Research For Faculty Talks
Prof. Hammoud - Cloud Computing 8/30/2023
Cloud computing does not have one exact definition. Cloud computing involves the efficient, convenient, and accessible storage of data, applications, tools, and servers. A big part of cloud computing is the technology that enables it.
For example, being able to maximize utility of a data center, and cost-effectiveness regardless of physical restrictions. Cloud computing is a representation of how data is stored/where it can be accessed.
According to the MIT Technology Review, the term was specifically coined in 2006 by the Google CEO, however the concept has been around since the 1960s. The feature of cloud computing that makes it so widely-used is the added convenience/accessibility of being able to access servers/data remotely.
The three major cloud service models are: Software-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service. SaaS is used mostly for the commercial services and apps that we use today. PaaS is a means of developing software without having to worry about hosting servers, networks, storage, or operating system software.
IaaS does not give users a lot of control over the computing resources however it does give them a lot of easy- access.
Many messaging and communication platforms like whatsapp use cloud computing. Social media apps mostly use cloud computing for the sake of having efficient storage of the data that they collect from their users.
Another major application of cloud computing is in cybersecurity, where people would have had to manually look for an anti-virus and know how to use it to detect security threats, cloud computing allows for viruses and malware to be detected and fixed in the cloud.
Based on the model, some can be more expensive than others for the user, not all of them follow a strict subscription-based model. However many of them do follow the model where payment is due periodically, after a certain extent of utility.
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://www.ibm.com/topics/cloud-computing
https://www.technologyreview.com/2011/10/31/257406/who-coined-cloud-computing/
https://www.thinkitsolutions.com/examples-of-cloud-computing-uses-in-everyday-life/
https://www.artifakt.com/blog/paas/paas-advantages-disadvantages-and-cost/
Prof. Oflazer - Natural Language Processing 9/6/2023
(1) Three applications on Natural Language Processing are smart assistants, autocorrect, and data analysis.
(2) I - zaza - meaning a glass, the word used for water bottles.
Jazma-ji - jazma meaning shoe, “suffix” ee typically meaning someone who will take money to fix or for something.
Bantaloon - literal translation of Pantaloon meaning pants.
(3) “Ma yinfaash nakhod akl maa-na fee al maktaba fee ay waqt”, word-by-word translation(meaning first word in sentence corresponds to first word in translation): No can take food with us in the library at any time.
“Kol sana wa inti tayeba wa aaqbal meet sana ya habibti”, word-by-word translation:
Every year and you're congratulated until one hundred years sweetie.
“Ana mish aayza akol ay khodra el esboaa da”, word-by-word translation:
I don’t want eat any greens the week this.
(4) The very first meaning that comes to mind is the figurative meaning which refers to the fact that time can go by very quickly like an arrow flying through the air. It can also liken the way that time passes to the precision that arrows fly with meaning something along the lines of: time passes the way it’s meant to.
There is also the extreme literal meaning that can be taken as an instruction to literally time the speed of flies the way that someone might time the speed of an arrow. There is also the slightly less literal but still literal meaning that says time flies the same way an arrow flies, it will begin to turn down towards the floor after some time.
There isn’t a very clear way of applying this to time but except to say that the things that happen with time tend to get worse after the time is done moving quickly.
(5) For me, the most likely word that follows “the prime” is “candidate”. The prime candidate means the best person for the job. But after typing the phrase “the prime” into google some of the suggested search results were “number” and “cut”.
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://wordtools.ai/phrases-with/prime
https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-meanings-has-the-phrase-time-flies-like-an-arrow/561706
https://www.tableau.com/learn/articles/natural-language-processing-examples
Prof. Christos - Theory and Algorithms 9/12/2023
(1) A decision problem is a problem where the answer can only ever be either yes, or no. Its ‘inverse’ can be considered a function problem where the answer is more open-ended.
The answer or value of a decision problem varies based on the changing value of the input. (2) A decision problem is decidable if there is a specific algorithm or procedure that will yield the specific yes or no answer.
Decision problems are categorized based on how effective they are. Definitions of effectiveness will always vary based on the specific goal. One example of a decision procedure is the quadratic formula to find the zeros of a function.
(3) P in class P is polynomial time. Polynomial time represents the time taken by a machine to solve a certain amount of decision problems. Class P represents the problems solved in that time by a deterministic machine.
