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--- projects [2012/09/03 21:05] – jonathan
+++ projects [2014/08/26 12:54] – jarek
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Currently offered Projects, Fall 2012 (updated August 22, 2012)  ======
+====== Proposed Projects for Fall 2014 ======
-(Listed in order received.)
+\\
+====== DDoS Attack using Google-bots ======
-====== Continuation of a Path Diagram to Syntax Application ======
+**Supervisor**: Ntalija Vlajic
-**Supervisor**: Jeff Edmonds
+**Recommended Background**: CSE 3213 or CSE 3214, CSE 3482
-**Required Background**: General CSE408x prerequisites
+Not long ago, botnets - networks of compromised computers - were seen as
+the most effective (if not the only) means of conducting Distributed Denial
+of Service (DDoS) attacks. However, with the growing popularity and prevalence
+of application-layer over other types of DDoS attacks, the DDoS execution
+landscape is becoming increasingly more diverse. An especially interesting
+new trend is the execution of application-layer DDoS attacks by means of
+skillfully manipulated Web-crawlers, such as Google-bots.
+The goal of this project is to design, implement and test a real-world
+framework consisting of the following: a) the attacker's web-accessible
+domain specially designed to attract Google-bots and then manipulate them
+into generating attack traffic towards the target/victim site; b) the
+victim's Web site set up in Amazon S3 cloud. In addition to the hands-on
+component, the project will also look into the statistical/numerical
+estimation of the framework's anticipated 'attack potential' relative
+to an actual (real-world) target/victim site.
-**Recommended Background**: Java software development
-Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a statistical technique that is becoming increasingly popular in the educational and behavioral sciences. SEM allows researchers to test the validity of hypothesized models involving complex relationships among multiple variables. Collected data is used to estimate the parameters of the equations and assessing the fit of the model.
-The software required is an application that allows researchers to define their hypothesized models visually and will output the correct syntax for the analytical software of their choosing.
-To date a promising functional application has been developed in JAVA by a Computer Science student as a 4080 project. The existing software allows the user to draw a path diagram and outputs code for the R package sem.  There are a number of improvements to be made (refinements and additions to graphical user interface) and then the application needs to be extended to output syntax appropriate for additional software applications (openMX, MPlus and EQS).  Though this project may not begin at “the first stages” of the software lifecycle, this scenario is likely common in the software development market. In addition, the student will be working with a primary “client” who is far less technically advanced, which is also reflective of real-world situations.
+\\
+====== Attentive Sensing for Better Two-Way Communication in Remote Learning Environments ======
-More details {{:continuation_of_a_path_diagram_to_syntax_application.pdf|here}}.
+**Supervisor**: James Elder
-====== YUsend Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) Test Manager ======
+**Required Background**: General CSE408x prerequisites, good programming skills,
+good math skills, knowledge of C and MATLAB programming languages
-**Supervisor**: Rob Allison (co-supervised with Hugh Chesser, Space Engineering)
+One of the challenges in remote learning is to allow students to communicate effectively with the lecturer.  For example, when a student asks a question, communication will be more effective if the instructor has a zoomed view of the student’s face, so that s/he can interpret expressions etc.
+The goal of this project is to apply attentive sensing technology (www.elderlab.yorku.ca) to this problem.  This technology is able to monitor a large environment such as a classroom and direct a high-resolution ‘attentive’ sensor to events of interest.
+In particular, working with a senior graduate student or postdoctoral fellow, the  successful applicant will:
+  - Study the problem of detecting hand-raises in the preattentive sensor stream
+  - Implement algorithms for detecting hand-raises based upon this investigation
+  - Evaluate these algorithms in a real-classroom setting, using proprietary attentive sensing technology
-**Required Background**: General CSE408x prerequisites, familiarity with C++ and Windows software tools
-**Description** The YUsend (York University Space Engineering Nanosatellite Demonstration) Lab has procured a Windows XP-based industrial computer and temperature acquisition card (as well as other hardware) for performing TVAC testing of nanosatellites in the CSIL Lab (PSE 003). A “TVAC Test Manager” application written using LabView's G programming language will oversee the acquisition of temperatures (thermal test outputs) and control of IR lamps (thermal test inputs) during the rather long periods (4 or more days, 24 hours a day) of a TVAC test.
+====== Attentive Sensing for Sport Video Recording Markets ======
-Specific tasks include: 1. Writing temperature acquisition card (OMEGA Engineering CIO-DAS-Temp) drivers for LabView - should be written in Visual C++ or similar and compiled into SubVI format. 2. Write LabView VI's (“Virtual Instrument”) to perform (a) Test set-up activities - checkout of sensor and lamps, assigning neumonics to temperature sensors, setting of alarm conditions for sensors and lamps (b) Acquire and monitor temperature data and control lamp voltage during test, raise operator alarms for temperature or IR lamp anomalous conditions as required © Store temperature and control data for subsequent analysis and reporting. 3. (Optional) Interface the Test Manager with an orbital simulation tool which would be used to compute IR lamp inputs based on a simulation of the nanosatellite's orbital position and attitude (eg - in the sun, lamps on, in eclipse lamps off). The simulation tool is a package called Satellite Toolkit (STK) which has an TCP/IP-based API.
