CS 348C 96 Fall Students

Pablo Molinero-Fernandez
http://www.stanford.edu/~molinero
Major: Electrical Eng.
Degree: Ph.D. 2nd
Background:
Simulation of multimedia traffic in Local Area Networks, development of a video server, simulation of a simple ATM switch, implementation and evaluation of transport protocols for multimedia traffic
Interest:
I am interested in visualizing the traffic through LAN's, specially the effect on data with real-time constraints, like video or audio. I would be interested in developing visulization techniques for this type of problem.

Torbjorn Norbye
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~tor/
Major: Computer Science
Degree: MS, 2nd year
Background:
Graphics: CS 248, CS 348B HCI: CS 147, CS 247A, CS 246, CS 377 (topic: interaction design) Systems: CS 240A, CS 244A (this quarter), EE 282, etc. Currently working on data visualization at Sun (see next section).
Interest:
Two reasons: 1) I could never decide whether I am an HCI student or a graphics student. The reason is that visualization is my main interest, and I think visualization is somewhere between the two. So this course perfectly matches my interest.

Petros Maniatis
http://selini.stanford.edu/~maniatis
Major: Computer Science
Degree: MSCS 2nd year
Background:
I have taken several introductory or intermediate systems courses in the CSD (CS240a&b, CS244a&b), as well as CS248. From the systems point of view, projects I've been involved in that could use visualization are the following: An introductory project on the visualization of basic sorting/searching algorithms, for educational purposes, mainly. The INFOMASTER project, which integrates several distributed, heterogeneous databases on the Web under a single, coherent, federated database. The MosquitoNet project, where the prospects of uninterruptible, seemless network connectivity for mobile hosts on the Internet are explored. A project exploring graphically the qualities, strengths and shortcomings of image segmentation algorithms.
Interest:
I believe that computer algorithms, systems, concepts have seemed magical for far too long. Their deeper understanding can be facilitated significantly by visualization. I have found that visualization is a great educational tool, which has not yet been used well in the field of computer science. As far as systems/algorithms research goes, visualization can definitely demonstrate some very subtle qualities of the objects explored, which could be left undiscovered otherwise. Bubblesort is the first such instance that comes to mind. Visualization can be the only tool to describe how the algorithm works and even to demonstrate why its linearly iterative nature can be time consuming (although, of course, complexity theory can provide hard proof of that). I think of visualization as a very powerful magnifying glass. There are far to many microscopic issues in computing for me to ignore this course. May I please take it, please please please?

Yung-Hsiang Lu
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~luyung
Major: Electrical Engineering
Degree: Ph.D.
Background:
CS248/CS348B/CS348C (spring 96) visualizing simos in VTK
Interest:
I am working with Prof.Rosenblum in visualizing simos in VTK.

Nolan Glantz
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~swollen/
Major: Computer Science
Degree: Coterm - last year of Masters
Background:
background: specializing in Human Computer Interaction Design with an emphasis on computer graphics. relevant courses taken: CS248 (Graphics), ME101 (Visual Thinking), CS240A (Operating Systems), CS446 (Large Scale Software Systems), CS147 (Intro HCI), CS247A (HCI Design Studio) projects: As part of CS446 I got involved in the Rapide Project (part of the PAV Group). I used the Raptor graphical simulation system to create a dynamic visualization of a simple elevator system.
Interest:
As I am focusing on HCI Design, I am very interested in the area of visualization. The idea of creating new visual metaphors for use in the design and analysis of computer systems sounds extremely appealing to me.

Jim Geist
http://crinos.stanford.edu/~jimge
Major: Computer Science
Degree: MSCS, 2nd year
Background:
Graphics - CS248 Systems - CS240A, CS240B (also TA'd), CS244A (TA'd), CS244B, industry systems development work
Interest:
I am interested in visualization as it applies to network management. This could include the automatic mapping and display of a network hierarchy (such as the suggested mapping of the Gates network), visualization of net traffic in ways that show both instantaneous trouble spots and areas which tend to have more usage long-term (as well as what types of traffic are prevalent in both cases), or profiles of how an individual workstation or process is using the net.

