Computer Science Course Descriptions for Fall of 1998
CMPSCI 102: Computers and Society (R2)
Professor: Spinelli
There are three principal components to this course: 1) what computers are, 2) how they are used in society, and 3) how their use affects society. In the first part we explore the origin of computers and the historical, economic, and scientific forces that brought them into existence. We also study the essential hardware components that make up a computer and we learn the basic software methods of programming using the JavaScript language. In the second part, usage of computers by business in the office and in factory automation, by the professions such as medicine, and by artists and scientists is covered; special attention is given to the advent of the Information Super Highway, how to use it and how it can benefit individual users. Finally the economic and socio-political impact that computers are having on society and on the individual are discussed; these issues range from questions of privacy to the impact of robots in the factory, to the use of computers in political action. The primary aim of the course is to impart sufficient computer literacy to enable the student to 1) write simple, but non-trivial programs, 2) make use of and benefit from available computer facilities, and 3) understand why computers have become such a powerful forcein the modern society. Pre-registration not available to majors and pre-majors. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 105: Computer Literacy (R2)
Professor: Verts
Microcomputers are now used widely not only in academia but in all areas of modern life. For this reason it's important that all students understand how computers work and how computers can be used as a problem-solving tool. The focus of this course is on computer applications. The course stresses the ways in which computers can help you solve problems efficiently and effectively. The course provides a broad introduction to hardware and software aspects of microcomputers. Then four application areas are discussed: word processing, spreadsheets, databases and telecommunications (access to the Internet). The course uses the university's microcomputer labs, and weekly 90 minute lab sessions are an integral part of the course. Students who are more interested in computer programming should take CMPSCI 121 or 187. Prerequisites: reasonable high school math skills. Typing ability is also an important asset for the course. Previous computer experience is not expected. Pre-registration is not available to majors and pre-majors. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 105C: Computer Literacy (R2)
Professor: Verts
CMPSCI 105W: Computer Literacy (R2)
Professor: Verts
CMPSCI 105X: Computer Literacy (R2)
Professor: Verts
CMPSCI 105X: Computer Literacy
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CMPSCI 120: Introduction to Problem Solving with the Internet
Professor: Lehnert
The Internet is a goldmine of information and software resources for those who know how to plug into it and navigate it. Originally designed for computer scientists, the net is now open to the general public through educational computing accounts and commercial services. Unfortunately, much of the enabling technology associated with net navigation is still aimed at computer specialists. This course will provide non-CMPSCI majors with the basic skills needed to tap the net. We will cover basic UNIX commands, e-mail management, listserv software, Usenet newsgroups, ftp file transfers, telnet sessions, web browsers, basic web page design, strategies for finding things on the web, and PGP-based cryptography. In addition, we will survey key social and political topics that are relevant to the Internet, such as copyright laws, First Amendment issues, privacy in a digital world, and the culture of the Internet. Prerequisites: some hands-on experience with PCs or MACs or UNIX (programming experience is NOT required). CMPSCI majors and pre-majors may not pre-register. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 121: Introduction to Problem Solving with Computers (R2)
Professor: Moll
An introductory course in problem solving and computer programming using the programming language Java. The course focuses on the fundamental concepts of problem solving and the techniques associated with the development of algorithms and their implementation as computer programs. This course or its equivalent is required for all additional courses in CMPSCI. Three hours of lecture/recitation per week. About 6 programming problems are assigned. In addition there are assigned homework problems, a midterm exam and a final. No computer science prerequisite, although high school algebra and basic math skills (e.g. R1) are assumed. Use of computer is required. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 121D: Introduction to Problem Solving with Computers (R2)
Professor: Hanson
CMPSCI 187: Programming with Data Structures (R2)
Professor: Precup, Barrington
The course introduces and develops methods for designing and implementing abstract data types, using the Java programming language. The main focus is on how to build and encapsulate data objects and their associated operations. Specific topics includepointer variables, linked structures, recursive structures and algorithms, binary trees, balanced trees, and hash tables. There will be weekly assignments, consisting of programming and written exercises, a midterm, and a final exam. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 121 (or equivalent) and Basic Math Skills (R1). No previous specific experience with Java is required. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 187D: Programming with Data Structures (R2)
Professor: Barrington
CMPSCI 191D: Seminar - TAP Program
Professor: Barrington
Conversations with members of the UMass CMPSCI community, to explore issues in and subareas of computer science. Open only to first-year students in the CMPSCI TAP residential program. 1 credit.
