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Basu

Member

From: Cornell University

Registered: 2006-12-15

Posts: 296

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Ideas for computer science Independent Study

Hi guys,
I'm going to be a sophomore in college next year. But since I'm taking an unusual course combination, I won't be able to take my computer science algorithms (schedule conflict). I have a choice between taking a higher level Databases course or doing an Independent Study. I could probably handle the database course, but it doesn't seem too interesting to me. I would also like to take the opportunity to do an independent study. However I don't have much of an idea of what to look into for an IS. Here is some background on what I've done and what I'm interested in:

1. I'm (going to be) a sophomore, my formal education in CS goes up to data structures (trees, lists) in Java and C++.
2. Informally I've taught myself Python and some amount of x86 assembler as well hardware basics.
3. I'm interested in doing low-level close-to-the-metal stuff. Over the summer I'm going to improve on my Assembler and try out some simple Operating System concepts. It would be good if my IS could help me continue interest.
4. I would like my IS to be on something that I couldn't normally do as a course. We have higher level courses on programming languages, OS, AI, Databases, Graphics, Networking etc.
5. My professor made an off-hand suggestion about parallel programming. I've also thought about a comparative study of different processor architectures and software that can best utilize different features.
6. It has to be something with a theoretical aspect to it, i.e. I can't say something like I want to learn a particular language, framework or toolkit (which I completely agree with).
7. At the same time I don't want to do something purely theoretical. It would be best if at the end of it I had a chunk of real-world running code that actually did something useful and which I could put up online with the hope that other people might find it useful.

Any suggestions you guys have would be much appreciated. If any of you are CS or engineering students, I might be open to a collaborative project.
Thanks,
Basu

---

The Bytebaker -- Computer science is not a science and it's not about computers
Check out my open source software at Github

Bob-Hur

Member

Registered: 2007-12-09

Posts: 43

Re: Ideas for computer science Independent Study

I'd give you a very general suggestion - take care that you don't pick a subject that will lead you face to face with a stone wall. Do some preliminary research to find out if there's sufficient information and other resources available to you before you choose. I say this as someone who really got burned by a poor choice, only to have the professor tell me after the grades were final "I knew you wouldn't get anywhere, no one in that field is going to talk to a student".

jbromley

Member

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2007-02-04

Posts: 268

Re: Ideas for computer science Independent Study

OK, taking that you want to do something low-level and close-to-the-metal I might suggest doing something embedded. Do some searching and check out the PIC family of processors. They're pretty cheap to get into (tools, software and parts) and I've seen what I think are a lot of cool projects.

On the parallel programming front, perhaps you could study configuring, using and the theoretical underpinnings of some parallel-processing system. In my day it was MPI, but you could study whatever the hot new "grid" software is these days.

Good luck,
j

Ante

Member

Registered: 2007-04-18

Posts: 7

Re: Ideas for computer science Independent Study

(This is a so good of a hint. That good that I've even thought not posting it. )

How about contributing to LLVM project by either furthering the project itself or compiler frontends (like clang)?

You should do it because:
- it's the best next thing related to computer programming and perhaps computers in general,
- you could do low level programming in LLVM intermediate language,
- you can get away from gcc and it's messy code to better compilers,
- apple's future probably involves a lot of LLVM in it,
- compared to LLVM, Java and .NET runtimes bite the dust,
- you should think ahead and try out to actively plan your computer technology education.

I'll TRY to get in model checking on LLVM intermediate language on of these days, so you can PM me on LLVM related issues, and I'll do the best to help out.