Spring Semester 2012-2013
AM 120: Applicable Linear Algebra (Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30-4:00pm, MD 319)
Linear Algebra is a mathematical subject behind almost all computational strategies in modern sciences and engineering. It provides mathematical frameworks and tools for many disciplines such as big data analytics, operations research and modeling of biological systems or financial markets. This course will cover theoretical foundations and applied techniques to core concepts of linear algebra. The course content includes basic linear algebra topics such as systems of linear equations, eigenvalue decomposition and singular value decomposition, as well as some important application topics such as data reduction, linear programming and multivariate statistical analysis.
After this course students will acquire a general knowledge on linear algebra and applications. They will be able to understand technical papers in this area. In the classroom the instructor will focus on motivating students and providing intuitions behind concepts and methods. Every topic will be presented with geometric interpretations and application uses. After having learned how to think about a topic and the underlying principles, students should be able to study the subject effectively by themselves. The instructor expects all students to show up (physically!) in classes to engage in good classroom discussion.
Fall Semester 2012-2013
CS143: Computer Networks (Monday and Wednesday, 1:00pm-2:30pm, Maxwell-Dworking 323)
Do you want to know how computer networks have enabled your iPhone or Android apps and cloud-based services? Take CS143.
This year CS143 has been revamped to focus on applications. We will address new networking structures for web-scale applications in social-networking, mobile computing, datacenters and cyber-physical systems. You’ll gain new insights on why traditional networking concepts such as statistical multiplexing and router-oriented architecture are no longer appropriate sometimes. Instead you’ll need to program the network like a computer to support applications directly. We will discuss innovative concepts such as software defined networks and how we can use an OpenFlow controller to program massive commodity network equipments. In addition, we will study emerging network infrastructures in supporting multimedia content delivery and mobile applications.
This doesn’t mean CS143 will now ignore the classic networking stuff. In fact, we will still review the old Internet structure and protocols that we use daily. And we will contrast them with the new approaches. This will help build deep insights and understanding about computer networking. This course is organized in modules: Mobile Applications, Crowdsourcing/Social Networking, Basic Networking, Network Security and Privacy, Wireless Networking, Datacenter Networks, and Cyber-physical Networking.
In summary, CS143 students can expect a good balance between the old school and emerging topics in networking and obtain a broad perspective in applications. More significantly, they will witness major new directions unfolding at an exciting time and prepare themselves as strong contributors of technology and applications in the new era of networking.