ECE 750
Special Topics in Computer Software
Fall 2026 · Scalable Computer System Design
Topics
- (exact topics/problems covered in the course are subject to change)
- Concepts of scalability in computer systems
- What does scalability mean in different contexts?
- Understanding key scalability metrics.
- Analytical models for scalability analysis of parallel and distributed algorithms, e.g., Amdahl’s/Gustafson’s law, Roofline, PRAM, LogP [1, 2, 26, 28].
- Overview of scalable computing platforms, middleware and development tools
- Scalable multi -processor (e.g., SMP/UMA vs. NUMA), many -core (e.g., GPU), and multi -node, distributed memory architectures.
- Scalable network topologies - enabler for scalable distributed computing, e.g., Fat tree, Torus, and Dragonfly [3, 4, 24, 25].
- A quick introduction to data parallel and distributed computation models (e.g., SMT, MIMD, SPMD, PGAS and Dataflow), scalable distributed messaging techniques (e.g., RMA, non -blocking, and collective communication) and implementation/runtime frameworks (e.g., OpenMP, CUDA, MPI and Spark) [5].
- Concepts such as workers, task/job scheduling, data distribution/partitioning, local vs. remote data access, and load balancing. How to identify common scalability bottlenecks and address them.
- Scalable storage solution design
- Distributed file systems [6, 7].
- Distributed data stores [8, 9].
- Cloud and data center computing
- Geo-distributed caching - enabler of scalable cloud services [8, 16, 17].
- Serverless computing - a modern approach to scalable cloud services [18, 19].
- Resource allocation and management in hyperscale data centers [20].
- Big data analytics
- Scalable similarity search [29] and clustering [30] solutions for large-scale, high-dimensional vector data.
- Distributed processing of massive scale -free graphs - understanding scalability challenges of highly irregular problems and how to design scalable solutions [13-15].
Readings
- Principles of Computer System Design: An Introduction, Jerome H. Saltzer, M. Frans Kaashoek, 1st edition
- Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Maarten van Steen, 4th edition
- Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design , George Coulouris, Jean Dollimore, Tim Kindberg, Gordon Blair, 5th edition
Winter 2025 · (Topic XX):
Topics
- and schedule
Readings
- Subsuming Methods: Finding New Optimisation Opportunities in Object-Oriented Software
- Detecting Large-Scale System Problems by Mining Console Logs
- Producing Wrong Data Without Doing Anything Obviously Wrong!
- Lightweight, High-Resolution Mon- itoring for Troubleshooting Production Systems
Winter 2025 · Topic 35, ECE 493 Topic 26
Topics
- Target topics include*:
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including verbal interaction (e.g. speech and dialogue), non -verbal interaction (e.g. gestures, facial expression) as well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Areas discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures. Different experimental designs, protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Selected examples of applications of social robots e.g. in care, therapy, education, rehabilitation and co-worker scenarios will be discussed throughout the course
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
- d around mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Fall 2025 · Scalable Computer System Design
Topics
- (exact topics/problems covered in the course are subject to change)
- Concepts of scalability in computer systems
- What does scalability mean in different contexts?
- Understanding key scalability metrics.
- Analytical models for scalability analysis of parallel and distributed algorithms, e.g., Amdahl’s/Gustafson’s law, Roofline, PRAM, LogP [1, 2, 26, 28].
- Overview of scalable computing platforms, middleware and development tools
- Scalable multi -processor (e.g., SMP/UMA vs. NUMA), many -core (e.g., GPU), and multi -node, distributed memory architectures.
- Scalable network topologies - enabler for scalable distributed computing, e.g., Fat tree, Torus, and Dragonfly [3, 4, 24, 25].
- A quick introduction to data parallel and distributed computation models (e.g., SMT, MIMD, SPMD, PGAS and Dataflow), scalable distributed messaging techniques (e.g., RMA, non -blocking, and collective communication) and implementation/runtime frameworks (e.g., OpenMP, CUDA, MPI and Spark) [5].
- Concepts such as workers, task/job scheduling, data distribution/partitioning, local vs. remote data access, and load balancing. How to identify common scalability bottlenecks and address them.
