CSCI 400 Senior Seminar @ VSU
by Hui Chen, Ph.D.

Overview

Discussions based on current researches that are facilitated by students, faculty members, or industry representatives. Students are expected to provide a written summary of each discussed research paper and to participate in-class discussion. Each student facilitates the discussion at least once during the semester. The impact of the research in a global and societal context will be discussed.

Prerequisites: Senior level standing in Computer Science or consent of Instructor

Class Schedule

  1. 01/15/2016 General Introduction

  2. 01/22/2016 University Closed (due to Inclement Weather )

  3. 01/29/2016 On Research and Reading

    Reading Assignment:

    1. S. Keshav. 2007. How to read a paper. SIGCOMM Comput. Commun. Rev. 37, 3 (July 2007), 83-84. DOI=10.1145/1273445.1273458 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1273445.1273458
    2. How to Do a Technical Reading Program , Frederick Brooks , 4 February 2008, with minor amendments by Neil Dodgson , 4 October 2011.
    3. On "Nature of Paper" , an excerpt from the University of Cambridge's Reading Skills course material.
    4. "A way to read" papers , an excerpt from the University of Cambridge's Reading Skills course material.

  4. 02/05/2016 On Writing and Writing Tools

    Reading Assignment:

    1. Gopen, George D., and Judith A. Swan. The science of scientific writing. American Scientist (1990): 550-558.

  5. 02/12/2016 On Technical Presentation

    Watch:

    1. How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (a Youtube Video), , by Marc Strong and Wienotfilms.com
    2. How NOT to give a presentation, by Neil Dodgson
    3. Laying out presentation slides, by Neil Dodgson
    4. "The Gettysburg Address", by Neil Dodgson

    Resources:

    1. The Reading Skills class, offered by the Computer Laboratory, the University of Cambridge
    2. Zobel, Justin. Writing for Computer Science. 3rd Ed. Springer, 2015.
    3. Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. New Riders, 2011.
    4. Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. Random House, 2007.

  6. 02/19/2016 On Technical Presentation: Examples

    Watch Selected Presentation Videos:

    1. Technical Programs at the 12th USENIX Symposium on Networked System Design and Implementation

  7. 02/26/2016 Student Presentations (D. Dickerson; T. Hayes)

  8. 03/04/2016 On Online Privacy

  9. 03/11/2016 Spring Break; No Class

  10. 03/18/2016 Student Presentations (D. Simpson)

  11. 03/25/2016 On Graphing

  12. 04/01/2016 On Design of Experiments

    Reading:

    1. Sacks, Jerome, William J. Welch, Toby J. Mitchell, and Henry P. Wynn. 1989. "Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments". Statistical Science 4 (4). Institute of Mathematical Statistics: 409–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2245858 .
    2. Zelkowitz, Marvin V., and Dolores R. Wallace. " Experimental models for validating technology. " Computer 31, no. 5 (1998): 23-31.
    3. Tichy, Walter F. " Should computer scientists experiment more?. " Computer 5 (1998): 32-40.
    4. Carroll, John M. " Human-computer interaction: psychology as a science of design. " Annual review of psychology 48, no. 1 (1997): 61-83.
    5. Denning, Peter J. " Is computer science science?. " Communications of the ACM 48, no. 4 (2005): 27-31.

  13. 04/08/2016 Student Presentations (C. Henry; D. Simpson)

  14. 04/15/2016 Student Presentations (A. Maples; R. Ghosh)

  15. 04/22/2016 Student Presentations (C. Henry; R. Ghosh)

  16. 04/29/2016 Student Presentations (R. Ghosh; T. Hayes)

  17. 05/03 - 05/06 Final Exam Period