Kevin Lai
http://mosquitonet.stanford.edu/~laik
Major: Computer Science
Degree: Ph.D. 1st year
Background:
I've taken graduate level courses in operating systems, distributed systems, and networking. I have taken an introductory class in computer graphics. I've researched and published a paper on the performance of UNIX operating systems on x86 processors. I'm currently involved in the MosquitoNet project.
Interest:
In the short term, I'm interested in taking this course because I'd like to learn techniques for organizing and interpreting traces of wireless network and MobileIP usage. In addition, I think visualization could be powerful tool for understanding Computer Science in general and therefore would be an important component of my general Computer Science education.

brian chu, sing yun
http://www-cs-students.Stanford.EDU/~sychu/
Major: Computer Science
Degree: MS 1
Background:
Intro. to Computer Graphics. Motif programming
Interest:
1st:Visualizing virtual agents ( To build an infrastructure for researchers in AI studying agents and Computer graphics) 2nd:Visualizing the web

Diane Tang
http://mosquitonet.stanford.edu/~dtang
Major: Computer Science
Degree: PhD, 2nd year
Background:
I've taken a graduate graphics class back at Harvard (but that was 4 years ago), and I'm a graduate student here at Stanford working for Mary Baker on Mosquitonet. I'd like to take what I"ve learned in this class to help understand (by visualizing) some trace data we're gathering.
Interest:
Many times when working on various systems projects (benchmarking file systems, visualizing packet trace data, etc.), I have all of the data, but figuring out how to express the data is sometimes the most difficult problem. I've looked at the Tufte books, and they have helped somewhat, but a class like this might help even more. After all, a research paper needs to present results, and those results need to be understandable.

David Ofelt
http://www-flash.stanford.edu/~ofelt
Major: EE
Degree: Ph.D. 7th year
Background:
I spent 4 years at the University of MN working for Paul Woodward doing visualization of 2D and 3D fluids evolving through time. At Stanford, I built a GUI front end to display the real time performance monitoring data from DASH. For CS343, another student and I built a GUI tool that allowed you to play with the compiler's loop transformation parameters and then see the result.
Interest:
The main reason I'd like to take the class is just that I enjoy working on visualizationt tools, and I'd like to learn more about the field. Another reason is that my research is currently in performance estimation of complex piplelined processors. There are a set of small visualization tools that I'd like to build, and this class seems like a good motivation to write them. The final reason is that I'm involved in the FLASH machine and I'm always interested in ways of improving our understanding of the machine. I'm hoping that I'll pick up a few techniques to effectivly visualize these kinds of systems.

Howard Knut Thompson
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~hkthom
Major: CS
Degree: MS 1997
Background:
Relavant graphics courses: 248, 348b Systems: 240a + b, 243, databases, ee282, ... Prehaps more relavant is the two semester sequence I took as an undergrad in simulation and animation and the work I did the following Summer. The class concentrated on industrial applications ( eg automotive manufacturing [ It was in Michigan after all ], and for my summer job the allocation of resources and direction of traffic in a hospital ), but the idea is similar. Upon coming out to California, I was a little suprised at how little simulation and animation is used in high-tech manufacturing.
Interest:
It is easy to dismiss animations and graphical depictions as fluff. I'll admit that I have found myself thinking that at times in cs and ee classes, prefering pages of cryptic code and numbers. However when asked to explain, for instance, virtual memory your immediate reaction is to start scribbling pictures, and typically a new or novel way of conceptualizing such things add another dimension to your understanding. I appreciate a class designed to address this directly and would like the opportunity to participate.

Jeff Gibson
www-flash.stanford.edu/~jeffg
Major: EE
Degree: Ph.D. 3
Background:
I'm a 3rd year Ph.D. student working in the FLASH hardware group. I'm specializing in computer architecture. I have no graphics background, but I have taken most of the systems courses (computer architecture, compliers, OS, etc.).
Interest:
I would like to investigate visualization techniques and try to apply them to performance monitoring for FLASH. I'm now looking for a long-term research project, and I'm considering a performance monitoring tool for FLASH.

Robert Bosch
http://www-flash.stanford.edu/~bosch
Major: CS
Degree: PhD 4
Background:
I've taken CS348B, and am working on the SimOS and VizCS (you know, I really like the SimOS/VizCS structural parallelism, but I'm not at all convinced that it's a good name) projects.
Interest:
I'd like to investigate innovative ways of applying visualization techniques to make SimOS a more flexible, powerful tool -- to provide clear, direct feedback to the user, and allow the user to better marshal the tremendous amount of information provided by SimOS. Besides, I need a thesis topic and this seemed like a good first step. :^)

Francois V. Guimbretiere
Major: CS
Degree: PhD, entering my 2nd year
Background:
I have been working in D. Luckham's group (Rapide) for 1 year and a half on visualization of partially ordered set (from 1 to 10 000 events) produced by our simulations. During this period of time I got familliar with most of the techniques presented in [1] to [17]. I also studied somewhat graph layout algorithms (we are currently using dot)
Interest:
For the short term, to discover new methods of visualization and assert the validity of my ideas. For the long term, a more indepth exploration of this research area to discover if my interest is strong enough to make it my research topic.