+**Supervisor**: James Elder
+**Required Background**: Good programming skills; Good math skills; Knowledge of C and MATLAB programming languages
-====== Game Playing Framework in Eiffel ======
+The goal of this project is to modify York University’s patented attentive sensor technology to the sport video recording market.  Specific application domains under investigation include skiing, indoor BMX parks, and horse tracks.
+The general problem is to use attentive sensing technology (www.elderlab.yorku.ca) to visually detect and track multiple moving agents (e.g., skiers, riders, horses) and to select specific agents for active high-resolution smooth pursuit.
+The student will work with senior graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research scientists to help modify the attentive sensing technology to operate in these domains.   Specific tasks include:
+.     Ground-truth available datasets
+.     Evaluate current attentive algorithms on these datasets
+.     Modify these algorithms to improve performance on these datasets
+------------
-**Supervisor**: Jonathan Ostroff
+\\
+====== Hunting for Bugs in Logging: applying JPF to log4j ======
-**Required Background**: Eiffel software development method
+**Supervisor:** Franck van Breugel
-**Description** Game playing frameworks in Eiffel such as Eiffelmedia usually wrap C frameworks in Eiffel. The goal of this project is to develop (initially, a simple) framework using pure Eiffel/EiffelVision so that the framework can be used on any platform (Windows, Linux, Mac) without external dependencies. Games provide a rich source for exploring object oriented software construction and design patterns, so that the framework would be useful in software design courses.
+Description:
+Java PathFinder (JPF) is a tool that can detect bugs in Java code.
+The Java library Apache log4j allows developers to control which log
+statements are output.  In the past, Dickey et al. [1] have attempted
+to detect bugs in log4j by means of JPF with very limited succes.
-====== Numerical Methods ======
+Recently, in collaboration with Shafiei (NASA) we have developed
+an extension of JPF called jpf-nhandler.  The aim of this project
+is to apply this extension to log4j.
-**Supervisor**: Mike McNamee
+[1] David A. Dickey, B. Sinem Dorter, J. Michael German, Benjamin D. Madore, Mark W. Piper, Gabriel L. Zenarosa. "Evaluating Java PathFinder on Log4J."  2011.
-**Required Background**: Good grade in a Numerical Methods course and good knowledge
+**Required Background:** General CSE408x prerequisites
-of Fortran, C or similar language.
+\\
+------------
+\\
+======Hybrid 2D/3D User Interfaces for 3D Rotation ======
-**Description**: Write, debug and run several Fortran programs related to solving
+**Supervisor:** Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
-polynomial equations, with a view to comparing different known methods.
-====== Enabling SaaS access to an experimental AI planner ======
+**Required Background:** General 408X prerequisites, 3D Computer Graphics (3431) completed or equivalent, C/C++ coding experience or (if using Unity 4) Javascript C# coding experience
-**Required Background**: Good knowledge of Unix tools / Python, Perl or Awk. Comfort with algorithms and programming. Essential: 2031 -- Software Tools. Desired:
+This project implements and evaluates a new method for 3D Rotation where the user uses both a 2D and 3D user interface to complete the task. The fundamental idea is to use the 3D interface for large-scale manipulation, but the 2D interface for precise adjustments. The project will use a Leap Motion or similar technology for 3D tracking.
- -- Functional & Logic Programming,
+\\
- -- Design and Analysis of Algorithms,
+------------
- -- Compilers and Interpreters.
+\\
+====== Immersive Virtual Reality Kitchen Planner ======
-**Description**: This project involves enriching and integrating a set of fairly complex scripts, which are components of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) planner, and exporting them to the public in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) fashion.
+**Supervisor:** Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
-The components are various Unix executables and LISP programs that need to interact in complex ways. The components may be residing in different servers in different universities. Currently integration is performed manually, at the expense of usability. Thus, we aim at constructing a module that: (a) integrates involved components to deliver output in one call, (b) exports a unique web interface (preferably following WSDL/SOAP) to be easily accessed by custom front-end tools by anyone, anywhere, (c) offers a simple front-end for human users.
+**Required Background:** General 408X prerequisites, 3D Computer Graphics (3431) completed or equivalent, 4431 desired, Javascript or C# coding experience
-Learning objectives:
+This project implements a kitchen planner application for an immersive virtual reality system. The implementation will be based on Unity 4.
-  * Understand the technologies and process involved in turning native code into a web-service ("servicizing").
+\\
-  * Study a state-of-the-art AI planner and understand its workings.