CMPSCI 197X: Special Topics - Programming in Java
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CMPSCI 201: Architecture and Assembly Language (E)
Professor: Graham
Lecture, lab. The architecture and machine-level operations of modern computers at the logic, component, and system levels: topics include binary arithmetic, logic gates, Boolean algebra, arithmetic-logic unit, control unit, system bus, memory, addressing modes, interrupts, input-output, floating point arithmetic, and virtual memory. Simple assembly language is used to explore how common computational tasks are accomplished by a computer. Three hours of lecture and one or two lab sessions per week, laboratory exercises, homework exercises, two midterm exams, and a final exam are required. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 187 or equivalent. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 250: Introduction to Computation (E)
Professor: Rissland
Lecture, discussion. Basic concepts of discrete mathematics useful to computer science: set theory, strings and formal languages, propositional and predicate calculus, relations and functions, basic number theory. Induction and recursion: interplay of inductive definition, inductive proof, and recursive algorithms. Elementary combinatorics. Basic graph theory. Finite-state machines and regular languages: Myhill-Nerode Theorem, nondeterministic finite automata, Kleene's Theorem. Problem sets, 2-3 midterm exams, timed final. Corequisite: MATH 132/136 or equivalent. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 187 or equivalent. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 287: Programming Language Paradigms
Professor: Popplestone
Lecture, discussion, programming projects, lab. Programming Language Paradigms provide a basic philosophy to support the construction of reliable large-scale systems. This course discusses four such paradigms. In the -functional paradigm- software is constructed in such a way as to minimize the use of side-effects, thereby simplifying the conceptual structure of programs and making them easier to analyze and understand. The -logic paradigm- supports the development of software in which the concept of -relation- (for example a relation between people) is more important than the concept of function. In the -imperative paradigm- we are concerned with principled ways in which software that is state-dependent can be constructed. Finally, in the -object-oriented- paradigm we are concerned with combining data with code to create "objects" which exhibit behavior. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 187. Corequisites: CMPSCI 250 and MATH 132. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 311: Introduction to Algorithms
Professor: Sitaraman
This course will introduce you to algorithms in a variety of areas of interest, such as sorting, searching, string-processing, and graph algorithms. You will learn to study the performance of various algorithms within a formal, mathematical framework. There will be a few programming assignments as well to help you relate the empirical performance of an algorthim to theoretical predictions. Mathematical experience (as provided by CMPSCI 250) is required. You should also be able to program in Pascalor C (or some other closely related language). 4 credits.
CMPSCI 320: Introduction to Software Engineering
Professor: Clarke
In this course, students learn and gain practical experience with software engineering principles and techniques. The practical experience centers on a semester-long team project in which a software development project is carried through all the stagesof the software life cycle. Topics in this course include requirements analysis, specification, design, abstraction, programming style, testing, maintenance, and software project management. Particular emphasis is placed on designing and developing maintainable software and on the use of object-oriented techniques throughout the software lifecycle. Use of computer required. Two exams, several homeworks, major term project. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 287. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 377: Operating Systems
Professor: Lerner
In this course we examine the important problems in operating system design and implementation. The operating system provides a well-known, convenient, and efficient interface between user programs and the bare hardware of the computer on which they run. The operating system is responsible for allowing resources (e.g., disks, networks, and processors) to be shared, providing common services needed by many different programs (e.g., file service, the ability to start or stop processes, and access to the printer), and protecting individual programs from one another. The course will start with a brief historical perspective of the evolution of operating systems over the last fifty years, and then cover the major components of most operating systems. This discussion will cover the tradeoffs that can be made between performance and functionality during the design and implementation of an operating system. Particular emphasis will be given to three major OS subsystems: process management (processes, threads, CPU scheduling, synchronization, and deadlock), memory management (segmentation, paging, swapping), file systems, and operating system support for distributed systems. Assignments: 3 labs in C++, 3 exams, 6 or more written homeworks. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 187, CMPSCI 201. 4 credits.