Joel Baxter
http://lemur.stanford.edu/~jbaxter/
Major: Electrical Engineering
Degree: Ph.D., fifth year
Background:
Taken cs348a & b, cs240a & b, ee382 & 482. Currently working on fault containment support (hardware/firmware) for the FLASH multiprocessor project, plus system simulation with FlashLite and SimOS. Relevant MP courses cs315a & 244b.
Interest:
Vis. of distributed algorithms, like the phases of fault recovery in FLASH. Or even like cache coherence operations. Input could be live or recorded, from real machine or simulator; I'm mainly interested in data from simulator. Hard to debug distributed algs by looking at traces of events from multiple nodes, even if events are properly interleaved. Also hard to explain/understand such algs without pictures; animated vis. would be especially useful.

Lantz, Bob
http://www-leland/~avenger/
Major: EE
Degree: PhD, 3
Background:
I have a strong systems background and I have become very interested in graphics as well!
Interest:
I am currently working for Prof. Rosenblum and I am interested in being a part of the new computer systems visualization project when it starts up! I had expressed my interest in this project even before I knew there was going to be a course. It took me about a millisecond to decide to take it.

Ramon Felciano
http://www-smi.stanford.edu/people/felciano/
Major: Medical Information Sciences
Degree: PhD expected 1997
Background:
My undergraduate degrees are in Computer Science and English & French Literatures. After graduation, I co-founded SUMMIT (http://summit.stanford.edu), a multimedia lab in the Stanford Medical School building graphical courseware for medical students. I am presently in my 3rd year as a PhD candidate in the Stanford Section on Medical Informatics. My thesis work explores the use of Domain Graphics as the bases for direct manipulation user interfaces. Domain Graphics (DGs) are information graphics widely accepted and repeatedly used by a population of users, especially in the literature of a field. Domain experts use DGs to communicate, exchange information, and teach. Because they are familiar to users, Domain Graphics are good visual metaphors for domain-specific user interfaces. My project is a system that learn about a particular domain graphic (e.g. table of elements or genetic map) by interviewing a user. The result will be a frame-based representation of the domain concepts as represented in the graphic, and a structured representation of how this knowledge is encoded graphically (e.g. the graphical vocabulary and the layout algorithm).
Interest:
This course is extremely relevant to my thesis work, and covers much of the background literature which I have been reviewing over the summer (Bertin, MacKinlay, Tufte, Casner, Roth). I am particular interested learning more about the following topics: - structures and methods for representing graphic content and linking it to non-graphical data representations such as a knowledge base. - linguistic characteristics of graphical languages (e.g. what is the vocabulary and grammar contained in a particular instance of a graphic). I have gathered a number of biomedical Domain Graphics which might provide good examples of graphics for students to work on.

Kekoa Proudfoot
http://www-lelend.stanford.edu/~kekoa
Major: EE
Degree: 2nd year grad
Background:
Courses: cs248, cs348b, cs348c (graphics architectures) lots of computer architecture courses Projects: Flash graphics Other background: various networking hacks interested in PC game rendering engines
Interest:
I'm interested in seeing "what's out there" in terms of techniques for visualization; I'm also interested in seeing how visualization might be applied to various things which interest me.

Chetan Rai
http://www-cs-students/crai
Major: Computer Science
Degree: Ph.D. (1st year)
Background:
* A course in graphics in my senior year * Senior thesis (B.Tech. Project) in radiosity - we developed an anti-aliasing method for use with progressive radiosity without significant additional costs.
Interest:
* the course is a combination of graphics and systems, almost mirroring my interest in graphics and networks/distributed systems. * interest in visualization - I have coded visualizations of simple chaotic systems in my spare time just because I liked the results. * visualization of computer systems is not a well-explored research area (or so I gathered during the first class!)

Edward Chang
http://www-db.stanford.edu/~echang
Major: E.E.
Degree: Ph.D. 2nd year
Background:
I took CS248 two years ago. I have been working with Prof. Garcia-Molina on the multimedia storage system (i.e., viedo server) design project (a part of digital library project.
Interest:
The multimedia storage system design project can benefit a great deal from computer visualization. We have the first phase of the simulator written. Being able to visualize what's going on in the simulator will help finding resource utilization and identifying bottlenecks much easier.

Shawn Dong
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~shawndon

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