CSCI 7135: Topics in programming languages

1. Improving the performance of programs
2. Smart software engineering tools (safety checkers etc.)
3. Performance debugging

Project stages

 Stage2

 Final

Resources for project

Class requirements

Class mailing list

Class format

1. A summary of the ideas in the assigned papers.  Note that since everyone will have read the papers, the presenter need not present all the elementary ideas in the paper, just the main concepts.  However, she/he should be prepared to discuss details of the paper in response to questions by the students or the instructor.  Unless the paper is a very difficult one, you should plan to spend no more than half the class on this part of the presentation (if you are in doubt about this, it is a good thing to discuss with the instructor in your one-to-one meeting).
2. Discussion of any additional papers that you read on the topic.  Since other students will not have read these papers you need to be more pedantic about these papers.
3. A discussion of how the ideas in the paper fit in with the other papers we have discussed in the term
4. A critique of the paper.  Do the papers present useful ideas?  Is the research in the papers thorough?  Was the writing clear?  Was the evaluation in the paper (if any) convincing? Do the ideas work for real programs on real machines?
5. Any interesting research ideas that you got from reading the paper.  If the paper already has a future works section then you may discuss interesting ideas there as well.
6. Are there other areas where you can imagine using the ideas in the paper?

The presenter has five working days after the presentation to submit a write-up on the paper.  These write-ups will be available from the class web page for the benefit of all the students.

Guidelines for giving a talk

1. Minimize the amount of text on a slide.  A slide should typically contain just a few bullets (3-5) or a figure/table and a sentence or two.  Each bullet should be short--you should strive to contain each bullet to a line.  A slide is not the place to write out long definitions, complex formulas, long algorithms, etc.  If you want to describe an algorithm, use the slides to get the intuition across (hopefully using figures).  Be prepared to answer detailed questions however.  If the paper contains complex algorithms, it may be helpful to have optional slides containing the algorithm.  These slides would be used only in response to questions requiring the details.
2. Use figures instead of text when possible.  A figure may not be as unambiguous or precise as a mathematical formula or an algorithm, but that is fine: more details can always be brought up in the discussion period.
3. Allocate 2-3 minutes for a slide.  For a 1 hour presentation, it means no more than 20-30 slides.
4. Use large font sizes (18 points or bigger).
5. Use colors judiciously.  Some colors, such as green and yellow are not too visible on an overhead.
6. Make an outline of a talk before you start preparing the slides.  It will help you prepare a talk that feels smooth and continuous rather than fragmented.
7. For each slide try to think of a one-liner take home message from that slide.  If there are more than one "one-liners" then maybe you need to break your slide down.

List of papers