- Scalable storage solution design
- Distributed file systems [6, 7].
- Distributed data stores [8, 9].
- Cloud and data center computing
- Geo-distributed caching - enabler of scalable cloud services [8, 16, 17].
- Serverless computing - a modern approach to scalable cloud services [18, 19].
- Resource allocation and management in hyperscale data centers [20].
- Big data analytics
- Scalable similarity search [29] and clustering [30] solutions for large-scale, high-dimensional vector data.
- Distributed processing of massive scale -free graphs - understanding scalability challenges of highly irregular problems and how to design scalable solutions [13-15].
Readings
- Principles of Computer System Design: An Introduction, Jerome H. Saltzer, M. Frans Kaashoek, 1st edition
- Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Maarten van Steen, 4th edition
- Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design , George Coulouris, Jean Dollimore, Tim Kindberg, Gordon Blair, 5th edition
Winter 2024 · Foundations of Multi-agent Systems
Topics
- Game theory, mechanism design, utility and risk
- Normal-form games and Nash/correlated equilibria
- Computation of solution concepts
- Extensive-form games and backward induction
- Repeated, stochastic, Bayesian and congestion games
- Auctions, incentive compatibility and revelation principle
- Multi-agent reinforcement learning, fictitious play and regret minimization
Readings
- Multi-agent SystemsOptional reference; no main textbook.
- Algorithmic Game Theory
- Twenty Lectures on Algorithmic Game Theory
- The Theory of Learning in Games
- Game Theory
- A Course in Game Theory
Winter 2024 · Topic 33 Artificial Life: Embodied Intelligence
Topics
- Logic of Life vs. Embodied Artificial Life; Braitenberg Vehicles; Role of the Observer; Emergence; Self-Organization; Self-* Properties (autopoiesis, self- maintenance, etc.)
- Embodied agents, classification, issues of autonomy and design, degrees of embodiment
- Enactive, Connectionist, and Cognitivist concepts and paradigms
- Life-like believable robots and agents, varieties of social intelligence
- Subsumption and other behaviour-based robot architectures; behaviour selection and modulation techniques, potential fields, behaviour-orientation.
- Cognitive and developmental approaches to AI robotics; social learning and imitation.
- Embodied AI in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and applications
- Definitions of different types of agents
- Ethics of artificial life agents
- Post-reactive intelligence: perception–action loops, information and empowerment, temporal horizons, autobiographic agents, sensor evolution, interaction games and narrative intelligence
Readings
- V. Braitenberg (1986), Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, MIT Press.
- F. Varela, E. Thompson, E. Rosch (1991/2017), The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience, 1st or 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Ronald C. Arkin (1998) Behavior-based Robotics, MIT Press.
- Maja Mataric (2007) The Robotics Primer, MIT Press.
- Robin R. Murphy (2019) Introduction to AI Robotics, 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard (2007) How the Body Shapes the Way We Think: A New View of Intelligence. MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard, Don Berry (2011) Designing Intelligence: Why Brain’s Aren’t Enough, Starmind.
- Angelo Cangelosi, Matthew Schlesinger (2015) Developmental Robotics- From Babies to Robots, MIT Press.
- Jakob von Uexküll (2010 [1934]), A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans, translated by J.D. O’Neil, University of Minnesota Press. [or any other edition].
- Readings (articles, journal papers, book chapters) to be made available to students, assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. Also,
Winter 2024 · Topic 35, ECE 493 Topic 26
Topics
- Target topics include*:
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including verbal interaction (e.g. speech and dialogue), non -verbal interaction (e.g. gestures, facial expression) as well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Areas discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures. Different experimental designs, protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Selected examples of applications of social robots e.g. in care, therapy, education, rehabilitation and co-worker scenarios will be discussed throughout the course
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
- d around mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Spring 2024 · 4/4/24, 8 30 AM Course Outline Computer Security
Readings
- C. Pfleeger, S. Pfleeger, and L. Coles- Kemp, Security in Computing, 6th edition, Addison-Wesley, 2024
- C. Pfleeger, S. Pfleeger, and J. Margulies, Security in Computing, 5th edition, Prentice Hall, 2015 Alternative recommended text book, main topics are the same as 6th edition, but examples are older. No
- W. Stallings and L. Brown, Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 4th edition, Pearson, 2017. ISBN: 0134794109. No
Spring 2024 · Usable Security and Privacy (Topic 38)
Topics
- Security and privacy usability
- Threat modelling
- Encryption from the user’s perspective
- Authentication
- Privacy and survey design
- Phishing and social engineering
- Warnings and interventions
- Security professionals and other expert users
Readings
- Usable Security: History, Themes, and ChallengesMorgan & Claypool, 2014. Marked not required.
