CS620: Topics in Programming Languages
Project Description
The goal of this project is compare three parallel
programming models in the context of a program that a scientist at
the University of Arizona is using.
Code examples, how to execute them, and what the scientists are looking for will
be made available before the end of the day Monday February 8th.
You can propose to work with code you find. Communicate with me about
which code you are considering. I would like to load balance the class
so that each code has at least 1 student working with it.
The project includes the following deliverables.
Preliminary Project Proposal
The preliminary project proposal should be one paragraph
describing the three programming models you want to compare,
some initial ideas for what criteria you plan to use for evaluation,
and the scientist's code you plan to use for your case study.
Proposal Presentation (5 minutes)
Using 2-3 slides and 5 minutes, tell the class about your project.
Written Proposal (2-3 pages)
The proposal should include a description of the programming models you have
selected to compare and why.
The proposal should also include details about how you plan to evaluate
the different programming models (which metrics, machines, etc.),
motivation and description of
the code that will
be used as the evaluation context,
and a detailed time line for the project.
When describing the code, think about what research problem the code
is trying to solve.
At the time you write your proposal you should have started doing small
program examples in your target programming models and be able to run
the code provided by the scientist.
The proposal should
be no longer than 3 pages of text.
Unsatisfactory proposals will returned to the students for revision.
Turning back proposals is a common occurence. Consider it an opportunity
to learn and improve.
Verbal Status Report (15 minutes)
Midway through the project, you will be presenting your research problem,
approach, and current status. Your verbal status report will be limited
to three slides and 15 minutes. Included in the 15 minutes is time for
the class to provide feedback and discuss any issues you may be having.
The slide limit and time limit is strict. You will be graded on your
presentation skills, therefore you should practice this talk ahead of time.
Final presentation (20 minutes)
Your final presentation should be like a conference paper talk.
Look up online suggestions for giving Computer Science conference talks.
With the 20 minute time limit, the maximum number of slides is 10
(the title slide does not count).
Final report (6-10 pages using a conference style file)
The final report should be in the form of a 4-6 page conference paper
(e.g., you could use the IEEE double-column latex format). As with a
conference paper, the final report should describe and motivate the
problem, present the approach, and evaluate the approach. Make sure
that you answer all of the questions we have been asking about papers
in our reviews when you write your own paper. When you submit this
document, you should attach the "proposal" and "intermediate" documents to it.
