Advanced Topics in Computer Security
CS643

Course project

The class will divide itself into groups of two students for the paper presentations
and discussions. Each group will work on a different project, and the projects will
relate to the theme of the paper that that group is assigned.

So, for example, in week 5, the paper, "Pacemakers and Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators: 
Software Radio Attacks and Zero-Power Defenses" will be presented and discussed. The students
who are assigned this paper will perform their course project work on the theme
found in this paper. For the paper you are assigned, you should perform the 
following tasks:

  - Perform a literature survey of published papers and systems that consitute
    prior related work. The survey should be comprehensive with a complete bibliography.
    As part of the survey, idenitfy the five most important previous papers and 
    explain the progression of research that led to the paper. A sample of what a good survey
    looks like can be found in the course web directory in the file: survey.pdf.
    Survey Writeup Due: March 2
  
  - When the week covering your paper arrives, prepare a 75 minute presentation to the
    class on Monday. The entire class is required to read the paper listed on the 
    course web site. The breakdown of your time should be approximately as follows:
	  - Explain the general theme and area of research: 5 minutes
 	  - Related work and background: 25 minutes
	  - Present the substance of the paper: 25 minutes
		  Include any subsequent work in the literature that is based on
 		  this paper.
	  - Critique the paper and describe possible extensions or improvements: 20 minutes
  
  On Wednesday, your group is resonsible for conducting an in-class activity that
  should generate discussion of the theme in the paper. It is up to you to pick
  the format, but try to be creative. One suggestion is to run a debate about a
  controversial issue in the paper. You could run a quiz show for part of the class,
  or some other game. The goal is to stimulate a lively and iteresting discussion that
  will focus around the main themes in the paper.

- Your semester project is to take the work in your paper and improve or extend it
  in a significant way. The expectation for the course is that you will produce
  research that is workshop-quality, and in fact, I will encourage the best projects
  to be submitted to actual workshops covering your topic. You will perform this work in
  the same groups of two that you presented your paper in. Here is the timeline for your
  deliverables:
	- Literature Survey paper due: March 2, beginning of class
	- Project proposal due: March 9, beginning of class
	     - a one-page description of the research you plan to do
	- Status report due: April 1, beginning of class
	     - a one-page description of where you stand and what's left to do
	- Final project report due: April 27
	- Project presentation to the class: April 27 & 29