+------------
-  * Exercise scripting skills.
+\\
+======3D Interaction in Immersive Virtual Reality======
+**Supervisor:** Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
+**Required Background:** General 408X prerequisites, 3D Computer Graphics (3431) completed or equivalent, 4431 desired, Javascript or C# coding experience
+This project implements and tests various 3D Navigation and 3D Interaction methods in an immersive virtual reality system. The target is to enable the user to roam freely in a large environment while still being able to interact with the environment. The implementation will be based on Unity 4.
+\\
+------------
+\\
+====== Mining Software Repositories Data======
+**Supervisor:** Zhen Ming (Jack) Jiang (zmjiang at cse dot yorku dot ca)
+**Required Background:** Good programming skills in Java; Good analytical and communication skills; Knowledge in AI and statistics; Interested in large scale software analysis
+**Short Description:** Software engineering data (e.g., source code repositories and bug databases) contains a wealth of information about a project's status and history. The research on Mining Software Repositories (MSR) aims to transform the data from static record-keeping repositories into knowledge, which can guide the software development process. For example, one can derive correct API usage patterns and flag anomalous (and potentially buggy) API usages by mining the source code across many projects in GitHub and Google Code. In this project, the student(s) will research and develop an efficient infrastructure, where MSR researchers and practitioners can share and analyze such data.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+======Reliably tracking horizontal eye movements======
+**Supervisor:** Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
+**Required Background:** General 408X prerequisites, C++/C# coding experience. Ideally CSE3451, CSE4422 or CSE4452.
+**Description:** The Intel Perceptual Computing SDK includes support for head tracking and facial analysis. The project will use the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera, a depth camera designed to work with the SDK. Based on these technologies, the project implements an eye tracking system that detects the horizontal eye position and consequently, if the user is looking at the left, center, or right portion of the screen. Based on this, the project will implement a simple media browsing browsing system, e.g., for TV channels, music, or videos.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+======Model-based Design and Development of Embedded Systems with Code Generation Tools======
+**Supervisor:** Jia Xu
+**Required Background:** At least a B+ in Embedded Systems (CSE3215), MATLAB, C programming skills, solid experience in using a microcontroller
+such as Arduino.
+**Project Description:**
+Model-based design with code generation tools can be used for simulation, rapid prototyping, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of embedded systems. This project explores model-based design and development of embedded systems on various hardware platforms with code generation tools. The selected student will develop and test embedded systems using model-based design and code generation tools such as MathWorks MATLAB /Simulink Coder.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+======C2000 Concerto Microcontrollers======
+**Supervisor:** Jia Xu
+**Required Background:** At least a B+ in Embedded Systems (CSE3215),
+strong C programming skills, solid knowledge of microcontrollers
+**Description:** The C2000 Concerto family of microcontrollers combines
+two cores on a single-chip with on-chip low latency interprocessor communication between the two cores: a C28x 32-bit control core for
+real-time control with faster/more loops and small sampling window;
+and an ARM 32-bit Cortex-M3 host core for communications and general purpose. The selected student will evaluate the capabilities of the
+C2000 Concerto family of microcontrollers through testing and investigating open source software for real-time control applications
+that runs on C2000 Concerto Microcontrollers.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+======Real-Time Bidding Platform======
+**Supervisor:** Jia Xu
+**Required Background:** At least a B+ in Operating System Fundamentals
+(CSE3221), strong Ubuntu/Linux, C++ programming, GCC, TCP/IP skills
+**Description:** Real-time bidding (RTB) is a new method of selling and buying online display advertising in real-time one ad impression at a time. Once a bid request has been sent out, all bids must be received within a strict deadline - generally under 100 milliseconds, including network latency. This project explores RTBkit, an open source SDK allowing developers to create customized real time ad bidding systems (for Media Buyers/Bidders).
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+======Circuit and Board Design for a Pulsed Ground Penetrating Radar======
+**Supervisor:**Sebastian Magierowski
+**Description:** The project requires the construction of components for a ground penetrating radar.  The students would have to design microwave boards for the high-frequency components of this unit, on both the transmitter and the receiver.  On the transmitter side the board would take a 5-MHz input clock, run it through a series of off-the-shelf amplifiers and then through a shaping circuit that would convert the input into an outgoing series of pulses (still at 5-MHz repetition rate) less than 400-ps in duration each.  The bandwidth of the signal is roughly 2-8 GHz and hence requires very careful board layout.  The receiver would be a time-shifted sampler, used to sample the returning pulses in progressive periods.  This radar circuit is ultimately intended to be positioned on a rover doing ground analysis.
+**Required Background** A background in undergraduate-level electronics is very important.  Experience with board level implementations and knowledge of microstrip lines would be helpful, otherwise the basics would have to be picked up during the project.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+More project proposals may be added here in the first week of the winter term.
+\\
+------------------
+\\
+\\