The System and Development Group (SDAG) in the Computer Science Dept. is currently working on a variety of computer-related projects including the Maruti hard Real-Time Operating System, the Cyclone Real-Time Networking Project, and the NetDyn Internet Measurement Project. This group is also working on projects like Rover and Draco Technology under MIND Laboratory.
Required: We are looking for student volunteers who would be interested in working on one of the above projects. The student should possess a strong background in computer science, have good communication skills, be able to learn on his or her own, as well as be willing to explore new research areas/topics.
Recommended: Experience with the C progra.mming language, the Unix operating system, and having taken CMSC classes (networking, computer architecture, and operating systems) is a definite plus.
Michael Anderson
Computer Science
4447 A.V. Williams Bldg.
301-405-1746 / anderson@cs.umd.edu
It is well known that participants in dialog use metalanguage -- that is, they talk about the dialog itself, or specific words in the dialog: as in, "What do you mean by X?" or "When I say 'photoreceptors' I mean both rods and cones." For some time we have been investigating just how often, and in what specific contexts, people tend to use metalanguage, and whether there are reliable linguistic markers which signal the use of metalanguage.
This straightforward project will use the data previously gathered from human dialog to design and build an automated detection system for human metalanguage.
This project is part of a larger, ongoing effort to develop flexible, interactive, adaptable and error-tolerant natural language computer interfaces.
Required: Basic statistics and/or Java programming ability
Jerome Buzzi
Mathematics
4102 Mathematics Building
301-405-5068 / buzzi@math.umd.edu
Computer-based analysis of chaotic dynamical systems
Chaotic dynamical systems can have a very complex behavior (see pictures at, e.g., www-chaos.umd.edu). In many cases this complexity can be analyzed mathematically, yielding for example that the set of possible time evolutions can be described by a graph with certain properties.
The goal of the proposed project is to actually compute such graphs for some special cases to understand further properties of these graphs and of the dynamics they describe.
This will afford the student the experience of completing a medium-sized, scientific computer project, an introduction to basic research and possibly the opportunity to present the results in a seminar or conference.
Required: Very basic mathematics (e.g., knowing how to compute the intersection of lines and polygons)
Some knowledge of computer programming including structured data types
Other: Curiosity, imagination and perseverance, especially in the face of bugs will be necessary. No prior knowledge of dynamical system theory is required.
Bruce Kane
Physics
Laboratory for Physical Sciences
301-935-6418 / bekane@umd.edu
Quantum computing using spins in semiconductors. Student will work on experiments
on semiconductor nanostructures at low temperatures; also computer modeling
of quantum computational processes.
Required: Students should have completed two years of undergraduate
physics.
Recommended: Reasonable proficiency with computers.
Web site: http://www.lps.umd.edu/quantum_computing/quantum_computing.html
Daniel Kirk-Davidoff
Meterology
3423 Computer and Space Sciences
301-405-5364 / dankd@atmos.umd.edu
Research Project: Climate change research
Project 1: Paleoclimate research Fifty-five million years ago there were crodiles living near the North Pole. Why were some past climate so dramatically different from our present climate? I think clouds in the stratosphere might have helped keep the crocodiles warm in the winter. Help me work out the details.
Project 2: When the Mediterranean sea evaporated a mere 5 1/2 million years ago, the Mediterranean sea almost completely evaporated, leaving a huge canyon. I'm using climate models to explore some of the causes and implications of this event. I could use some help combing the scientific literature for clues about how climate in surrounding regions changed when this happened. I also want to put together a high school curriculum unit about this dramatic event in earth history.
Project 3: I also want to put together a high school curriculum unit about the Messinian desiccation; I could use some help with the web- page. This would require html skills and a good eye for clear visual presentation of information.
Project 4: Wind farms and climate We could power this whole country's electric grid using power from the wind. But we'd need a lot of wind mills! Help me find out whether or not all those wind mills would change climate in a way we should worry about.
Project 5: Climate Sensitivity: Adding CO2 to the atmosphere is warming the world. But just how much warmer will it get? Using some somewhat fancy math, I think I might be able to make a better estimate by observing present climate fluctuations. Learn about time series analysis and about building simple climate models.
Required: Math through calculus, and some programming experience.
Recommended: A little knowledge of earth history and meteorology would be helpful, but you can learn as you go.
Pattern Formation in Granular Flows
Analyze the formation of patterns in granular flows with high speed and high resolution imaging techniques. See www.ireap.umd.edu/granular/ for more information.
Required: One year of physics courses. Some programming experience in Windows.
