CPSC 311: Analysis of Algorithms
CS Culture Assignments

  • THURSDAY May 1: LAST DAY to turn in CS CULTURE Assignments (by 5pm - turn in to Amato's mailbox or under office door)

  • SEMINAR REPORTS are due one week after the seminar date. They can also be turned in at the first class period after the one week deadline has passed.

  • EXTRA CREDIT CULTURE ASSIGNMENTS: You may also do upto 2 additional culture activities for extra credit. Each additional activity (above the 5 required) will count for 10 bonus points (like the bonus homework problems). At most one of the extra activities can be a biography. For example, if you do only one extra assignment, it can be either (i) a seminar or (ii) a biography. If you do 2 extra assignments, you can do (i) 2 seminars, or (ii) 1 seminar + 1 biography.

    There is alot more to Computer Science than you will be exposed to through your normal coursework. The purpose of the CS culture assignments is to give you an opportunity to learn about: some of the various research areas (by attendence at research seminars), and some of the computer scientists that have made significant contributions to the field (by researching and writing short biographys).

    During the course of the semester you must do at least FIVE culture activities. At most TWO of these can be biographies. That is, you have three options for the CS culture assignments:

    Seminar Attendance. To receive credit for this assignment you must attend the seminar and turn in a one page (type-written) report. Your report should include (i) a few words about the speaker (who they are, where they work, etc), (ii) a short summary of the seminar, and (iii) a brief discussion of what you thought about the seminar - is the work interesting, do you think the results are important, what questions did you have, etc. Important notes:

    Acceptable seminars are listed below. More details and seminars will be added as they become available. If you are interested in receiving credit for a seminar that is not listed, check with the instructor in advance. Acceptable seminars include:

    Famous Computer Scientist Biography. To receive credit for this assignment you must research, write, and turn in a short one-page (type-written) biography of a famous computer scientist. Your report should include (i) a few words about the person (who they are, where they work, etc), (ii) a short summary of the contribution their work has made to computer science, and (iii) a brief discussion of what you think about their work - is the work interesting, do you think the results are important, what questions do you have, etc. (I want to know what you thought.) Reports are due by Tuesday December 4, 2001 (last day of class).

    Automatically acceptable computer scientists are ACM Turing Award winners. The Turing Award is the most prestigious technical award in computer science. It is given to individuals who have made contributions of lasting and major technical importance to the computer field.

    If you are interested in researching another computer scientist, check with the instructor in advance