Class P refers specifically to the problems that are solvable and relatively easy to solve. Class NP (non-deterministic polynomial time) refers specifically to the decision problems that are solved with the use of a non-deterministic machine in polynomial time.
These problems are usually more difficult and answers that are more easily verified.
(4) The meaning of the P versus NP question is that, if you could make it so that more difficult (NP) problems had solutions that were more easily found then P and NP would essentially serve the same purpose and therefore be equivalent.
(5) You would be a million dollars richer. The problem is incredibly significant due to its implications for how computing could change. This is why The Clay Mathematics Institute would issue $1,000,000 to you if you solved the P versus NP question.
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/decision-problem
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Decision_problem
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-complexity-classes-p-np-conp-np-hard-and-np-complete/ "
https://www.claymath.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/pvsnp.pdf
Prof. Giselle - Programming Languages 9/19/2023
Punch cards could not be efficiently stored nor organized/cataloged. One mistake or organization mishap could lead to days of retracting and starting over or just fully thrown away.
I think this tells us a lot about how computing and programming languages took the direction of growth in the metric of efficiency and convenience.
(2) I think that with more complex problems, there comes a requirement for more nuanced solutions which is why many languages are very flexible but notorious for one specific field of computer science.
(3) The only language I know is python and I know that it is also very well known for how badly or inefficiently it is stored as well as how relatively slow python code tends to run. One major way that python could improve on these drawbacks is by developing or building a shorter run time.
(4) I think the first step of building a programming language would be establishing what purpose it would serve, or the already-existing service that it could improve on. Most languages are known for one specific purpose. The next major part would be the syntax of the language.
I think there would have to be a conscious decision about how closely the syntax resembles english. I think another important step would be thinking about building libraries or which libraries could be compatible with the language.
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://teachyourkidscode.com/why-are-there-so-many-programiing-languages/
https://bodyvisionmedical.com/articles/why-is-python-so-slow-tackling-pythons-performance-issues
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-makes-python-a-slow-language/ "
Prof. Riley - Security 9/26/2023
(1) (QNB)The attackers broke into QNB, specifically they broke into/accessed the data.
How did the attackers break into it? (RasGas)They broke into the computer hard drives' of the company's office and completely locked them down.(2) (QNB)No one knows exactly how the hackers broke into or managaed to access the files.
(RasGas) No one knows about this but they know that it was a virus which supposedly originated from Iran, and was called Shamoon that also was believed to have targeted many oil/gas/energy companies.
Who was impacted? (3) (QNB)Anyone who had a credit card at QNB, including some government representatives could have been affected. However, the banks' two-factor authentication helped to deter the attack.
(RasGas)The company's major function of producing gas was not hindered but the IT access and processes of the company were paused completely.
How was it investigated?(4) (QNB)QNB refused to release or directly address the attack, so no one really knows. (RasGas)It was not investigated specifically in the case of RasGas, people came to those conclusions from the other cyberattacks.
They managed to regain control by isolating their computers from the web.
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://www.cyberlands.io/topsecuritybreachesqatar
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/qatar-national-bank-suffers-massive-breach-a-9068
https://www.wired.com/2012/08/hack-attack-strikes-rasgas/"
Prof. Gianni - AI 10/4/2023
(1) I would define artificial intelligence as a field of computer science which involves building computers and machines that have or aim to have the discernment and emotional/social awareness of human beings.
(2) Deep learning, computer vision, machine learning. (3) It used to be very costly to run and build artifical intelligence softwares before the use of the cloud for storage was more widespread.
Also, the general public is more aware of AI mostly because of personal assistants and ChatGPT.(4) Manufacturing - the increase in efficiency and decrease in costs, medicine - image-guided surgery and improved accuracy, military - more physical capability for transportation and surveillance.
(5) I would assume one major problem would be how the robot is charged and fueled and where its stream would be stored or viewed. Also the physical orientation of the robot, would it be intentionally obvious to the mall-goers or would it have to be concealed, how would it be protected?
Here are the articles I used and where you can go to read more:
https://www.wired.com/insights/2015/03/ai-resurgence-now/
https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence
https://www.probotcorp.com/post/top-10-industries-utilizing-robots-and-robotics"
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