Ruben Gamboa - US grants

EIA-0216592
James L .Caldwell
Jeffrey Van Baalen
Gamboa Ruben

MRI: Acquisition of a Network of Workstations Serving as a Platform for Distributed Automated Reasoning

This proposal from an EPCoR state, adapting current parallel and distributed theorem
proving technology to a setting in which different computation servers become available in an unpredictable fashion, aims at building a network of workstations that can be used as a computational server for research. A cluster of high-performance workstations running Linux and the required networking infrastructure will be acquired. The effort will make available a large proportion of the computational facilities of the department for theorem proving efforts. In this setting, the search for the proof of a single theorem will be spread between all the idle workstations participating in the distributed proof effort.
In extending model checking to infinite state spaces, the research involves exploring two approaches for protocol verification: Development of,
1. On-the-fly model checker based on a 3-values logic and,
2. Theorem proving methods that can reduce a protocol's state space to a finite size.

Mueller
DMS-0639325

This CSUMS project prepares undergraduates in mathematics to
pursue graduate work in cryptography, a field of mathematics
where computation is of extreme importance. Indeed, cryptography
is a multidisciplinary field. Designing secure communication
protocols is a complex issue, requiring considerable training and
research in a wide range of topics, including abstract number
theory and computation. Consequently, major centers in
cryptography worldwide feature strong links between mathematics
and computer science. Research in this area requires skills from
both fields, and this presents a major challenge for young
researchers coming from either background alone. This program is
designed to help students in mathematics gain the necessary
skills so that they can succeed in their subsequent graduate and
postgraduate career. Participating students are required to take
a comprehensive program of study which (a) prepares them for
graduate work in mathematics, (b) gives them the necessary
foundation in number theory and cryptography, and (c) enables
them to use computers in their research, including writing
distributed programs that operate on large numbers -- a special
requirement of the central research theme of this project.
Second, participating students take part in a year-long research
project, such as the following: implementation and analysis of
new cryptosystems, distributed attacks on existing or developing
cryptosystems, discovery through computation of numbers with
special properties (e.g., large pseudosquares), or computational
experiments to verify research conjectures in cryptography
theory. All research projects revolve around computation.
Moreover, the projects stem directly from the research efforts of
the principal investigator and her colleague.

Each student participating in this project prepares for
computationally-intensive mathematical research. As a group, the
students also participate directly in such research, exploring
basic questions about cryptography and related areas. After
participating in the program, the students are well prepared to
pursue graduate school in mathematics or cryptography. They also
are able to perform research in others of the many branches of
mathematics where computation plays a significant role. In
short, the program helps strengthen the kind of education that
prepares students for professional as well as academic careers in
cryptography and the burgeoning field of information security and
privacy. The project is supported by the MPS Division of
Mathematical Sciences, the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary
Activities, the EHR Division of Undergraduate Education, and
NSF's EPSCoR program.

Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
Division Computer and Network Systems (CNS)
Science of Design (SoD) Program

Proposal Number: 0613919
P/I: Ruben Gamboa
Institution: University of Wyoming

Title: "SoD-HCER: Comprehensibility as a Design Criterion"

