a change of title focus the DSL?• (probably) don’t do a major restructure• develop a (funding) exit strategy

– go further with Gaudi model– Deeper collaboration with some application field (e.g., health

science, biotechnology, e-government)

• investigate ”spin out” companies• funding administrator (at least in future CoEs)

• National research program in reliable software construction ?

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Open questions

• can more be done to pull through the ”next generation”?

• Grand challenge project: unifying forces in the different labs

• Laboratory infrastructure: full time software developers

• are the book plans realistic?

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Discussion points

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Thank you

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Organizational mess?

• Åbo Akademi, University of Turku, ...• Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, ...• Department of Computer Science, ....• TUCS• Embedded Systems Lab, ....• Gaudi• Center of Excellence in Formal Methods in

Programming• Research projects• CREST?

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CREST organization

• No formal status (yet)• We can make it into an institute, if we want• For now, it is a research organization that we have

created in order to achieve the mission (software reliability)

• Also, organizes the co-operation of the four laboratories within the center of excellence

• Organizationally, it coincides with the center of excellence (same leadership, funding, facilities, ...)

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IT expansion in Turku

• Three universities (ÅA, TY, TuKKK)• Very large IT-expansion, coordinated by TUCS• ÅA/CS department student enrollment 20 ->

100 per year• CREST lab leaders heavily involved in handling

the expansion• New curriculum, new infrastructure, lots of co-

operation (meetings) with other departments, lots of discussions at faculties and university administration, etc., etc., ...

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ÅA TYTuKKK

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ÅA TYTuKKK

MNF KTF ESF MLT

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ÅA TYTuKKK

MNF KTF ESF MLT

IB ITLIS

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ÅA TYTuKKK

MNF KTF ESF MLT

IB ITLIS

ESL DSL SCLMRL

HPL

MCL IBL AL MIL

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ÅA TYTuKKK

MNF KTF ESF MLT

IB ITLIS

ESL DSL SCLMRL

HPL

MCL IBL AL MIL

TUCS

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Gaudi

CREST a center of excellence

IAMSR

ÅA TYTuKKK

MNF KTF ESF MLT

IB ITLIS

ESL DSL SCLMRL

HPL

MCL IBL AL MIL

TUCS

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ÅA

MNF KTF ESF

IB

ESL DSL GaudiSCLMRL

HPL

CREST a center of excellence

TUCS

TY

MLT

ITLIS

ESL DSL

IAMSR

AL MIL

TuKKK