CMPSCI 377X: Operating Systems
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CMPSCI 383: Artificial Intelligence
Professor: Zilberstein
Introduction to techniques for building intelligent machines: problem solving, state-space representation, heuristic search techniques, game playing, knowledge representation, logical reasoning, planning, reasoning under uncertainty, learning, expert systems, natural language processing, image understanding. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 250 and CMPSCI 287. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 391F: Seminar - HTML for Poets
Professor: Spinelli
An exploration of the Hyper Text Markup Language and its philosophical implications for Society at the threshold of the year 2000. Java Script will also be discussed. Students cannot receive credit for both this course and CMPSCI 591_ Seminar-HTML forPoets. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 396A: Independent Study - Debugging and Consulting
Professor: Spinelli
In this course we teach students how to consult on topics involving E-mail, e.g., Pine or Goldmail or Mail; Operating Systems such as VMS and Unix; Editors such as LSE and Pico; one computer language: BASIC; and some elementary HTML. Necessary skills on how to debug Home Pages written in HTML and simple but non trivial programs written in BASIC are also acquired. Consultants are required to attend all weekly meetings [mandatory], consult with CMPSCI 102 students to review basic concepts and help debug programs [2 hrs minimum weekly at a terminal]. Consultants are also required to grade programming assignments [6 for each student]. In general each consultant will be responsible for no less than 6 students. May not be repeated for credit more thantwice. 3.0 credits.
CMPSCI 405: Social Issues in Computing
Professor: Moll, Constantine
Designed to satisfy the Junior Year writing requirement, CMPSCI 405 introduces the student to technical writing and editing, scientific journalism and the social essay. The course combines practical, scientific writing as found in industry and businesswith explorative essays that focus attention upon the technological and humanistic concerns inherent in society. Ten written assignments-two longer papers, eight shorter ones and one oral presentation. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 410: Compiler Techniques
Professor: Moss
This course explores the basic problems in the translation of programming languages focusing on theory and common implementation techniques for compiling traditional block structured programming languages to produce assembly or object code for typical machines. The course involves a substantial laboratory project in which the student constructs a working compiler for a considerable subset of a realistic programming language. The lectures are augmented by an optional laboratory section that covers details of the programming language used to build the compiler, the operating system, the source language, and various tools. Use of computer required. Text: Crafting a Compiler in C, by Fischer and LeBlanc. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 377 or 402. CMPSCI 491A(410) offers an honors section (CMPSCI H0x), the requirements for which are completed by fulfilling the additional assignments and lectures for CMPSCI 610 (one extra hour of discussion section per week, plus some additional homework problems and the implementation of more features in the project). 3 credits.
CMPSCI 445: Information Systems
Professor: Allan
Introduction to database systems. File organization, database system architectures, data models, database design, relational systems, query optimization, recovery and concurrency control. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 287. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 445X: Information Systems
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CMPSCI 503: Embedded Systems
Professor: Grupen, Popplestone
Most computers in use in the world are embedded in a system whose primary purpose is not to interface with a human user, but instead is to achieve some process control objective. Devices varying from the an aircraft like the Boeing 777 to VCR's and Microwave Ovens are absolutely dependent upon embedded processors for vital control functions. These computing applications do not require the same specifications as general purpose computational platforms, but are instead intimately related to a particular physical process. This course attempts to introduce the tools necessary to design embedded computational applications. Topics include: (1) mechanisms, sensors, actuators and feedback systems, (2) analog and digital circuits, power amplifiers, signal processing, operational amplifiers, multiplexing, (3) I/O - A/D, D/A, latching, serial and parallel interfaces, DMA, and (4) signal processing/conditioning. There will be a 3 credit lecture and a 1 credit lab (required) in which a hands-on, team project for an embedded application will be constructed over the semester. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 503: Embedded Systems Lab
Professor: Grupen, Popplestone
Required Lab for CMPSCI 591C Embedded Systems. 1 credit.
