Preamble:
The major motivation for this course is the observation that our graduate students do not have an acceptable mastery of the practical side of algorithm design and analysis. Specifically, the huge amount of material (all mainstream algorithmic techniques and paradigms) taught in CS600, remains mostly at the level of ``theory'', without the students being able to apply these techiniques and paradigms. The principle goal of this ``hands-on'' course is to reinforce the algorithmic concepts that the students have acquired in CS600 via a number of comprehensive projects that involve the design and analysis of algorithms for applications originating in, and having applications to, a number of areas of computer science. One of the major features of this course is to blend problem solving, with modeling, and with the mathematical assessment of the goodness of the solutions proposed. Yet another feature is team-work: the students will have to cooperate to solve a given problem. This will enhance their presentation and communication skill along with their ability to critique solutions proposed by other menbers of the team.
Course Description:
The course will involve solving two or three comprehensive projects anchored in computer science and engineering. Possible topics for projects include:
1. computational issues in network design and analysis; 2. scheduling problems and applications; 3. digital geometry and pattern recognition; 4. image processing and computer vision applications; 5. robotics
The lectures will contain a complete WORKED example of student project that will be followed in detail from the problem formulation stage, through the modeling stage, the abstraction stage, the solution stage, and finally the interpretation stage.
The participants should expect to apply results and techniques discussed in class to specific problems originating in, and having applications to, a large number of problems in computer science. It is also expected that the students will present their results to the class in both oral and written form.
Prerequisites: CS483