Award: $ 157,428
Duration: 24 months


The focus of this project is on software design comprehensibility where an objective measure of comprehensibility is proposed that can be determined by the use of automated techniques for detecting program constraints. Using comprehensibility as a criterion for evaluating designs poses a major intellectual challenge because comprehensibility is a subjective notion that complicates the task of detecting it automatically. The proposers' approach toward detecting comprehensibility is to modify two program analysis tools (Daikon and AbsInt) so that those tools can be used to comprehend "good" designs. The project has two main research goals: a) Determine if comprehensibility captures the informal notion of "good" design. This goal represents the empirical validation (or refutation) of the main thesis, that comprehensibility is the key quality shared by good designs; and, b) Identify design features that make designs more comprehensible. The intent here is to analyze different programs that are freely accessible on the Internet to identify designs that are easily comprehended by the tools, and then to see what design features they have in common. This is a highly speculative goal, but it is the main scientific question raised by the research. Moreover, it is one that can have a broad impact on the practice of programming. The thesis of this project, that comprehensibility can be used as a single criterion for evaluating design quality and that this criterion can be measured objectively by using automated tools that infer meaning from programs, provides a single and testable criterion to measure quality. This research brings the art of software design one step closer to a scientific footing. An early benefit of this project will be the identification of design features that lead to greater comprehensibility, hence to better design quality. Moreover, the integration of automated tools to measure design quality objectively is an aspect of this proposal that is unique and innovative. If successful, the project may contribute to the body of knowledge of the science of design by presenting "good" design precepts for practitioners to follow. In addition, the proposed research has the potential to make a significant impact both on computer science education and on the practice of programming in general. If this project is successful in establishing that comprehensibility is an adequate measure of design quality, students and professional designers will have a new and objective way to judge different designs.

Program Manager: Anita J. La Salle
Date: June 28, 2006

This ITEST Strategies project is developing, implementing and studying an intervention for students and teachers in ten middle schools in Wyoming that includes computational thinking and spatial visualization in the contexts of gaming and robotics. It is impacting 42 teachers and their students. The project is delivering the content using culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP). The CRP emphasis is being implemented in the proposed intervention and is strongly reflected in the project personnel, which includes representatives from African American, Mexican, and Native American cultures, as well as in the recruitment plan, which also includes females and disabled persons. The lead institution is the University of Wyoming, with cooperation from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and evaluation by MER Associates. Alexander Repenning of the University of Colorado is providing teacher professional development in computational thinking.

Research questions are investigating: 1) the strategies most likely to develop student skills in computational thinking and spatial visualization; 2) the strategies most likely to develop student interest, readiness, and participation in STEM careers; 3) the strategies teachers use to infuse culturally responsive pedagogy and develop student understanding of computational thinking in math and science courses; and 4) how the project leverages the social and cultural capacity of the cultural and STEM communities. The evaluator is primarily responsible for collecting and analyzing the data, with oversight from the Advisory Board. Data sources include document review, surveys, interviews, and student performance data. Analyses are being conducted to exam variances associated with gender, ethnicity, and English proficiency.

The University of Wyoming, partnering with the Wyoming Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and districts and high schools throughout the state, proposes a project to bring AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) to students across Wyoming. The project will adapt and adopt the Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) - an AP CSP course developed at UC Berkeley - to prepare students for the new AP CSP exam. The PIs have significant experience working with middle and high school teachers throughout Wyoming, especially with mathematics teachers, who are the main providers of high school computing education in the state. The project leverages this experience by offering significant professional development (PD) during a summer session and school year follow-up. Over the summer, teachers will be introduced to the Snap! programming language and its development environment, and the details of preparing students for the AP CSP examination. Further PD opportunities will take place throughout the school year in the form of one-on-one peer mentoring and online teacher circles, which will be particularly useful in the sparsely populated state of Wyoming. The project will work closely with high school teachers to teach the course as a pilot at high schools in Albany County and Laramie County. After the pilot, it will extend the collaboration to other school districts in Wyoming, ultimately reaching the entire state.

The Beauty and Joy, Adapted and Adopted project will modify the existing BJC curriculum to include alternative units on topics of particular interest in Wyoming such as simulation of global climate models. The project staff will conduct professional development for in-service teachers to improve high school computer science instruction in Wyoming. The external evaluation will examine the implementation of rigorous courses in computer science in high schools throughout the state of Wyoming through the adoption of AP CSP classes, and the extent to which broadening participation in computer science is advanced using AP CSP as a vehicle. The key question addressed by the external evaluation is the following: "To what extent was the project implemented as designed and did it achieve its stated goals and objectives?"