Aims of Education

Automata

Author

Prof. Calvin

Announcements

Welcome to Automata
You should have:
- Quarto running.
- GitHub pages set up.

Sketch

Intro
Guest lecture
Goal setting
Then into Automata

About Me

About	Me
Name:	Calvin (Deutschbein)
Say:	(Professor) Calvin
Pronoun:	they/them
Office:	Discord calvin2501
Email:	ckdeutschbein@willamette.edu
Website:	cd-public.github.io

Background

Thesis Title: Mining Secure Behavior of Hardware Designs

Specification mining can discover properties that can verify the secure behavior of closed-source CISC CPU designs, the temporal correctness of CPU designs, and hyperproperties for secure information flow in modules, SoCs, and CPUs.

Background

Plain English:
Just as there are bugs in code that make software, modern hardware is also written in code and therefore may contain bugs. I find these bugs.
Of note: I found those bugs using computation theory specifically automata.

Course Description

Study of abstract models of computation, unsolvability, complexity theory, formal grammars and parsing, and other advanced topics in theoretical computer science.
- ~25 contact hours on automata
- ~15 contact hours on complexity

Modality

All of automata theory in residency, right now.
All of complexity theory in video recordings, over the next 8 weeks.
I maintain a website with videos, slides, code, and problem sets.
You will maintain a website with completed problem sets.

Grading

Weekly problem sets that will lag (due to the residency) and catch up at the end.
All coursework as Python .qmd rendered in .html on GitHub pages.
“Final” is having a theory of computation website.

Feedback and Grading

“After some consideration, I’ve decided to move away from a traditional grading structure for this class. Rather than assign work with the intent of assessing student progress, assignments in this course will instead focus on fostering student learning. As a result, I intend to implement the following:”

General Expectations

Students will begin the course with a grade of an “A”.
- Students will be expected to:
  - Follow lecture.
  - Participate in Discord.
  - Treat fellow students with respect.
  - Complete problem sets.

Instructor Communication

Students will be contacted privately by the course instructor in the unusual event that they are not meeting expectations.
- Students will not be held to an expectation of perfection.
- Students will not lose points or grades without prior discussion.
- Students will have the opportunity to explain their engagement with the course.

Feedback Structure

Students collectively within the class as a whole will receive feedback on computation, automata, and complexity.
- Individual feedback will be provided in limited and unique cases.
- Students are expected to provide respectfully collaborate on problem sets.
- Students may request individual feedback from the instructor at any time.
- Students will receive narrative rather than quantitative feedback.

Group Exercise:

Let’s start the class off right away with an exercise designed for:
- Groups
- Discussion
- Disagreement
- Deep critical thinking

Aims of Education

Before starting my first degree, we went to a lecture titled “Aims of Education”
I completed all remaining degrees during shutdowns/other crises!
I remember it fondly.
We will watch “How open-source hardware is changing our future” by Amber Huffman.
- And then discuss.

Question 0

What are the goals of an education in computer science?

Think: about a possible answer individually.
Discuss: answers within the group.
Record: a summary of the discussion.

Question 1

How does a scientist learn something new?

Think: about a possible answer individually.
Discuss: answers within the group.
Record: a summary of the discussion.

Question 2

What do you reasonably expect to remember from your courses in 20 years?

Think: about a possible answer individually.
Discuss: answers within the group.
Record: a summary of the discussion.

Question 3

What is the value of making mistakes in the learning process?

Think: about a possible answer individually.
Discuss: answers within the group.
Record: a summary of the discussion.

Question 4

How do we create a safe environment where risk-taking is encouraged and productive failure is valued?

Think: about a possible answer individually.
Discuss: answers within the group.
Record: a summary of the discussion.

Closing Thoughts

Try! Hard work leads to innovative thinking.
Fail! Don’t fear failure. Be ready to redo from scratch.
Collaborate! Work with peers to succeed at this course and succeed at collaboration.
Enjoy! Experience the fun of being a scientist through hard work and exploration.

