Research in ComputingCSC 3990

September 17, 2012

My Research JourneyA winding pathGuided by

Curiosity“The open range”Paying attentionWillingness to learn lots of things

Watch for threads

Problem 1College: Junior yearStability theory of differential equations

Richard Bellman, 1953Determining properties of solutions from the

analytic form of the equationNo computingLots of linear algebra and analysisBellman’s view of “elementary” and mine were

very different.

Problem 2College: Junior yearText processing; database queriesFind all the town names in California that can be

made from the letters in the phrase ….Hammer looking for a nail

Hammer = IBM 1620Nail = a problem to motivate learning to program

Problem 2 : ResultsLearned

Fortran II1620 Assembly LanguageSystem constraints, quirks

Problem 2 : Follow-onSummer internship with IBMSummer 1: Teaching machineSummer 2: Thick film exposureSummer 3: Fingerprint identification

Problem 3Grad school thesis problem: Classify the

connections on a semi-simple Lie groupGroupLie groupSimple Lie groupSemi-simple Lie groupConnection

Problem 3 : SolutionRepresentations of Lie algebrasSymbolic computation“What if the computer isn’t correct?”

A road not taken

Problem 4First collaboration Multiplicities of representations of complex

simple Lie algebrasConnections to

Theoretical physicsSymbolic computationComputational algebra

Problem 4 : ComputationLanguage: Fortran IVComputational challenges

Infinite precision arithmeticSummations over elements of a groupEventually zero summations

System challengesOne run (compilation or execution) per dayPhysical management of programs and output

Problem 5Continuing collaboration Classification of small dimension Lie algebras

NilpotentSolvable

Pure mathematics

Problem 5 : ComputationNeed easy matrix calculationsIdeal language: APL

Example: multiplying two matrices A +.x B

Problem 5 : ExtensionsHonors course: Calculus in APLChallenges to computing capabilityInternational collaborations

Cayley, a Lie algebra programming languageSIGSAM community

MacsymaA recent senior project

Classification of finite rings

Problem 6Listening to colleagues; bringing complementary

skillsLinear (and non-linear) optimization techniques

Linear programming Integer programmingGraph theoryGame theory

Problem 6 : ResultsTextbook: Elementary Linear Programming

Problem 7Born of frustrationWhy are the interfaces (to programming

languages) so bad?HCI workshopOngoing HCI course

Problem 7 : ExpansionA few hundred to several thousandAcademic to corporateNeed a niche

Problem 7 : NicheWeb interfacesShifting technologiesShifting uses

Problem 8Responding to colleaguesModeling and optimization

Models of fitnessModels of league schedulingModels of governanceModels for conflict resolution

Problem 9CS in a liberal arts and sciences collegeComputing for everyone

Tools for textLiving in the knowledge societyComputing and musicSustainability in computing courses

Random ProblemsBecause they’re fun

Tower of x’sPacking spheresReconstructing turnpikesConfiguring networks of pipes

Random Questions?

Collaborators Bernard Kolman Ian Stewart Lillian Cassel Ursula Volz Christopher Beck James Solderitsch Elzbieta Dziembowski Edward Fox Edward Carr

Richard Austing Mitchell Weyl Daniel Hardt Thomas Way Vijay Gehlot Peter DiPasquale Elliot Sloane Wingyang Chung