CMPSCI 520: Software Engineering: Synthesis and Development
Professor: Osterweil
Software Engineering I: This course introduces students to the principal activities involved in developing high-quality software systems. The course stresses the use of defined, systematic processes in the creation of carefully defined and engineered software products. Among the topics covered are requirements analysis, formal specification methods, process definition, software design methods, and test planning. Issues specific to the development of software by teams and groups will also be addressed. Students will be required to read selected papers from the literature and complete homework projects. This course focuses on synthesis activities and complements CMPSCI 521, which focuses on software analysis techniques. Students are encouraged to take both courses but may take either course independently. Students who sign up for 620 will be expected to do more comprehensive projects than those who sign up for 520. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 520X: Software Engineering: Synthesis and Development
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CMPSCI 521: Advanced Software Engineering
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CMPSCI 530X: Programming Languages
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CMPSCI 535: Computer Architecture
Professor: Rosenberg
The structure of digital computers is studied at several levels, from the basic logic level, to the component level, to the system level. Topics include: the design of basic components such as arithmetic units and registers from logic gates; the organization of basic subsystems such as the memory and I/O subsystems; the interplay between hardware and software in a computer system; the von Neumann architecture and its performance enhancements such as cache memory, instruction and data pipelines, coprocessors, and parallelism. Weekly assignments, semester project, 2 hours exams, final. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 201 and CMPSCI 250. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 551: Three-Dimensional Animation and Digital Editing
Professor: Woolf
This seminar is dedicated to the production of high quality computer animation using microcomputer based 3-dimensional graphics technology. For example, color 3-D objects are defined and manipulated, digitized images created and altered, and animated sequences produced directly on the computer. Techniques are used to bend and twist shapes around objects or lines and to trace over images including digitized pictures. The course is directed at production of an informative and approachable video of a ten minute 3-dimensional animated piece. Using computer-generated graphical analogies as well as cartoon caricature, the video is designed to educate and entertain. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 551: Supplement to CMPSCI 591K
Professor: Woolf
Supplement to CMPSCI 591K Three-Dimensional Animation and Digital Editing. Students will complete five independent projects and one group project, and will be evaluated based on the quality of animations and participation in the final project. 1 credit.
CMPSCI 552: Interactive Multimedia Production
Professor: Woolf
This course explores the potential of high quality interactive authoring tools to develop presentation and training systems. Programming languages within professional presentation and editing packages will be used to create systems capable of presenting graphics, animation, text, sound and music, based on the users requests. Students will learn how to define and manipulate classical techniques such as storyboarding, staging, and interactivity. The laboratory has had a large collection of computer animation, graphic, and multimedia tools, and is developing new authoring tools. During the first month and a half, the course will concentrate on state-of-the-art multimedia composition and presentation techniques and developing small individual projects. The second half of the semester will emphasize working as a group to create a single, high quality multimedia production. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 591_ Seminar - 3D Computer Animation and Digital Editing. Permission of the instructor required; contact: Beverly Woolf 545-4265. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 570: Computer Vision
Professor: Riseman
What is computer vision and why is it an important and interesting area of study. The basic building blocks and algorithms of computer vision. The processes of image formation and the relationship of images to the three-dimensional world. Enhancing images for human viewing. Extracting edges and lines from images. Morphological operations on images. Extracting regions from images. The basic principles of convolution and correlation. Measuring color, texture, shape, size, and other features of images and image components. The principles of perceptual organization and their role in computer vision. Prerequisite: calculus and linear algebra. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 572: Neurobiology
Professor: Wyse
Lecture. Biology of nerve cells and cellular interactions in nervous systems. Lectures integrate structural, functional, developmental, and biochemical approaches. Topics include neuronal anatomy and physiology, membrane potentials, synapses, development of neuronal connections, visual system, control of movement, and neural plasticity. Text: Essentials of Neural Science, Kandel et al. ; reserve readings, 2 hour-exams, final, short critique paper. Prerequisite: Biology 285 or 523; or both PSYCH 330 and Intro. Biology. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 587: Computing with Artificial Neural Networks
Professor: Barto
Artificial neural networks, also called connectionist systems, are networks of relatively simple processing elements that mimic some of the properties of biological neurons. By studying these abstract nervous systems, researchers hope to improve our understanding of how real nervous systems function as well as to advance the field of artificial intelligence. This course provides an in-depth treatment of the central artificial neural network methods, with an emphasis on their computational capabilities. Prerequisites: basic calculus, linear algebra, basic computer skills. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 591O: Seminar - Character Animation
Professor: Woolf
This class will focus exclusively on character animation techniques and will use Hash Animation:Master 98 and other animation software. The goal is to attain proficiency in character animation, modeling, and texturing. Animation topics include action and pose, timing, overlap, pacing, and simulating and exaggerating physical laws. Modeling topics include character modeling and bones, designing joints and creating chains with constraints for easy animation, facial modelling and lip sync, designing faces with economical splinage to simplify facial animation, breaking down voice tracks into phonemes and animating facial and body language to match the track. Student will create their own final project or work in a small team. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 561D/K--3D Animation and Digital Editing or equivalent experience, a personal computer (Mac or PC) and a personal copy of Animation:Master. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 591P: Seminar - Supplement to CMPSCI 591O
Professor: Woolf
Description pending. 1 credit.
