Computer Science

Student Research and Development

Ali Develops a Scheduling Solution

Individuals around the globe complain that there are not enough hours in a day to complete everything that needs to be done. Raven Ali, senior computer science major, is developing a solution using CPU real-time scheduling algorithms. She will present “Automated 'Real-Life' Event Scheduling” at the 19th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) being held April 21-23, 2005 in Lexington, Va.

The presentation defines the scheduling problem and introduces an algorithm that automatically schedules real life tasks based on deadlines. The Earliest Deadline First algorithm, developed with Dr. Charles Hardnett, assistant professor of computer science, allows individuals to manage the demands of day-to-day life by planning appointments and tasks in 24-hour blocks. NCUR promotes undergraduate research scholarship and creative activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors.

Williams Takes Frustration out of Downloading Documents

Downloading large documents in order to access one or two pages frustrates Andrea Williams, senior computer science major. Working with Dr. Charles Hardnett, assistant professor of computer science, Williams is developing a protocol that will allow people to access select pages within documents such as PDF and popular word processing formats.

It is specifically intended for those who use handheld devices because those devices are unable to effectively download and view large documents due to limited bandwidth and memory size. Williams will also present her research, "Page-By-Page Protocol (PBPP): Reading Documents in Limited Bandwidth Scenarios," at the Undergraduate Research Conference.