Rob LeGrand

Analysis of the Minimax Procedure

Minimax is a recently proposed procedure for electing committees, but it cannot be applied without an understanding of its computational complexity and its susceptibility to manipulation. We examine two compelling variations of minimax and prove both to be NP-complete. We derive upper and lower bounds on the size of a minimax winner set for a given election. We present a heuristic for calculating a minimax winner set and present experiments based on its use. Finally, we present a general strategy for manipulating a minimax election. Type of Report: Other Department of Computer Science & Engineering Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 St. Louis, MO 63130 ph: (314) 935-6160

Growing a computer science program with a focus on game development

A comprehensive undergraduate curriculum in computer game development is described. The program was created as a set of elective courses in the context of a traditional computer science (CS) degree. Primary goals of the program were to increase enrollment in CS and prepare students for careers in the entertainment software industry. In addition, the CS department sought to compete for students with larger state institutions. To do so effectively the department needed to offer a unique program. Results show the new program helped the CS department to nearly triple enrollment over four years and achieve both statewide prominence and national recognition.

Development of a smart insole tracking system for physical therapy and athletics

Development of a smart insole tracking system is described. Originally designed for healthcare applications, the system has found applications in both physical therapy and athletic training. The entire system is distributed between insole hardware, mobile device applications that interface with the insoles and a central Internet server for data warehousing and analysis. We describe the development of these components so far including a discussion of custom algorithm development required for the system. The athletic version has been commercialized while the more complex healthcare version is still under development.

On the connection between functional programming languages and real-time Java scoped memory

Java has recently joined C and C++ as a relatively high-level language suitable for developing real-time applications. Javas garbage collection, while generally a useful feature, can be problematic for real-time applications if collection occurs with unpredictable frequency and latency. The Real-Time Specification for Java#8482; (RTSJ) incorporates a scoped-memory model, akin to regions, that is not subject to garbage collection. However, applications are subject to strict rules concerning how objects can reference each other in scoped memory. Unfortunately, almost all extant Java code, including Javas vast and useful runtime libraries, will not execute properly in scoped-memory areas without significant modification. In this paper, we show that programs written in a pure functional programming language can be executed in a provably safe manner using scoped memory in RTSJ. This new connection allows extant implementations of important abstract data types to migrate safely to RTSJ. We also explore the effect of RTSJs referencing rules on the asymptotic, real-time behavior of some abstract data types.