Department
Resources
Tech Links
CONTACT INFO
Projects
Current Faculty Projects
- Video showcasing the department’s intro CS course
We created a YouTube video that showcases the normal and extra-credit programs created by the 2011-12 freshmen class. All the programs shown were created in Java during the CSCI 135 and 136courses taught by Keith Vertanen.
- Develop High Performance Computing (HPC) capabililes at Montana Tech
Montana Tech began developing its HPC infrastructure in 2012 under the guidance of Jeff Braun and Chemistry Professor David Hobbs. During the summer, improvements were made to the Montana Tech Data Center inorder to supply the necessary cooling and backup power for the new HPC cluster. The new 20-node cluster was purchased from Penguin Computing. Each node has two 8-core Intel Sandy Bridge processors and 64 GB of memory. The nodes are connected with 40 Gbps InfiniBand and have access to a 25 TB storage system. A 3D Visualization Wall was also installed over the summer. The 3D visualization equipment and workstation currently reside in the Museum Building near the Computer Science Faculty offices. The system configured and installed by Mechdyne Corporation includes a back projected screen with 3D stereoscopic projection. Active 3D glasses and head tracking enable stereoscopic images and virtual-reality interaction.
- Continue to develop our software engineering standards
Our software engineering standards are focused on (1) bridging the gap between classical computer science programming assignments and Agile methods but none-the-less require the creation and inspection of artifacts such as Software Requirements Specifications, Software Design Descriptions, Software Test Plan\Reports, and Software Inspection procedures based on the IEEE Software Engineering Standards. Since our software engineering program expects students to become proficient in C++, Java, and C# care has been taken to minimize the differences between the coding standards for these languages. In the future we expect to add coding standards for XHTML, PHP, and Java Script. Currently these standards are being created and maintained by Prof. Frank Ackerman.
Current Faculty Research and Papers
Vertanen, K.; MacKay, D.J.C. 2014, “Speech Dasher: A Demonstration of Text Input using Speech and Approximate Pointing”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (poster), Rochester, NY, October, 2014, pp. 353-354. [PDF]
Trinh, H.; Waller, A.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O.; Hanson, V.L. 2014, “Phoneme-based Predictive Text Entry Interface”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (poster), Rochester, NY, October, 2014, pp.351-352. [PDF]
Kristensson, P.O.; Vertanen, K. 2014, “The Inviscid Text Entry Rate and its Application as a Grand Goal for Mobile Text Entry”, MobileHCI ’14: Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, September, 2014, pp. 335-338. [PDF]
Rough, D.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2014, “An Evaluation of Dasher with a High-Performance Language Model as a Gaze Communication Method”, AVI ’14: Proceedings of the ACM International Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces, Como, Italy, May, 2014. [PDF]
Van Dyne, M.; Tsatsoulis, C. 2014. “Software Architecture for a System Combining Artificial Intelligence Approaches for Ground Station Scheduling”, Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Computers (CSCC ’14), Santorin, Greece, July 17-21, 2014, pp. 71-76.
Vertanen, K.; Emge, J.; Memmi, H.; Kristensson, P.O. 2014, “Text Blaster: A Multi-Player Touchscreen Typing Game”, CHI ’14: Extended Abstracts of the ACM International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Interactivity), Toronto, Canada, April, 2014. [PDF]
Weir, D.; Pohl, H.; Rogers, S.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2014, “Uncertain Text Entry on Mobile Devices”, CHI ’14: Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Toronto, Canada, April, 2014. [PDF]
Clawson, J.; Brewster, S.; Dunlop, M.; Kristensson, P.0.; Isokoski, P.;Oulasvirta, A.; Vertanen, K.; and Waller, A. 2014, “The Usability of Text Entry Systems Now and in the Future”, CHI ’14: Extended Abstracts of the ACM International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Special Interest Group Meeting), Toronto, Canada, April, 2014. [PDF]
Van Dyne, M.; Braun, J. 2014, “Effectiveness of a Computational Thinking (CS0) Course on Student Analytical Skills”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Conference on Computer Science Education”, Atlanta, GA, March 6-8, 2014. [PDF]
Tsatsoulis, C.; Van Dyne, M. 2014. “Integrating Artificial Intelligence Techniques to Generate Ground Station Schedules”, Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 1-8, 2014.
Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2014, “Complementing Text Entry Evaluations with a Composition Task”, ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, vol. 21, num. 2. [PDF]
Vertanen, K.; Memmi, H.; Kristensson, P.O. 2013, “The Feasibility of Eyes-Free Touchscreen Keyboard Typing”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (poster), Bellevue, WA, Oct. 21-13, 2013. [PDF]
Vertanen, K., “A Collection of Conversational AAC-like Communications”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (poster), Bellevue, WA, Oct. 21-13, 2013. [PDF]
Reyal, S.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2013, “Developing Efficient Text Entry Methods for the Sinhalese Language”, Proceedings of the ACM CHI Workshop on Grand Challenges in Text Entry. [PDF]
Oulasvirta,A.; Reichel, A.; Li, W.; Zhang, Y.; Bachynskyi, M.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2013, “Improving Two-Thumb Text Entry on Touchscreen Devices”, Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. [PDF]
Kristensson, P.O.; Brewster, S.; Clawson, J.; Dunlop, M.; Findlater, L.; Isokoski, P; Martin, B.; Oulasvirta, A., Vertanen, K.; Waller, A. 2013, “Grand Challenges in Text Entry”, Extended Abstracts of the ACM International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. [PDF]
Ackerman, A. F.; Acharya, S. 2012, “Software Engineering Education Needs More Engineering”, Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2012 Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, June 7-9, 2012.