- Research papers, policy documents and some news articles are assigned during the term.
Fall 2024 · Engineering Self-Adaptive Software Systems (Topic 37)
Topics
- Conceptual models of self-adaptation
- MAPE-K feedback loops and automation
- Requirements-driven and architecture-based adaptation
- Control-based software adaptation
- Runtime models
- Uncertainty and adaptation guarantees
- Machine learning for adaptation
- Implementation of self-adaptive cloud software
Readings
- Models@run.time: Foundations, Applications, and RoadmapsLNCS 8378, 2014; reference.
- An Introduction to Self-Adaptive Systems: A Contemporary Software Engineering PerspectiveWiley IEEE Press, 2021; reference.
- Selected articles and book chapters, including Brun et al., Engineering Self-Adaptive Systems Through Feedback Loops (2009).
- Chen, Bahsoon and Yao, A Survey and Taxonomy of Self-Aware and Self-Adaptive Cloud Autoscaling Systems (2018).
- Floch et al., Using Architecture Models for Runtime Adaptability (2006).
- Jamshidi et al., Microservices: The Journey So Far and Challenges Ahead (2018).
- Kephart and Chess, The Vision of Autonomic Computing (2003).
- Perez-Palacin and Mirandola, Uncertainties in the Modeling of Self-Adaptive Systems: A Taxonomy and an Example of Availability Evaluation (2014).
- Oreizy et al., An Architecture-Based Approach to Self-Adaptive Software (1999).
- Rodriguez and Buyya, Container-Based Cluster Orchestration Systems: A Taxonomy and Future Directions (2019).
- Salehie and Tahvildari, Adaptive Software Systems: Emerging Trends and Open Problems (2009).
- Souza et al., Awareness Requirements for Adaptive Systems (2011).
Fall 2024
Topics
- (topics covered in the course and delivery methods will be adjusted based on the size of the class)
- What scalability means in different contexts?
- Understanding key scalability metrics.
- Analytical performance models concerning scalability, e.g., Amdahl’s/Gustafson’s law, LogP [1, 2].
- Scalable multi-processor architectures, e.g., SMP vs. NUMA.
- Scalable network topology - enabler for scalable distributed computing, e.g., Fat tree, Torus, and Dragonfly [3, 4, 24, 25].
- A quick introduction to p arallel/distributed computation models (e.g., MIMD, SPMD, PGAS and Dataflow) and implementation/runtime frameworks (e.g., OpenMP, MPI, SHMEM and Hadoop/Spark) [5].
- Workers, data partitioning, task distribution and load balancing; understanding common scalability bottlenecks and how to address them.
- Linear algebra: distributed Sparse Matrix Vector multiplication (SpMV) [10].
- Numerical analysis: distributed Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) [11].
- Sequence alignment: distributed De novo genome assembly [12].
- Distributed processing of massive s cale-free graphs: u nderstanding scalability challenges of highly irregular problems; graph partitioning, load balancing techniques and distributed communication optimization [13, 14, 15].
- Distributed file systems [6, 7].
- Distributed data stores [8, 9].
- Geo-distributed caching - a key enabler for scalable cloud services [8, 16, 17].
- Serverless computing - a modern approach to scalable cloud services [18, 19, 20].
- Scalable deep learning design approaches (4.5hours)
- Data parallel vs. model parallel training [21]; centralized vs. decentralized model optimization [22]; synchronous vs. asynchronous parameter exchange in centralized and decentralized optimization approaches [23].