Stretch Break

Home

--- title: "Aims of Education" --- --- ## Announcements - Welcome to **Automata** - You should have: - Quarto running. - GitHub pages set up. --- ## Sketch ::: {.nonincremental} - Intro - Guest lecture - Goal setting - Then into Automata ::: ## About Me |About|Me| |-|-| | **Name**: |Calvin (Deutschbein) | | **Say**: |(Professor) Calvin | | **Pronoun**: |they/them | | **Office**: |Discord calvin2501 | | **Email**: |[ckdeutschbein@willamette.edu](@mailto:ckdeutschbein@willamette.edu)| | **Website**: |[cd-public.github.io](https://cd-public.github.io)| --- ## Background ::: {.nonincremental} - **Thesis Title**: [Mining Secure Behavior of Hardware Designs](https://cd-public.github.io/papers/2021/CD2021.pdf) > Specification mining can discover properties that can verify the secure behavior of closed-source CISC CPU designs, the temporal correctness of CPU designs, and hyperproperties for secure information flow in modules, SoCs, and CPUs. ::: ## Background - **Plain English**: Just as there are bugs in code that make **software**, modern **hardware** is also written in code and therefore may contain bugs. I find these bugs. - Of note: I found those bugs *using computation theory* specifically automata. --- ## Course Description - Study of abstract models of computation, unsolvability, complexity theory, formal grammars and parsing, and other advanced topics in theoretical computer science. - ~25 contact hours on automata - ~15 contact hours on complexity --- ## Modality - All of automata theory in residency, right now. - All of complexity theory in video recordings, over the next 8 weeks. - I maintain a website with videos, slides, code, and problem sets. - You will maintain a website with completed problem sets. ## Grading - Weekly problem sets that will lag (due to the residency) and catch up at the end. - All coursework as Python .qmd rendered in .html on GitHub pages. - "Final" is having a theory of computation website. ## Feedback and Grading > "After some consideration, I’ve decided to move away from a traditional grading structure for this class. Rather than assign work with the intent of assessing student progress, assignments in this course will instead focus on fostering student learning. As a result, I intend to implement the following:" --- ### General Expectations - **Students will begin the course with a grade of an "A".** - Students will be expected to: - Follow lecture. - Participate in Discord. - Treat fellow students with respect. - Complete problem sets. --- ### Instructor Communication - Students will be contacted privately by the course instructor in the unusual event that they are not meeting expectations. - Students will not be held to an expectation of perfection. - Students will not lose points or grades without prior discussion. - Students will have the opportunity to explain their engagement with the course. --- ### Feedback Structure - Students collectively within the class as a whole will receive feedback on computation, automata, and complexity. - Individual feedback will be provided in limited and unique cases. - Students are expected to provide respectfully collaborate on problem sets. - Students may request individual feedback from the instructor at any time. - Students will receive narrative rather than quantitative feedback. --- ## Group Exercise: - Let’s start the class off right away with an exercise designed for: - Groups - Discussion - Disagreement - Deep critical thinking --- ## Aims of Education - Before starting my first degree, we went to a lecture titled "Aims of Education" - I completed all remaining degrees during shutdowns/other crises! - I remember it fondly. - We will watch "How open-source hardware is changing our future" by Amber Huffman. - And then discuss. --- <center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/trabJm8GT0s?si=1XNFCa5h6Lo5UWaw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center> --- ## Question 0 > **What are the goals of an education in computer science?** - **Think**: about a possible answer individually. - **Discuss**: answers within the group. - **Record**: a summary of the discussion. ## Question 1 > **How does a scientist learn something new?** - **Think**: about a possible answer individually. - **Discuss**: answers within the group. - **Record**: a summary of the discussion. ## Question 2 > **What do you reasonably expect to remember from your courses in 20 years?** - **Think**: about a possible answer individually. - **Discuss**: answers within the group. - **Record**: a summary of the discussion. ## Question 3 > **What is the value of making mistakes in the learning process?** - **Think**: about a possible answer individually. - **Discuss**: answers within the group. - **Record**: a summary of the discussion. ## Question 4 > **How do we create a safe environment where risk-taking is encouraged and productive failure is valued?** - **Think**: about a possible answer individually. - **Discuss**: answers within the group. - **Record**: a summary of the discussion. --- ## Closing Thoughts - **Try!** Hard work leads to innovative thinking. - **Fail!** Don't fear failure. Be ready to redo from scratch. - **Collaborate!** Work with peers to succeed at this course and succeed at collaboration. - **Enjoy!** Experience the fun of being a scientist through hard work and exploration. # Stretch Break - [Home](https://cd-public.github.io/compute/)