Van Dyne, M.; Fjermestad, J. 2012. “Robotics in Education: A Tool for Recruiting, Engaging, Retaining and Educating Students”, Proceedings of the 12th WSEAS International Conference on Robotics, Control and Manufacturing Technology (ROCOM ’12), Rovaniemi, Finland, April 18-20.
Van Dyne, M.; Tsatsoulis, C. 2012. “An Inferential System for Determination of Candidate Crash Sites for Search and Rescue Operations”, Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, Mar. 3-10.
Trinh, H.; Waller, A.; Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O.; Hanson, V.L. 2012. “iSCAN: A Phoneme-based Predictive Communication Aid for Nonspeaking Individuals”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, pp. 57-64 [PDF]
Vertanen, K.; Kristensson, P.O. 2012. “Spelling as a Complementary Strategy for Speech Recognition”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Spoken Language Processing, Portland, OR, Sept. 9-13. [PDF]
A complete list of publications is available here.
Current Student Research and Papers
Vertanen, K.; Emge, J.; Memmi, H.; Kristensson, P.O. 2014, “Text Blaster: A Multi-Player Touchscreen Typing Game”, CHI ’14: Extended Abstracts of the ACM International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Interactivity), Toronto, Canada, April, 2014. [PDF]
Memmi, H. 2013. “Social-PPM: Social-Aware Personal Process Management”, Grace Hopper Conference (poster), Minneapolis, MN, Oct. 2-5.
Vertanen, K.; Memmi, H.; Kristensson, P.O. 2013, “The Feasibility of Eyes-Free Touchscreen Keyboard Typing”, Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (poster), Oct. 21-23.
Fortier, N.; Van Dyne, M. 2011. ”A genetic algorithm approach to improve automated music composition”, International Journal of Computers, Issue 4, Vol. 5, pp. 525-532.
Fortier, N.; Van Dyne, M. 2011. ”Artificial Creativity: Improving on algorithmic music composition using genetic algorithms”, Proceedings of the 15th World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society (WSEAS) International Conference on Computers, Corfu Island, Greece, Jul. 15-17, pp. 418-423.
Current Student Projects
The software engineering Senior Design class is working with students from the Mining Engineering Department to design and engineer the software that controls a lunar robot.
The spring 2013 Software Maintenance class has taken on maintaining the department’s ABET Outcome (AbOut) assessment system.
Past Student and Faculty Projects
AbOut – ABET Outcome Assessment Software
AbOut is web-based software to help faculty determine how well their courses are meeting ABET student outcomes. Throughout the semester, as assignments, labs and exams are scored, faculty record those scores in AbOut, relating the measurements to departmental goals. The software, compiling the scores, provides a variety of reports indicating the extent to which goals are being met.
Students developed this software as part of their course work, and for pay. The Requirements & Specification course developed the requirements and the Database Design course initiated its design and implementation. Students Cade Foster, Kasey Fouts and Miles Pennell implemented the bulk of the software as part-time summer work. The 2013 Software Maintenance class has taken on maintaining and further improving AbOut. It is expected that other departments will benefit from this software once it is completed and tested.
KapsuleProto is a prototype of what is expected to be a commercial oil field management subscription website. It was created by two Computer Science department juniors for a one-credit Independent Study project to support a couple of senior petroleum engineers completing their senior design project.
Open Song Composer
Open Song Composer(OSC) is a program that generates original music & learns from user input using a genetic algorithm. This software was written in Java by recent alum Nathan Fortier.
AGR-Lite
AGR-Lite is a Federally sponsored and subsidized whole-farm revenue insurance program administered by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). It was developed by a small team of CS & SE students from Montana Tech.
Software Engineering Senior Design Projects
Each year the Software Engineering seniors undertake a year-long software development project. Currently these projects are selected by the students with faculty oversight. Some of the more successful projects are listed and briefly described below.
Second Site
The software engineering senior design class has embarked on an ambitious project: to build, from scratch (using Blender and XNA), a multi-player strategy game that takes place in the future when life on planet earth has all but been destroyed by mankind’s recklessness. The three protagonist groups are humans, mutants, and helpful aliens.
Weldopedia is a public site for the free exchange of welding procedures. It was originally built as a standard data-base web-site application but was redone by a Software Maintenance class as a wiki. It is up and running and is currently being used in Montana Tech welding engineering classes. After it started being used in classes it was subject to attack by malicious software robots, and hence currently contains a large amount of junk. A team in the current Software Maintenance class is working on protecting the site from software robots, and on cleaning it up so it only contains legitimate welding procedures.
Table-top
Table-top is a mod to the popular commercial role playing game Neverwinter Nights I. The mod presents an entire episode with a playing time of about two hours. It is focused on illustrating several advanced computer science algorithms within the context of an adventure story.
IVRGUI
IVRGUI is an ambitious project to provide smart phones with a graphical interface that would enable callers to organizations that answer their phone with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems with an easy way to traverse an (IVR) call tree and to connect immediately with the desired party. The project has been worked on by two Software Engineering Senior Design teams and is currently scheduled to be addressed by a Software Maintenance class team.