CMPSCI 596A: Independent Study - TA for CMPSCI 591K 3D Animation
Professor: Woolf
Description not on file. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 596B: Independent Study - TA for CMPSCI 591L Interactive Multimedia Production
Professor: Woolf
Description not on file. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 601X: Computation Theory
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CMPSCI 603X: Robotics
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CMPSCI 610: Compiler Techniques
Professor: Moss
This course explores the basic problems in the translation of programming languages focusing on theory and common implementation techniques for compiling traditional block structured programming languages to produce assembly or object code for typical machines. The course involves a substantial laboratory project in which the student constructs a working compiler for a considerable subset of a realistic programming language. The lectures are augmented by an optional laboratory section that covers details of the programming language used to build the compiler, the operating system, the source language, and various tools. In addition to lectures in common with CMPSCI 410 (491A), CMPSCI 610 includes an extra weekly meeting covering the theoretical aspects in greater depth. Use of computer required. Text: Crafting a Compiler in C, by Fischer and LeBlanc. Prerequisite: CMPSCI 377 or 402. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 611: Advanced Algorithms
Professor: Rosenberg
Principles underlying the design and analysis of efficient algorithms. Design paradigms: divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, greedy algorithmics, the role of randomization. Analysis paradigms: worst-case, average-case, and amortized analyses. Other important themes: network flow, coping with computational intractability (NP-hardness), parallel algorithmics. Problem domains covered include sorting and searching, graph algorithms, and scheduling problems. PREREQUISITES: Mathematical sophistication expected of incoming CMPSCI graduate students, equivalent at least to an A in CMPSCI 250; knowledge of programming and data structures at the level of CMPSCI 187; knowledge of algorithms at the level of CMPSCI 311. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 611X: Advanced Algorithms
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CMPSCI 613: Logic and Model Checking
Professor: Immerman
Introductions to propositional, predicate, and modal logics including logic of knowledge and temporal logic. These will be studied and used throughout the course as tools for the specification and verification of properties of programs and protocols. The second half of the course will study recent work on the theory and applications of model checking. Model checking is the most significant advance in formal methods in many years. Requirements: problem sets, midterm, and final project. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 620: Advanced Software Engineering: Synthesis and Development
Professor: Osterweil
Software Engineering I: This course introduces students to the principal activities involved in developing high-quality software systems. The course stresses the use of defined, systematic processes in the creation of carefully defined and engineered software products. Among the topics covered are requirements analysis, formal specification methods, process definition, software design methods, and test planning. Issues specific to the development of software by teams and groups will also be addressed. Students will be required to read selected papers from the literature and complete homework projects. This course focuses on synthesis activities and complements CMPSCI 521, which focuses on software analysis techniques. Students are encouraged to take both courses but may take either course independently. Students who sign up for 620 will be expected to do more comprehensive projects, that emphasize critical and analytic thinking, than those who sign up for 520. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 620X: Advanced Software Engineering: Synthesis and Development
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CMPSCI 621: Advanced Software Engineering
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CMPSCI 630: Programming Languages
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CMPSCI 635: Modern Computer Architecture
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CMPSCI 653X: Computer Networking
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CMPSCI 683: Artificial Intelligence
Professor: Lesser
In-depth introduction to Artificial Intelligence focusing on techniques that allow intelligent systems to operate in real-time and cope with missing information, uncertainty, and limited computational resources. Topics include: advanced search and problem-solving techniques, resource-bounded search, principles of knowledge representation and reasoning, meta-reasoning, reasoning under uncertainty, Bayesian networks and influence diagrams, decision theory and the value of information, perception and interpretation problems, planning and scheduling, intelligent agents architectures, and learning. Prerequisites: Undergraduate background in Computer Science, and an undergraduate Artificial Intelligence course (CMPSCI 383 or equivalent). 3 credits.
