This class will prepare you to perform great research in computer science, regardless of the area you ultimately choose to pursue for your Ph.D. Towards achieving this goal, this course will:
You will be expected to read some material on graduate school, research, etc., which will be assigned throughout the term.
There are no required textbooks for the course.
You must be a first-year Ph.D. student in the College of Computing.
This course will have a letter grade: A, B, or Fail. The components of the grade are as follows:
Papers will not be handed out in class.
Please print the readings
and read them before class.
Speaker schedule is tentative!
| Lecture | Date | Topics | Notes/Resources | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 08/20 | Course Overview [ppt] |
Mini-Assignment 1: Thought Questions |
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| 2 | Wed 08/22 | Ph.D.: Why? Expectations, opportunities, etc. [ppt] |
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| 3 | Fri 08/24 | CoC Picnic (Piedmont Park) |
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| 4 | Mon 08/27 | Problem Selection and Cross-Disciplinary Research (Dick Lipton/Merrick Furst) |
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| 5 | Wed 08/29 | Fellowships (Karen Adams and Student Panel) |
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| 6 | Fri 08/31 | School of IC: Research Questions and Trends (Aaron Bobick) |
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| Mon 09/03 | Labor Day |
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| 7 | Wed 09/05 | Overview of College (Rich DeMillo) |
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| 8 | Fri 09/07 | School of CS: Research Questions and Trends (Mostafa Ammar, Gabe Loh, Santosh Vempala) |
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| 9 | Mon 09/10 | Division of CSE: Research Questions and Trends |
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| 10 | Wed 09/12 | Reading and Reviewing Papers [ppt] |
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| Fri 09/14 | |
Assignment 1: Recognizing Good Ideas |
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| 11 | Mon 09/17 | On Research #1: The Nature of Great Research [ppt] |
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| 12 | Wed 09/19 | On Research #2: Executing Great Research [ppt] |
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| 13 | Fri 09/21 | Division of CSE: Examples of Cross-Disciplinary Research |
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| 14 | Mon 09/24 | Life in Atlanta (Student Panel) |
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| 15 | Wed 09/26 | On Research #3: Research Patterns [ppt] |
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| 16 | Fri 09/28 | School of IC: Examples of Cross-Disciplinary Research |
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| 17 | Mon 10/01 | Motivation and Procrastination [ppt] |
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| 18 | Wed 10/03 | Time Management [ppt] |
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| 19 | Fri 10/05 | School of CS: Examples of Cross-Disciplinary Research |
Mini-Assignment 2: Time Log |
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| Mon 10/08 | Fall Break |
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| 20 | Wed 10/10 | Personal Promotion (Stefany Wilson) [ppt] |
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| 21 | Fri 10/12 | Clear and Creative Thinking [ppt] |
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| 22 | Mon 10/15 | How to Write a Paper [ppt] |
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| 23 | Wed 10/17 | How to Give a Talk [ppt] |
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| 24 | Fri 10/19 | Teaching and TAing (Donna Llewellyn) |
Assignment 2: Combination of Two Papers |
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| 25 | Mon 10/22 | Overview of Centers (CERCS, GTISC, etc.) |
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| 26 | Wed 10/24 | Grad School Survival Skills (Student Panel) |
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| 27 | Fri 10/26 | Progamming and Software Development |
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| 28 | Mon 10/29 | Experimental and Evaluation Skills |
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| 29 | Wed 10/31 | Human-Centered Research (Beth Mynatt) |
Mini-Assignment 3: Personal Web Page |
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| 30 | Fri 11/02 | Understanding and Presenting Data [ppt] |
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| 31 | Mon 11/05 | Math Tips |
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| 32 | Wed 11/07 | |
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| 33 | Fri 11/09 | Research Logistics |
Assignment 3: Reviewing+Mock PC |
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| 34 | Mon 11/12 | Industry and Government Jobs (Faculty Panel) |
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| 35 | Wed 11/14 | Commercialization (Merrick Furst/Wenke Lee) |
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| 36 | Fri 11/16 | Diversity and Women in Computing (Maureen Biggers and Faculty Panel) |
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| 37 | Mon 11/19 | Broader Impacts of CS (Santosh Vempala/Mike Best) |
Mini-Assignment 4: Multi-Res. Elevator Pitch |
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| 38 | Mon 11/26 | Mini-Conference |
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| 39 | Wed 11/28 | Mini-Conference |
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| 40 | Fri 11/30 | Mini Conference |
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| 41 | Fri 12/07 | Project Writeup Due |