IAP Independent Activities Period
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IAP 2009 Activities by Sponsor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

"Enabling Innovative On Line Applications": Alumni Talk with Chief Technology Officer of Akamai
Mike Afergan PhD'05
Mon Jan 26, 06-07:00pm, PDR 1&2, Student Cen

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event

Mike Afergan is the Chief Technology Officer of Akamai. He is a veteran of Akamai's distinguished engineering organization, having joined in 1999, & has served in various roles within it's Engineering & Product Management departments, including Director of Technology Strategy & Director of Load Balancing & Mapping.

Dr. Afergan also has a distinguished academic research career. At MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science & at Harvard, he has conducted research including the impact of economic incentives on networked systems, reliable networking & content distribution protocols, & wireless protocols & architectures. He has authored a number of academic publications & has served as a teaching fellow & guest lecturer at Harvard.

Q&A & Pizza will follow the Talk. Register below so we know how much pizza to order.
Web: https://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/register-login.vm?eventID=28681&groupID=194
Contact: Katie Maloney, W98, 2nd Fl, x2-3772, kcasey@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Alumni Association

Advanced Platforms for Managing Explosive Growth of Services Over Broadband Infrastructures
Susie Kim Riley Founder/CTO, Camiant, Paul Zorfass
Thu Jan 22, 07-09:00pm, 32-123


Broadband usage is exploding as service providers and operators scramble to address the wild growth of usage & applications over their broadband pipes, & unpredictable usage makes it difficult for networks to react. It's even more challenging in mobile environments experiencing near exponential growth in data bandwidth usage due to flat rate pricing and the Smartphone, iPhone, Blackberry, etc. Factors contributing to the compounded impact of the exponential growth in demand for bandwidth include fixed network capacity, roaming, and open networks. Includes the challenges associated with application delivery and usage on the network, the steps some network providers are taking to address the issues, the standards perspective, and the platforms that are being deployed to implement solutions that enable the providers/operators to proactively manage their networks, while delivering optimal performance for subscribers.
Contact: Anne Hunter, anneh@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

An Introduction to Mobile Device Software Development
Brad Lassey Course VI 03 and 04
Tue Jan 13, Thu Jan 15, Tue Jan 20, Thu Jan 22, 05-06:30pm, 37-312

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2009
Limited to 15 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: C/C++ programming experience

Mobile devices are the most personal form of electronic equipment to date; but we've only cracked the surface of what is possible with innovative software. This course will take you through the basics of setting up a development environment, pulling the Mozilla source code and building a working mobile browser.
Contact: Brad Lassey, lassey@alum.mit.edu

Caffeinated 6.001
Alex Vandiver, Ben Vandiver, Nelson Elhage, Zev Benjamin, Mike Phillips
Mon, Wed, Jan 5, 7, 12, 14, 21, 26, 28, 07-09:00pm, 32-044

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: some programming experience; high confusion threshold.

Zombie-like, 6.001 rises from the dead to threaten students again. Unlike a zombie, though, it's moving quite a bit faster than it did the first time. Like the original, don't walk into the class expecting that it will teach you scheme; instead, 6.001 attempts to teach thought patterns for computer science, and the structure and interpretation of computer programs. Weekly projects, many based on historic 6.001 projects, will be assigned.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/alexmv/6.001/
Contact: Caffeinated 6.001 Team, W20-557, x3-7788, 6.001-zombies@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Student Information Processing Board

Careers from the Perspective of a Large Corporation (GE)
Arthur C. M. Chen
Tue Jan 27, 11am-01:00pm, 32-141

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Understanding how large corporations & human development processes work is vital to career choice. Considered by many to be a "meritocracy", GE is frequently cited among the most admired companies. An appreciation of career progression and the role of HR in GE may serve as a benchmark. Despite many attempts, GE's leadership in the past had very few women or minorities. That's changed but speculation on the reason for the past is valuable.
Art Chen (MIT EE SB, MS, PhD), a former senior executive at GE Corporate R&D, was involved in every element of the widely diversified GE businesses. Post-retirement, he's done biomedical & genomics start-ups, venture investing, & university-to-industry technology transfer. Currently a member of the MIT Venture Mentoring Service.

One hour talk plus additional discussion time.
Contact: Arthur C. M. Chen, acmchen@alum.mit.edu

EECS Teaching Assistant Workshop
Dennis Wei
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 16-Jan-2009
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: EECS graduate students interested in teaching

Anxious about teaching for the first time? Don't worry! Please come to the 5th annual EECS TA Workshop. We will have group discussions focused on different aspects of TAing, led by experienced TAs who will share some of the things they wish they knew before they began teaching.