CMPSCI 683X: Artificial Intelligence
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CMPSCI 687: Reinforcement Learning
Professor: Barto
A comprehensive introduction to reinforcement learning, an approach to artificial intelligence emphasizing learning from interaction to achieve goals in stochastic environments. The focus is on algorithms that learn what actions to take so as to optimize long-term performance. The course covers Markov decision processes, dynamic programming, temporal-difference learning, Monte Carlo learning methods, eligibility traces, the role of neural networks, and the integration of learning and planning. Prerequisites: Basic probability theory and programming skills. A prior course in artificial intelligence is recommended. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 691O: Seminar - Tools for Explanatory and Tutoring Systems
Professor: Woolf
This seminar examines recent work in explanatory and tutoring systems. We will explore research issues in: Collaboratory Environments, Dialogue Systems, Authoring Tools, User Models. The objective of the course is to stimulate awareness of researchissues and to promote sound analytic and design skills as they pertain to building knowledge representations and control strategies. Relevant topics and applications will be presented through readings in the recent literature. Each student will prepare written critiques of each paper, lead several in-class discussions and prepare appropriate questions about the research. Several working systems will be available for hands-on critique. Readings for the course are contained in several bound volumes of articles and technical reports available in the main CMPSCI office. There is a charge for these volumes. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 691Z: Seminar - Simulation and Evaluation of Computer Systems
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CMPSCI 696A: Independent Study - Performance Evaluation
Professor: Towsley
An integral part of the design and operation of any system (both hardware and software) is the process of evaluating the performance of the system. This might be done, for example, to quantitatively assess the tradeoffs of various design alternatives in a system under design or the effects of a parameter change in an operational system. In this course, we will study mathematical techniques commonly used for modeling and performance evaluation; performance evaluation via simulation will also be briefly covered. Topics include: Review of probabilty theory, continuous and discrete-time Markov chains, queueing models, networks of queues, approximation techniques, and simulation. Case performance studies will also be drawn from the areas of computer architecture, operating systems, distributed systems, and computer networks and protocols. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 710: Advanced Compiler Techniques
Professor: Mckinley
Advanced compiler techniques will study the construction of optimizing compilers with a focus on uniprocessor architectures. The course will cover data-flow analysis, program optimization, and code generation across basic blocks, procedures, and complete programs. Classical topics such as interprocedural and intraprocedural analysis, intermediate representations, register allocation, and scheduling will be presented in the context of modern uniprocessors. The course will also cover dependence analysis and loop transformations: the building blocks for optimizing for memory hierarchies and parallel machines. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 710X: Advanced Compiler Techniques
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CMPSCI 715: Cryptography and Network Security
Professor: Landau
This course will survey current cryptography including public-key cryptography, Diffie-Hellman, RSA, DES, Clipper and related key-escrow systems. We will briefly study algorithms for primality testing, factoring, and discrete log. We will look at various cryptoanalytic attacks, including the low- and high-exponent attacks on RSA, Kocher's timing attacks, the linear cryptoanalytic attacks on DES, DES cracker, and Blaze's attack on Clipper. Applications will include digital time-stamping, digital cash,secure email. Network security issues will include PGP, Kerberos, Needham-Schroeder, and attacks on these, firewalls, and various authentication issues. If time permits, elliptic curves will be discussed. There will be several problem sets and one required paper. Prerequisites: CMPSCI 611 or instructor's permission. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 715: Cryptography and Network Security
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CMPSCI 791D: Seminar - System Support for Next Generation Applications
Professor: Shenoy
The current euphoria over the World Wide Web does not do full justice to the potential of the Internet; with the manifold increase in CPU processing power and network bandwidth, it is inevitable that the future Internet will support distributed applications of great complexity. Concurrently, these technological advances have also led to a proliferation of multimedia applications that access heterogeneous data such as audio, video, images, animation sequences, text, etc. This seminar course will investigate the impact of these two trends on the design of future operating systems and networks. The first half of this course will investigate system support for distributed multimedia applications, and will include topics such as predictable allocation of processor, I/O and network bandwidth, and storage and retrieval of heterogeneous data. The second half of the course will investigate how these applications can be deployed over the Internet by providing seamless access to computational and data resources over wide area networks. Topics such as metacomputing, distributed caching on the Internet, and scalable services will be covered. A collection of papers describing the state-of-the art in the field will be made available to students. Students will be required to present papers, participate in class discussions and complete a project on a relevant topic of interest. This course assumes familiarity with graduate courses in operating systems and computer networks. However, students without the relevant background may attend; additional material will be provided for off-line reading to fill in the gaps. Additional information can be obtained from the class home page at http://www.cs.umass.edu/~shenoy/courses/fall98. