variety of technical topics

Department of Computer Science
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

University Mission Statement on Research
"As a university, Xavier pursues truth and excellence in teaching, research and service to communities: it is concerned with the preservation of the environment and the integrity of creation; it prepares men and women with competence, skills and keen sense of responsibility to their communities ..."
College of Engineering Mission Statement on Research
"As a resource center, it shall establish a science and technology research center, develop information technology and serve as a forum for dialogues on technology and social impact"
Mission Statement
"As teaching, research and service unit, it shall conduct applied research in computer science to develop and adapt new methods and improve on existing solutions for harnessing information and communication technologies in the service of the community"
General Objectives
The department shall conduct research in the areas of databases and information systems; multimedia and computer-aided learning systems; networks and computer systems; and programming and software engineering systems:
ท To establish a system for investigating new ways of harnessing information and communication technologies in the service of the community;
ท To take the lead in developing computer-based alternative and interactive methods of learning and learning management;
ท To put in place a mechanism for responding to the rapid pace of technological change and the systematic updating of the computer science curriculum and syllabi;
ท To encourage and provide incentive to faculty and students to pursue research in collaboration with academe, industry and government.

Units of Study
• Each area of computer science chooses different units of study.
– In algorithms: algorithms
– In AI: methods, techniques, algorithms
– In Languages: languages, language components or features
– In Architecture: instruction sets, memory hierarchies, architectures
– In Theory: models, theorems, proof techniques
– In Systems: systems, components of systems, system architectures

Research Topic/Area of Interest
v Computer-based Tutorial Systems/Database Systems
v Intelligent Tutoring Systems
v Comparative Study of UML-Supported and Non-UML Supported Software Development
v Executive Information Systems
v Information Storage and Retrieval in an Intranet
v GIS-based Visulization and Retrieval Tool for Population Census Data
v ICT in the Classroom: Elementary and High School
v Web-enabled Database Application (CDO Doctors Information System)
v Developing Web-based Business Applications using Distributed Databases or Web-based Geographic Information Systems
v Expert System for Academic Evaluation/Counseling
v Computer-Assisted Business System Engineering Tool: Benefits of Open Source and Reusable Objects
v High Speed Wireless Networks
v Virtual Memory Management
v An IP Address-less Bridge-Firewall
v Wireless LAN for Small and Medium Enterprises

Each research has Research Group
ISDM - Information Systems and Data Management Group
MCAT - Multimedia and Computer-Aided Tools Group
NWCS - Networking and Computer Systems Group
SEPL - Software Engineering and Programming Languages

Major Research Areas/Groups
1. Information Systems and Data Management Group
The Information Systems and Data Management Group is to develop new solutions to local problems in the integrated management and retrieval of data, information and knowledge in highly distributed networked environments in academe, industry and government. The group is also interested in information systems resource management, systems development methodologies and the use of information systems as a competitive advantage and as a tool for decision making at the operational, tactical and strategic levels of an organization. Specific research interest include digital libraries, data warehousing, data mining, information search and retrieval, Web-enabled databases, electronic commerce applications, object-oriented databases and distributed databases; systems development methodologies, enterprise collaboration systems, social, ethical and security issues in information systems, electronic business and decision support systems.
2. Multimedia and Computer-Aided Tools Group
The Multimedia and Computer-Aided Tools Group is to pursue research and development efforts in educational and other applications of multimedia, computing, communications and connectivity to education and the learning and other work processes in and outside the university. Specific research interest include educationally-oriented programming language tools, online course delivery and management; intelligent tutoring systems and adaptive learning environments; distance learning, collaborative teaching, user interfaces and human computer interaction; CASE tools, applied artificial intelligence, human factors engineering, ergonomics, systems engineering and work flow/schedule optimization.
3. Networking and Computer Systems Group
The Networking and Computer Systems Group will pursue a variety of research topics related to computer networks and distributed computer systems. The research work combines theoretical foundations with practical applications and will involve interaction with the user community. Specific research interests include network resource management and monitoring, distributed systems and tools; client-server computing; parallel systems; communication protocols for continuous media such as video and audio over the current Internet networks as well as over high-speed networks; multimedia network protocols, extensible operating systems to support multimedia, enterprise computing and connectivity standards.
4. Software Engineering and Programming Languages Group
The Software Engineering and Programming Languages Group will conduct research in a variety of areas including contemporary programming languages, compilers and software engineering methodologies; concurrent and event driven software. Specific research interest include software architecture, software evolution, and rapid migration; advanced programming languages, including design, semantics, implementations, programming environment tools, collaborative programming, object-oriented programming and prototyping.
Research Group Membership and Responsibilities
ท Conducting research and extension services in their respective areas;
ท Periodically suggesting updates to the curriculum based on research findings;
ท Systematically developing new or improving existing syllabi/course material in subjects adjunct to their respective research areas;
ท Carrying out collaborative research and extension services with partners from other academic institutions, industry and government.
Research Life Cycle
• Definition. Exploratory research defines a new problem, new constraints, new opportunity, or a new approach.
• Initial Solutions. Initial algorithms, designs, theorems, programs are developed.
• Evaluation of Initial Solutions. Initial solutions are evaluated and refined in isolation.
• Comparison of Solutions. Solutions are compared to one another and also to ideal solutions.
• Space of Possible Solutions. Theorems are proved about the limits on any solutions. Existing solutions are placed in a common framework to determine whether all possible solutions have been found.
• Technology Transfer. Best approaches are transferred to users.

• Not all of these phases are seen in all areas. For units with high cost of evaluation only relatively weak methods can be applied to evaluate initial solutions and compare solutions.
• For units with high variety, it is difficult to understand the space of all possible solutions.

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/methodstoc.html