Atif Memon
Computer Science
4115 A.V. Williams Bldg.
301-405-3071 / amemon@umd.edu
Software testing is a critical component of the software development process and is required to ensure the safety, robustness and usability of software. Unfortunately, it is also complex, labor intensive and expensive, accounting for almost 67% of the total cost of software development. Hence, there has been significant research aimed at automating the testing process. Although automation has achieved some success, many problems remain. In particular, it is not yet clear how to automate the testing of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which constitute an increasingly large portion of software systems (almost 50% of the total software code). Recognizing the importance of GUI testing, we have developed GUITAR, a GUI testing framework that presents a unified solution to the GUI testing problem. In the last four years, we have had considerable success in developing new technologies for GUI testing. Most of the results of our research have been published. I encourage you to visit our publications page. Our emphasis has been on developing new event-based tools and techniques for various phases of GUI testing. Please look at http://guitar.cs.umd.edu.
Required: Programming skills, Java or C++
Howard Milchberg
Institute for Physical Science and Technology
2122 IPST Building
301-405-4816 / milch@umd.edu
General experimental programs in intense laser-matter interaction; data collection, electronics, numerical simulation, optics, small experimental and theoretical projects.
Required: Electrical
engineering or physics undergraduate preferred, with GPA of at least 3.5.
Climate links between remote regions (Teleconnections): Structure and Mechanisms
The term teleconnection is used in atmospheric sciences to describe the climate links between geographically separated regions. The remote region need not exhibit fluctuations of the same sign in order to be "teleconnected." In fact, the interesting teleconnections often involve contemporaneous variations of opposite signs. For example, winter variations in temperature and rainfall over southern Europe and the Iberian peninsula are frequently opposite to those over northwestern Europe and Scandinavia; the underlying variability pattern is called the North Atlantic Oscillation. The North American winters are, in fact, influenced by a number of teleconnnection patterns, including the one excited by the El Nino related warming of tropical Pacific sea-surface temperatures.
The project will focus on characterizing the hydroclimate footprints of these patterns in observations and in state-of-the-art ocean-atmosphere model simulations/projections of current/future climates.
Required: Second/third year students with interest/expertise in statistical analysis (e.g., correlations, analysis of variance); with GPA of at least 3.50. Familiarity with MATLAB or comparable software packages will be helpful, as will be exposure to computer programming (Fortran) and UNIX OS.
Recommended: Background in Physics, Applied Math, or Environmental Sciences is preferred.
Other: Please visit
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~nigam/ for more information on ongoing research activities
Scientific applications of the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) such as precise positioning, ionospheric and atmospheric monitoring, gravity field monitoring, relativity, navigation, sea-level variations and global change, etc. Student will be working at the UMBC campus and will have access to the GSFC library system. We are now looking for Computer Science students, proficient in web site development, UNIX operating system scripting, and AI applications in data mining and analysis. For a broader picture of the available projects, please visit our web site:
http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/~epavlis/interdisciplinary.html
Required: Second or third year students with some proficiency in computer FORTRAN programming, calculus and linear algebra/numerical methods, and UNIX OS.
Recommended: Good physics background.
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: Application to Communication Systems
Develop techniques for encoded communication with chaotic waveforms. Implement with software and hardware.
Required: Proficiency in programming personal computers, use of packages such as MATLAB.
Recommended: Solving differential equations numerically, familiarity with electronic circuits.
Please contact me for further details about the project.
Peter Teuben
Astronomy
0237 Computer and Space Sciences Building
301-405-1540 / teuben@astro.umd.edu
NEMO Stellar Dynamics Toolbox
Participate in the development of a medium sized software package that enables researchers to study the dynamics of stellar systems under the influence of gravity and perhaps other forces.
Depending on the interest of the student, this might be development of graphical interfaces, working on parallel algorithms, data mining issues, and even Windows/MacOSX portability.
Visit the project web site: http://www.astro.umd.edu/nemo.
Required: C or C++ programming, unix/linux environment (or Windows/Mac if you wish to port).
Recommended: Basic math and physics, concepts relating to making and building a medium sized software package.
Arpita Upadhyaya
Physics
0110 IPST Building
301-405-9939 / arpitau@umd.edu
Force generation by actin polymerization
Cell migration requires the precise spatio-temporal control of a number of mechanical and chemical machines within the cell. One such machine is a highly dynamic network of polymers, called actin and its associated proteins. Controlled polymerization of actin provides the necessary force to move cells in a directed manner in response to chemical and physical stimuli. This project will focus on studying the mechanical properties of actin polymers subject to different experimental conditions. Students will have the opportunity to learn various techniques including high resolution imaging and quantitative data analysis depending on their interests.
There are other available projects that study other aspects of the biophysics of cell migration. For further details contact me at: arpitau@umd.edu.
Recommended: Some proficiency in MATLAB programming and data analysis. Familiarity with biology lab work or the desire to learn some labwork is recommended.
Mark Walter Participate in the construction, commissioning, and operation of an electron
ring accelerator. Our team of researchers and students design, Required: Fundamental computer skills, basic electical/mechanical skills,
and a willingness to do hands-on work.
Recommended: Interest in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering,
beam physics, and electromagnetics.
Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics
Building #223
301-405-5026 / mwalter@umd.edu
prototype, test, install, develope controls, and experiment with all the equipment
associated with accelerator technology.
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