Syllabus
Logistics
- Time and Location:
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Mostly asynchronous! See Calendar for deadlines
We will sometimes check in on Weds at 2pm over zoom using this room. - Faculty Info
- Shelby Kimmel
Please call me "Professor Kimmel" or "Professor"
Pronouns: she/her
Office: 75 Shannon, Room 210, but I won't be there :(
skimmel [at] middlebury (dot) edu - Office Hours
- Location: TBD
- Drop-in: M&W: 11:30-12:30, F: 9-10
- Appointment: TBD. Reserve a time at go/KimmelHours.
- If Drop-in and Appointment hours don't work with your schedule and you would like to meet, please send me an e-mail.
- Communication
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- I will e-mail you for urgent matters. You can always feel free to e-mail me, but I will not answer technical latex or other similar issues over e-mail, only in "person."
- I will keep the Calendar up-to-date with assignments and notes.
- Canvas Site
- Canvas
- Panopto
- Panopto
- Department Wiki
- Department Wiki
Learning Goals
- Engage in independent computer science research
- Communicate technical scientific ideas using various media and to various audiences
- Participate in academic culture
Environment
It is important to me to create an inclusive learning environment where diversity and individual differences are respected and recognized as a source of strength. However, this is by nature a team effort, and I expect you to join me in fostering such an environment.
You deserve a learning environment free of comments or assumptions that are based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, accent, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, body size/type, ability status, socioeconomic status, age, or veteran status. I am continually working to recognize and unlearn my own biases and to keep them from causing harm. I expect you to do the same, and to be willing to have a dialog about these biases as needed.
If you experience or witness any behavior that opposes the creation of an inclusive learning space, it would be helpful for me to know so that I can address it, but I recognize that this is additional work that may be difficult. If you are comfortable reporting such incidents, there are a few ways you can do so:
- Talk to me or e-mail me
- Report it in our anonymous CS departmental climate feedback form
- Fill out a Bias Incident Report which goes to the Middlebury Community Bias Response Team
You belong in this class and in the computer science department. Thank you for being here and for contributing to this course.
Names/Pronouns
I will use the gender pronoun and name you go by, and I expect you to use the names and pronouns your classmates go by. I will ask for this information in a form the first week of class, but I understand that some students may be in the process of exploring their gender identity, may not feel comfortable sharing a gender pronoun, or may not go by gender pronouns; you can let me know if you do not want to share a gender pronoun.
Academic Accommodations
Students with documented disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact me as early in the semester as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Assistance is available to eligible students through the Disability Resource Center (formerly called Student Accessibility Services). Please contact one of the ADA Coordinators for more information: Jodi Litchfield, who can be reached at litchfie@middlebury.edu or 802-443-5936, or Peter Ploegman, who can be reached at pploegman@middlebury.edu or 802-443-2382. All discussions will remain confidential.
Laptop Loaner Program
If you ever find yourself temporarily in need of a laptop, the Computer Science department has 10 rotating Dell laptops available to our students. These come pre-installed with software for most of the courses in the major. They are available to be loaned out short-term or long-term based on your need (as determined by you). Feel free to ask your professor ahead of time if you think you need one for just a class period, or you can send an e-mail to rlichenstein [at] middlebury.edu directly.
On Long-Term Use: College policy has changed recently to include the expectation that every student have a laptop available. The college provides laptops to those who need them where “need” is based on Student Financial Services calculations. If you anticipate needing a laptop for the whole term, we encourage you to inquire with Student Financial Services and the library first due to our smaller pool of equipment. However, our department commits to meeting the needs of every student, so do not be afraid to reach out if you believe you need one of our laptops for any length of time.
Title IX
You deserve a community free from discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you experience or know of a Title IX violation, you have many options for confidential support and/or to report your experience. At go/titleIX you can read more about how to get help and support. Note that I am a mandatory (non-confidential) reporter.
Learning
Learning happens when you develop new neural pathways. You do this by repeatedly practicing new skills. Thus, my role is to facilitate your learning by providing guided practice with feedback. For example, there are many "rough" drafts due throughout the semester. I expect you to take these drafts seriously, as they are one of the main vehicles through which you will improve your communication skills.
Honor Code
You are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity in this course. All work you turn in should be your own. Particularly be careful of plagiarism. If you have any questions about what is appropriate, please discuss with me.
Assessments
Execution
A well-executed thesis consists of- A well-defined hypothesis of appropriate scope
- Methods of investigating your hypothesis that demonstrate a deep understanding of the problem
- Sufficient effort towards a result, regardless of eventual outcome
- Independent work
Each of these sub-criteria contributes approximately 10% to your final grade. We discuss each of these points in a bit more detail.
Hypothesis
The thesis should answer a research question (which may not be the research question you initially sought to answer). A research question can be phrased in terms of a hypothesis, which is a statement that you plan to test, analyze, or investigate in order to determine whether it is true. Some examples:- By parallelizing all of the components of the XHMM algorithm with Apache Spark and ADAM we can achieve a speedup over the existing implementation.
- There is a quantum algorithm for directed st-connectivity that uses at most $O(n^{3/2})$ queries on an $n$-vertex graph.
- Commonly used iOS apps are at risk of fuzzing attacks via local ports.
The hypothesis you attempt to investigate should be challenging but feasible (i.e. not overly ambitious) given the very short time frame of a single semester. Please consult closely with your advisor to choose an appropriate hypothesis. Execution is partly dependent on the scope of the hypothesis you investigate. Perfect execution of a simple project may not earn a better grade than imperfect execution of a more challenging project. But an impossible project will be exactly that, impossible to execute well.
Appropriate Methods
Methods will vary based on your topic. You should determine your methods through your reading of research in your subfield and/or in consultation with your advisor.
Sufficient Effort
You can't always predict the challenges you will face, and thus may not always be able to answer your research question in the time available. However you can demonstrate a thoughtful understanding of any limitations, and show creativity in your attempts to overcome those challenges. You can also show an ability to take past criticism into account in your future work. Your effort will be primarily assessed through weekly reflections, and the progress you make through your drafts. See reflection instructions.
Independent Work
The thesis is an independent project. It is not your advisor's role to give you a task list or a set of project deliverables. However, your advisor is a resource to provide advice as needed. One of your first tasks will be to discuss with your advisor how you plan to work together on this project.
Written Thesis
The final written thesis will be one of the key ways we assess your execution of the thesis. However, we are also assessing your ability to communicate technical scientific ideas in writing, which is the standard way of expressing a scientific result. This criteria deals with your ability to clearly and appropriately convey the work you did via writing. See these guidelines for more specific requirements and advice regarding writing.
Final Presentation
Another key way that scientific results are communicated is through talks. You will give a final short presentation that should distill the ideas of your thesis into a talk that is accessible to a 3rd year undergraduate Computer Science major. Your presentation should focus on the motivation for your project, the methods you employed, and the results you obtained. (It should not focus on background; you are not teaching a class!)
Poster
Another important way that scientific results are communicated is through posters and poster presentations. You will create a poster that is accessible to a 3rd year undergraduate Computer Science major. Your poster should focus on the motivation for your project, the methods you employed, and the results you obtained. (It should not focus on background!)
Participation
Deliverables (e.g. drafts, elevator pitches, responses to seminars, practice presentations) should be completed in a timely way and to any specifications. You are expected to attend any required live class sessions. You are expected to attend any computer science department seminars. (The seminar schedule will be posted on the course website as it becomes available.)
