Updated: September 3, 2012

Previous Projects (Click here and search the departmental database.)

Project Descriptions and References

• 2+2 Transfer Course Database

The CS&T department, and PSU as a whole, has started working out 2+2 transfer agreements with the New Hampshire community colleges. These agreements allow students to spend their first two years at a community college and then finish their BS degree here. There are IT and CS-like curricula at each of the community colleges. As you can imagine, each of them is a little different from the others. This can lead to inequities in numbers of credits and course equivalences. This project will enable the CS&T faculty, and eventually perhaps the rest of the campus, to do a better job of granting transfer credit. Thus, the project involves creating a database of catalogs, course descriptions, syllabi, course numbers and PSU equivalents. This information is available both on line and in PDF form. The Senior Project student will create an interface that allows the faculty user to easily add, modify and delete links and content. Student and faculty users will be able to look up courses using course numbers, keywords or name of the transferring institution. For example, find all the data structures courses or find the networking courses at NHTI. Content must include hyperlinks from course numbers to descriptions to catalogs. The database must be web-based. It must include levels of security: who can look, who can modify. The ideal Senior Project student should have a good working knowledge of database design and have done some web programming. Potential co-advisors are Dr. Roberson and/or Dr. Shen.


• Smart phone Clickers

Develop a client-server application to allow classroom multiple-choice feedback for professors from students using their smart phones. This includes a working prototype of the smart phone app, a course feedback database and the ability to handle multiple concurrent feedback sessions from different classes. Strong programming skills and database experience are a must.

• A Survey of Cryptography  Co-advisor: Dr. Larry Blaine

Survey of the history and techniques of cryptography and cryptanalysis. A major part of this project is to write programs to "crack" some of the more elementary codes.  A student who elects this project should have strong programming skills and an understanding of basic statistical concepts.

• A Survey of Chaos  Co-advisor: Dr. Larry Blaine

This is not the chaos of your favorite first-person shooter. This is mathematical chaos. It is the self-similarity and variability that exists everywhere in nature. This is fascinating stuff. The possible areas of focus are litterally endless. Come and talk with Dr. Drexel about this project. He and Dr. Blaine will bring you up to speed. Once there, they'll give you something interesting investigate and report on. Since some of what you'll be doing has the potential to be original, there will be an opportunity (not a requirement) to publish your findings. Some programming may be required.

• Microcontroler System Development
  
  Embedded processors (I.e., Micro-controllers) are everywhere. They provide the intellegence inherent in simple modern devices. For example, coffee makers, microwave ovens, TV remotes, and hand-held games contain at least one of these devices. Well-known microcontrollers are the Arduino hobbiest microprocessor (ATmega328), the HCS12 / 9S12 microcontroller - found on the Dragon Board development platform, and the Make Controller (www.makingthings.com) - another lesser well-known hobbiest microprocessor development environment. Possible projects? Previous student projects were a whole-house monitoring and control system. This project allowed a four processors to communicate with each other to do their collective job. Another example is the "Fish Tank Controller" project. You will find it listed in the Previous Senior Projects list. Pick a specific application, or brainstorm ideas with Dr. Drexel. Familiarity with digital logic design, willingness to learn some analog design and, although micro-controller code is often written in C or C++, a level of comfort with machine-language programming is a must.


• (Not available) Website for a Local Non-profit Organization
  
  A local non-profit organization currently has a web presence. But, the website's administrator isn't primarily a technical person. As a result, the website could use some enhancements and some redesign. The enhancements include levels of administrative authentication and access. For example, non-administrators (super users) need the ability to upload content. (Only administrators would have the ability to modify the website's inherent design.) Moreover, some web content should be available only to those in a user capacity. Lists of users would be created by the super users or the administrators. Other, more general, content must be available to whomever comes to the website. Your task would be to work with this customer, and other of the organization's representatives, to determine what they want. You would then implement prototypes of this new system. Your goal would be a working website and a customer who has enough knowledge to administrate the website after you've left the area.

Incidentally, the Previous Senior Projects database was itself a previous Senior Project!

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