Readings
- Scalable Problems and Memory -Bounded Speedup
Winter 2023 · Topics in Computer Software: Social Robotics
Topics
- Target topics include*:
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including verbal interaction (e.g. speech and dialogue), non -verbal interaction (e.g. gestures, fac ial expression) as well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Areas discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures. Different experimental designs, protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Selected examples of applications of social robots e.g. in care, therapy, ed ucation, rehabilitation and co-worker scenarios will be discussed throughout the course
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
- d mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
- d around mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Winter 2022 · Artificial Life: Embodied Intelligence
Readings
- V. Braitenberg (1986), Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, MIT Press.
- F. Varela, E. Thompson, E. Rosch (1991/2017), The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience, 1st or 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Ronald C. Arkin (1998) Behavior-based Robotics, MIT Press.
- Maja Mataric (2007) The Robotics Primer, MIT Press.
- Robin R. Murphy (2019) Introduction to AI Robotics, 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard (2007) How the Body Shapes the Way We Think: A New View of Intelligence. MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard, Don Berry (2011) Designing Intelligence: Why Brain’s Aren’t Enough, Starmind.
- Angelo Cangelosi, Matthew Schlesinger (2015) Developmental Robotics- From Babies to Robots, MIT Press.
- Jakob von Uexküll (2010 [1934]), A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans, translated by J.D. O’Neil, University of Minnesota Press. [or any other edition].
- Readings (articles, journal papers, book chapters) to be made available to students, assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. Also,
Winter 2022 · Social Robotics
Topics
- Target topics include*:
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including verbal interaction (e.g. speech and dialogue), non -verbal interaction (e.g. gestures, facial expression) a s well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Areas discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures. Different experimental designs, protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Selected examples of appl ications of social robots e.g. in care, therapy, education, rehabilitation and co-worker scenarios will be discussed throughout the course
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
- d mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
- d around mid-term, the other one towards the end of term.
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Winter 2022 · Static Analysis
Topics
- Code review is a key technique for ensuring software quality. However, human reviewers have limitations: limited time, limited attention spans, and a limited understanding of the implications of a software modifi- cation (due to interactions between parts of a potentially vast codebase). 1
Winter 2021 · Topics in Computer Software- Social Robotics
Topics
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including non- verbal inte raction as well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Measures discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures. Different experimental designs , protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Applications of social robots in care, therapy, education, rehabilitation and collaborative work
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Winter 2021 · AL Embodied Intelligence
Topics
- (Target topics, subject to modification*)
- Logic of Life vs. Embodied Artificial Life; Braitenberg Vehicles; Role of the Observer; Emergence; Self-Organization; Self-* Properties (autopoiesis, self- maintenance, etc.)
- Embodied agents, classification, issues of autonomy and design, degrees of embodiment
- Enactive, Connectionist, and Cognitivist concepts and paradigms
- Life-like believable robots and agents, varieties of social intelligence
- Subsumption and other behaviour-based robot architectures; behaviour selection and modulation techniques, potential fields, behaviour-orientation.
- Cognitive and developmental approaches to AI robotics; social learning and imitation.
- Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and applications
- Definitions of different types of agents
- Ethics of artificial life agents
- Post-Reactive Natural and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics:
Readings
- V. Braitenberg (1986), Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, MIT Press.
- F. Varela, E. Thompson, E. Rosch (1991/2017), The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience, 1st or 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Ronald C. Arkin (1998) Behavior-based Robotics, MIT Press.
- Maja Mataric (2007) The Robotics Primer, MIT Press.
- Robin R. Murphy (2019) Introduction to AI Robotics, 2nd edition, MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard (2007) How the Body Shapes the Way We Think: A New View of Intelligence. MIT Press.
- Rolf Pfeifer, Josh Bongard, Don Berry (2011) Designing Intelligence: Why Brain’s Aren’t Enough, Starmind.
- Angelo Cangelosi, Matthew Schlesinger (2015) Developmental Robotics- From Babies to Robots, MIT Press.
- Jakob von Uexküll (2010 [1934]), A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans, translated by J.D. O’Neil, University of Minnesota Press. [or any other edition].