Cosponsored by the EECS Graduate Student Association.
Contact: Dennis Wei, dwei@mit.edu

How to be an Effective TA (and still have time for other things)
Dennis Wei
What can I do to ensure that my students learn the material?
What are some good uses of office hours? How do I write good problem sets and solutions? How much time does TAing really take? How do I make progress in my research, keep up in my classes, and do a good job as a TA, all in the same term?
Wed Jan 21, 06pm-07:30am, 34-401A, Grier A, Dinner Provided

Teaching Tutorials and Recitations
Dennis Wei
What are the differences between recitations and tutorials? How do I encourage my students to interact with me and each other? How much should I prepare and present, and how much time should I devote to answering students' questions?
Mon Jan 26, 06-07:30pm, 34-401A, Grier A, Dinner Provided

Hacking a Google Interview -- Mastering Programming Interview Questions
Curtis Fonger, William Jacobs
Mon Jan 12 thru Thu Jan 15, 05-06:30pm, 32-124

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: at least one MIT programming class or equivalent

Ever wanted to work at a company like Google, Apple, or Facebook? There's just one thing standing in your way: the interview. But there's no need to fear. We've mastered the interview questions and topics, and we want to show you how you can nail every programming question. Whether you're a beginning programmer or a seasoned expert, this class is for you.

The class focuses on computer science topics that frequently come up in programming interviews. It covers time complexity, hash tables, binary search trees, and some other things you might learn in 6.046. However, most of the time is devoted to topics you won't learn in class, such as crafty bitwise logic and tricks to solving problems.

If you have any interest in working at a computer science company, make sure you don't miss this class!
Web: http://courses.csail.mit.edu/iap/interview
Contact: Curtis Fonger, cfonger@mit.edu

How to Speak -- Prof. Winston's Famous Talk!!
Patrick Winston
Fri Jan 30, 02-03:00pm, 6-120

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Winning Job Talks, Successful Oral Examinations,
Stimulating Lectures, And Getting Famous

You can improve your speaking ability in critical situations by observing a few heuristic rules. Professor Winston presents his collection of rules along with some observations about of their application in job talks,
thesis defenses, oral examinations, and lectures.
Contact: Patrick Winston, phw@mit.edu

Intro to PCB Layout
Tony Caloggero
Thu Jan 15, 02-04:00pm, 4-402

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 15 participants.
Single session event

There are free software packages for laying out printed circuit boards (PCBs), and this activity offers a quick introduction to one such package. We will walk you through some simple design examples, and will submit designs of your choosing to a production house so you will get a set of small PCBs bearing your circuit layout. We presume you will be able to get to a PC on the web. If not we will help you work out alternative arrangements. You are welcome, but not required, to bring your laptop to this session. (Wireless available.)
Contact: Tony Caloggero, 4-409, x3-9782, acalogge@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Edgerton Center

Intro to iPhone Application Development
Edward Benson
Mon Jan 5 thru Fri Jan 9, 12-02:00pm, 4-231

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 18-Dec-2008
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: application development experience and an Intel Mac

Interested in iPhone application development? Want to become a mobile entrepreneur? Learn to write iPhone Applications using Objective-C and the Cocoa Touch framework! The goal of this class is to get you through the learning curve of iPhone development: to give you the confidence and knowledge you need to branch out on your own.
Topics include:
The essentials of Objective C, XCode, and the iPhone SDK. You will learn how to design and develop elegant MVC application code with Cocoa Touch, and by the end of the week you will have written your own native iPhone application.

The second hour of each class will be a coding lab, so please bring an Intel Mac to class.
Contact: Edward Benson, eob@mit.edu

Introduction to the Sketch Program Synthesis System
Armando Solar
Mon Jan 12 thru Thu Jan 15, 01:30-03:30pm, 4-149, Final competition 1/15, 1:30-5

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2009
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: programming and data structures experience

Wouldn't it be great if programs could write themselves? Or at least help with the difficult parts of the code? Sketching is a new program synthesis technology that can help you write complicated code by deriving many of the tricky details for you.

This short course will serve as a quick introduction to this exciting technology. The first session will teach the basics of sketching, and the SKETCH synthesis tool through a series of fun exercises and examples. The next two sessions will turn you into an expert user; you will learn about the technology behind sketching, and the finer points of turning your insight into a sketch and using the synthesizer to derive the details for you. Finally the last session will put your new skills to the test through a programming competition where you will have the chance to win some cool prizes.
Web: http://people.csail.mit.edu/asolar/iap2009
Contact: Armando Solar, asolar@csail.mit.edu

Kits, Crafts and 'Bots: How to Make and Sell Things without being a Big Ugly Company
Alex Hornstein
Mon, Thu, Jan 5, 8, 12, 15, 22, 26, 29, 05:30-07:00pm, 36-144, Labs to be flexibly arranged

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2009
Limited to 10 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Desire to build and sell cool things

Go through the process of designing, developing and producing a product as an independent designer. Answers questions like:
How do I pick a good idea that people will like?
What's the best way to go about prototyping it?
How can I make 100 of them?
What do I need to do before I can sell my idea?
Develop a project idea and work through the steps, alone or in small groups, from idea to prototype to production to deployment. A very hands-on course, with students working on their own ideas, with the instructors acting as guides and resources rather than lecturers. Best for those interested in making and selling products on their own outside of the class, who want to take their complete design and begin selling it. Meets twice a week, with optional and frequent build sessions in a shop with an instructor.
Contact: Alex Hornstein, enjrolas@mit.edu

Long-Range Planning for Your Software Technology Career
Anne Hunter, John Vandersande, Rick Laidlaw
Wed Jan 14, 12-01:00pm, 34-401B

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: interest in a long-term software career

Two experienced software recruiters will discuss:
  • Hot technologies vs long term technology trends
  • Building a career in software
  • Software career pitfalls
  • Outsourcing: is the local software job market going away?
  • Software development firms vs internal software development
  • Local startups and the Boston software market
  • Candidate expectations in this market
  • Do you need a masters or PhD to be successful?

