Research Project Descriptions

The following are examples of the types of research projects which will likely be conducted this summer. The exact projects carried out will depend on faculty interest and the background of the selected students. Each project will require a blend of theoretical and applied work.

Time Synchronization for Wireless Sensor Networks:
Professor Khadija Stewart

Wireless sensor networks (WSN's) are a cluster of wireless and often mobile devices, called nodes, which are set up within an environment to monitor its conditions and communicate with each other or a base station. In order for sensor networks to be useful, they must be able to effectively communicate with one another. This requires that all the nodes in the network be synchronized in time. The purpose of this project is to develop a Time Synchronization Protocol for these networks. For this project, we will be using a network simulator that is written in C++. Students should have some C++ experience and should have completed at least Computer Science 1 and Computer Science 2.

Automatic Text Summarization using Word Graphs:
Professor Scott Thede

Automated multi-document text summarization is the generation of a summary of a set of documents by a computer.  The summary should contain the key information from the document set with minimal redundancy.  We have developed a program named PARE (originally standing for Pruner And Redundancy Eliminator) that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) and a back end program for multi-document summarization.  This summarization is done using a unique word graph approach modeled after PageRank, the algorithm used to rank pages for the Google search engine.  We will be continuing work this summer in developing and testing the PARE system.  Particularly, we will work in three areas: (1) continuing the redesign begun last summer, (2) implementing an anaphora resolution module (anaphora resolution involves replacing pronouns and other anaphora with their referents), and (3) improving general performance.  PARE is implemented in Java, but legacy modules exist in Perl and C++ as well – the goal is to have the system completely implemented in Java.  Experience with Java is very important – experience with other languages will be useful, but not required.

Design of Groupware to Support Learning in an Electronic Classroom:
Professor Dave Berque

This project involves the design and evaluation of software to support a pen-based electronic classroom. In this classroom, teacher's notes, consisting of text and images written on a touch sensitive electronic blackboard or with a keyboard, are transmitted to computers at each student's desk. At the same time, each student can use an electronic pen or keyboard to annotate a personal copy of these notes and save them for future replay and study. Student work can also be transmitted to the electronic whiteboard for display and discussion. A precursor of the current system began as a research project at DePauw University and has been extended into a commercial software system named DyKnow Vision (www.dyknow.com) that has been used by tens of thousands of students. As we have gained more experience using the system we have found opportunities to enhance the type of collaborative learning that the system supports by designing, building, and evaluating support for new collaboration modes that leverage the basic system architecture. Our goal is to explore ways to move from a single tool to a set of interrelated but indepedent tools while leveraging the underlying architecture that has already been developed.  Students working on this project during the summer of 2008 will help to design, prototype, and evaluate techniques for better supporting interaction and learning in an electronic classroom. The project is likely to have components that involve human computer interaction; interface design; and data structure and algorithm design. Your work may have an impact on generations of students to come. Requirements: Knowledge of Java at least through the CS2 level is required. Knowege of one or more of the following is useful but not required: Visual Basic .NET, User Interface Design, Human Computer Interaction.