- Readings (articles, journal papers, book chapters) to be made available to students, assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. Also,
Winter 2021 · Social Robotics
Topics
- Definitions of social robots and requirements of robots’ social skill and their relevance to robotics and Artificial Intelligence in real-world applications
- Examples of social robots used in human -robot interaction (sensors, actuators, how to program etc.)
- Multimodal interaction with social robots, including verbal interaction (e.g. speech and dialogue), non-verbal inte raction (e.g. g estures, faci al expression) as well as spatial interaction (proxemics)
- The role of affective expressions of social robots and modelling emotions to facilitate human-robot engagement
- Research methods and measures for p lanning, designing, implementing, running, evaluating, analyzing experiments. Areas discussed include e.g. questionnaire design, interviews and behavioral measures . Different experimental designs , protocols and methods for participant recruitment will be discussed.
- Evaluating usability, user experience and acceptance of social robots
- Guidelines of how to write up social robotics research for a scientific publication
- Overview of cognitive architectures for socially intelligent robots
- Featuring interdisciplinary research in social robotics based on research from other fields, e.g. from (developmental) psychology, ethology or primatology
- Impact of social robot embodiments, behavior and interaction
- Roles of social robots in human society and their potential impact on society and wellbeing
- Selected examples of applications of social robots e.g. in care, therapy, education, rehabilitation and co-worker scenarios will be discussed throughout the course
- Ethical, safety and privacy issues as relevant to social robotics will be discussed throughout the course
Readings
- Human-Robot Interaction: An IntroductionCambridge, 2020; selected textbook chapters.
- Additional readings provided to students.
Fall 2021 · Artificial Life: Biology and Computation
Topics
- Origins of Artificial Life, Cybernetics and AI: Simulation & Synthesis of Living and Life-like Systems, Properties of Life.
- Biological Background for Engineers – Evolution of Life on Earth, Molecular Genetics, Genetic Code (and its digital aspects), Protein Biosynthesis & Darwinian Evolution. Digital Organisms.
- Cellular Automata, Synchronous/Asynchronous Automata Networks , Genetic Regulatory Networks
- Swarm Intelligence & Stigmergy
- Self-Reproducing Systems
- Evolutionary Systems, Sex, and Nature-Inspired Optimization
- Models of Growth and Morphogenesis
- Ethical issues for Artificial Life
- Selected topics chosen from the following (if time allows): Theory and Applications of Differentiated Multicellularity as a computational paradigm; Evolution of Individuality; Evolution of Evolvability; Evo-Devo; Symbiogenesis; Major Transitions; Open-ended Evolution; Complexity and Interaction Machines; Origins of Life and Exobiology.
Readings
- Articles, journal papers, book chapters will be made available to students, assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. We also use sections of the book Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex Systems by Hiroki Sayama, which is free to download in pdf: http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~sayama/textbook/
Fall 2021 · SAT and SMT Solvers for Software Engineering
Readings
- All course material made available via LEARN. Slides on SAT and SMT Solvers developed by Isil Dillig, Vijay Ganesh,... There are no textbooks for
Fall 2021 · Topic 37: Artificial Life: Biology and Computation
Topics
- Artificial life and cybernetics
- Biological evolution, molecular genetics and digital organisms
- Cellular automata and genetic regulatory networks
- Swarm intelligence and stigmergy
- Self-reproduction
- Evolutionary systems and optimization
- Growth and morphogenesis
- Ethics of artificial life
- Possible multicellularity, evolvability and origins-of-life topics
Readings
- Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex SystemsSelected sections used; freely downloadable at http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~sayama/textbook/
- Articles, journal papers and book chapters assigned weekly.
Winter 2020 · Artificial Life: Embodied Intelligence
Topics
- Logic of Life vs. Embodied Ar tificial Life; Braitenberg Vehicles; Role of the Observer; Emergence; Self -Organization; Self-* Properties (autopo iesis, self- maintenance, etc.)
- Embodied agents, classification, issues of autonomy and design, degrees of embodiment
- Enactive, Connectionist , and Cognitivist co ncepts and paradigms
- Life-like believable robots and agents, varieties of social intelligence
- Subsumption and other behavior-based robot architectures; behavior selection and modulation techniques, potentia l fields, behaviour -orientation.
