REU Site in Computer Systems

Harvey Mudd College, Claremont CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Harvey Mudd College REU brings 10 undergraduates to Claremont in order to engage them in research and encourage graduate study in computer science. The program provides a microcosm of the graduate experience through a set of four projects under a broadly-scoped systems umbrella. The first develops algorithms for estimating cophylogenetic trees based on biological host/parasite data. Students' algorithms have been encapsulated in a software package named Jane, currently in use by several biological research groups. The second effort investigates approaches for automatically creating - and helping humans create - jazz. Its Impro-visor software has thousands of users and supports both the jazz and computational music communities. The third project creates efficient algorithms for memory management within garbage-collected computer languages such as Java, and the fourth project tests machine-learning and computer-vision-based algorithms that improve the state-of-the-art of performance of low-cost robot platforms, such as the iRobot Create. In addition to the contributions of these four projects within each of their domains of specialization, the REU's environment emphasizes the benefits of pursuing CS at the graduate level for participants who had not previously considered graduate work. Challenging research problems prompt students' guided development of research skills: investigation, presentation, and publication. Introductions by advisors transition into student-led talks and culminate with publications and conference experiences during or after the summer. Although proud of the academic contributions of the REU participants, the program's most important impact lies in its cultivation of the next generation of CS researchers.