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 791N: Seminar - Instruction Scheduling for Modern Processors
Professor: Moss, Mckinley
This one credit reading seminar will consist of reading and discussing recent papers from the literature concerning static instruction scheduling (i.e., reordering or rewriting instructions prior to execution) for modern uniprocessors, with particular attention to issues of instruction level parallelism, keeping multiple functional units busy, handling long and variable latencies (such as loads from memory), and multi-way issue. The seminar is designed to be of particular benefit to those working in the areas of compilation, optimization, and computer architecture. Participating students and faculty will lead discussions of papers in turn. Grading will be based primarily on participation in the process. Prerequisites: graduate level subjects in compilation and computer architecture or permission of the instructors. 1 credit.
CMPSCI 791P: Seminar - From Sensors to Concepts
Professor: Cohen
We will read foundational papers and current research on topics concerning the development of representations. Infants are born without sophisticated mental representations but acquire them somehow. AI programs are "born with" sophisticated representations because we build them. My research concerns how AI programs can learn representations, accomplishing the same intellectual feat as infants. Roughly 1/2 of the papers in the course will be from EKSL. The remaining papers are from philosophy, psychology, linguistics and computer science. The more mathematical papers concern the induction of DFAs and HMMs from data and a variety of statistical methods in machine learning. Students will be required to write commentaries on the papers and will receive letter grades at the end of the semester. 3 credits.
CMPSCI 891M: Theory of Computation
Professor: Barrington
Lectures on various topics in the theory of computation by CMPSCI theory faculty, possible guest speakers, and seminar students. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in CMPSCI or permission of the instructor. 1 credit.
CMPSCI H01: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 201
Professor: Graham
We select one or more of the course topics and explore them in more depth than is possible in the main course. In particular, we see how the architectural concepts are applied in a real computer rather than the simple instructional computer used in class. Readings are assigned and discussed in once-a-week meetings. Students are assigned one or more projects using an Intel I86 based computer, such as the IBM PC, that require application of the concepts studied studied in class. Grades are based on written reports, participation in discussions, and the application of concepts in the projects. 1 credit.
CMPSCI H02: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 287
Professor: Popplestone
We will examine how the programming paradigms discussed in 287 are exhibited in more modern Functional Languages (SML, Haskell), Logic Languages (Prolog), Object Oriented Languages (C++ & the objectclass extension of Pop-11). Recommended for Juniors, Seniors. 1 credit.
CMPSCI H03: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 383
Professor: Zilberstein
Honors section will involve advanced study and implementation of one of the AI techniques covered in CMPSCI 383. The particular application will be determined based on student interest. Possible projects include game playing, automated information gathering over the internet, software agents, hierarchical planning systems, satisficing reasoning techniques. Recommended for Juniors and Seniors; Majors and Non-majors. 1 credit.
CMPSCI H04: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 491A (410)
Professor: Moss
In addition to scheduled class hours, an additional class for advanced topics will be required. The course contains a five-part programming project and the honors students will be required to complete more advanced functionality for each of the parts.1 credit.
CMPSCI H06: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 445
Professor: Allan
Practical issues of database design and implementation. Students will substantially extend a project that is part of the CMPSCI 445 class by implementing components of a database system. Where appropriate, students will browse and discuss current related research. Individual projects and group discussion is the criteria for grading/evaluation. 1 credit.
CMPSCI H07: Honors Colloquium for CMPSCI 320
Professor: Clarke
The integration aspects of software development. Students will gian first hand experience with project integration issues as applied to the course project. Participation, presentations, and the quality of contributions will be the criteria for grading/evaluation. 1 credit.