- Cognitive and developmental approaches to AI robotics; social learning and imitation.
- Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and applications
- Definitions of different types of agents
- Ethics of artificial life agents
- Post-Reactive Natural and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics :
- chosen from perception -action loop, Shannon information and empowerment; the temporal horizon: reactive / affective / learning / deliberative / post -reactive agents and robots; autobiographic agents, sensor evolution; interaction games ; experience histories; and narrative intelligence.
- Students should be able to program well in at least one high -level computer language. They are expected to attend all lectures, take detailed notes and participate in class discussions. It is expected that students understand the university p osition on copying (in terms of
Readings
- Readings (articles, journal papers, book chapters) to be made available to students, assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. No required textbook.
Spring 2020 · Artificial Life: Biology and Computation
Topics
- Outline:
- Origins of Artificial Life, Cybernetics and AI: Simulation & Synthesis of Living and Life-like Systems, Properties of Life.
- Biological Background for Engineers – Evolution of Life on Earth, Molecular Genetics, Genetic Code (and its digital aspects), Protein Biosynthesis & Darwinian Evolution. Digital Organisms.
- Cellular Automata, Synchronous/Asynchronous Automata Networks , Genetic Regulatory Networks
- Swarm Intelligence & Stigmergy
- Self-Reproducing Systems
- Evolutionary Systems, Sex, and Nature-Inspired Optimization
- Models of Growth and Morphogenesis
- Ethical issues for Artificial Life
- Selected topics chosen from the following (if time allows): Theory and Applications of Differentiated Multicellularity as a computational paradigm; Evolution of Individuality; Evolution of Evolvability; Evo-Devo;
Readings
- Readings (articles, journal papers, book chapters) to be made available to students , assigned weekly. These should be read before the next class meeting. No required textbook.
- • 10% Lecture Notes. Students will take turns on a rota to transcribe and typeset notes (in LaTeX) on the lectures to be shared with the class.
Spring 2015 · Topic 10 - Spring 2015
Topics
- Textbook material: Principles of distributed systems, networks and protocols, inter-process communication and remote procedure calling (RPC), shared file systems, distributed transactions, client-server architectures, network-centric computing.
- Case studies and applications (tentative): client-server (DNS, HTTP, REST, LDAP), P2P systems (BitTorrent), RPCs (Thrift or Protocol Buffers), distributed file systems (NFS, HDFS), analytics platforms (Hadoop, Spark), analytics computations (PageRank, clustering, community detection, collaborative filtering), NoSQL storage (Cassandra, HBase), distributed databases (MySQL Cluster, Hive).
Readings
- Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, 2nd Edition, A. S. Tanenbaum, M. Van Steen. Pearson-Prentice Hall. 2006.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Course source ↗2023
- Course source ↗2021
- Course source ↗2021
- Course source ↗2023
- Course source ↗2022
- Course source ↗2022
- course_outline ↗Fall 2026
- course_outline ↗Winter 2025
- course_outline ↗Winter 2025
- course_outline ↗Fall 2025
- course_outline ↗Winter 2024
- course_outline ↗Winter 2024
- course_outline ↗Winter 2024
- course_outline ↗Spring 2024
- course_outline ↗Spring 2024
- course_outline ↗Fall 2024
- course_outline ↗Fall 2024
- course_outline ↗Winter 2023
- course_outline ↗Winter 2022
- course_outline ↗Winter 2022
- course_outline ↗Winter 2022
- course_outline ↗Winter 2021
- course_outline ↗Winter 2021
- course_outline ↗Winter 2021
- course_outline ↗Fall 2021
- course_outline ↗Fall 2021
- course_outline ↗Fall 2021
- course_outline ↗Winter 2020
- course_outline ↗Spring 2020
- course_outline ↗Spring 2015
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Spring 2024 outline; the book is optional and assigned readings are distributed during the course.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list. Display title supplied from the current catalogue; use the source for the historical topic title.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Official public PDF outline or course description. Materials and topic extracts may be partial; consult the linked source for the full list.
- Public departmental course outline. Source may be archival; no current-term assignment is implied. Bibliographic details are preserved in textbook notes.