    Recruiters from a leading Boston-area recruiting firm (Winter Wyman) will join recent Course VI alums to discuss long-term career issues, and how to plan a whole career. They'll answer questions and advise students with career concerns, and help you avoid making job choice mistakes now that could haunt you later in your career.

    Pizza and beverages.
    Contact: Anne Hunter, anneh@mit.edu

MatLab -- A One Hour Introduction by HKN
Chuan Zhang
Thu Jan 22, 07-08:30pm, 14-0637

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event
Prereq: 18.03

Matlab combines a programming language with assorted toolboxes; it can be used for data processing, symbolic math, modeling dynamic systems, and more. Some classes are simply easier to take if you can use Matlab to help you tackle problems and projects, while others incorporate Matlab exercises into assignments.

Come to HKN's interactive 1-hour class (plus an optional half hour of questions, answers, and additional topics) on Matlab basics. We'll start from the absolute beginning, and end with a working knowledge of Matlab, sufficient to hack together a solution. Topics will include matrix operations, graphics, data files, scripts, functions, and topics you request in the bonus half-hour.

Class held in "electronic classroom" but bring your laptop if you like.
Contact: Chuan Zhang, czhang86@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Eta Kappa Nu

Practical Computer Security
Michael Borohovski, Benjamin Agre
Mon Jan 12 thru Fri Jan 16, 07-08:00pm, 32-124

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: programming skills, love of puzzles

A general introduction to specific problems in computer security. Students will use hands-on techniques to explore
problems like XSS, cookie hijacking and poisoning, basic cryptography and cryptanalysis, etc. Fun small daily assignments. Bring a charged laptop if you have one.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/iap-security/www/
Contact: Michael Borohovski, borski@mit.edu

Processing: Java-Based Art
Mish Madsen
Sun Jan 11, Sun Jan 25, 02-06:00pm, 8-205

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 08-Jan-2009
Limited to 20 participants.
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none

Come for a fun one-session course in Processing, a Media Lab-developed language oriented around easy syntax and awesome graphic applications. You can bring your own interface- and art- related ideas. You'll get to learn some basic Java syntax as well as Processing-specific graphical commands... start building games, graphic simulations, art
projects, and more. (This material was offered in a different format as 6.914 last IAP.)

Course description: ../searchiap/iap-8924.html
Learn more about Processing: http://www.processing.org/
Web: http://www.themish.net/processing/
Contact: Mish Madsen, mish@mit.edu

Professional Portfolio Selection Techniques: From Markowitz to Innovative Engineering
Antonella Sabatini
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 100 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Students encouraged to attend all sessions; not mandatory

Reviews most important & widely used state-of-the-art Portfolio Selection Techniques, as used by capital firm wealth management institutions as well as for a personal financial portfolio. Introduces innovative methodologies, including the GAM model as a tactical asset allocation technique, with working examples. Gentle introduction to the subject, specifically targeted at undergraduates in Economics, EECS and other fields with interest in quantitative finance, economics and management, with emphasis on innovation and research

Pizza and beverages offered at last class.
Contact: Matthew Goldstein-, austein@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

Introduction to Portfolio Management Techniques Part I
Antonella Sabatini
Review of the most important & widely used state-of-the-art Portfolio Selection Techniques. Targeted at people with no knowledge of portfolio management and investment. Process of portfolio construction - Asset allocation: strategic asset allocation; tactical asset allocation. Portfolio
Optimization, Markovitz' model, Black & Litterman (B&L) model.
Tue Jan 20, 12-01:30pm, 32-155

Introduction to Portfolio Management Techniques Part 2
Antonella Sabatini
Conclusion of the theory presented in first session. Working examples of B&L in Excel and/or Matlab. Lab session.
Wed Jan 21, 12-01:30pm, 32-155

Introduction to the GAM Model Part 1
Antonella Sabatini
The GAM Tactical Asset Allocation model will be presented. Quick review of PID feedback control theory. Prereq: having taken 18.03, 8.02, 6.003, and material covered in first two sessions helpful.
Thu Jan 22, 12-01:30pm, 32-155

Introduction to the GAM Model Part 2
Antonella Sabatini
Conclusion of the theory presented in third session. Working example of the GAM model in Excel. Attendees are welcome to bring their own portfolio of securities for a practical application (contact Antonella Sabatini for further
info: asabatin@mit.edu). Lab Session. Pizza and beverages
Fri Jan 23, 12-01:30pm, 32-155

Project Expo! Presentations for Prizes! Postponed to March!
Douglas Adams
Tue Jan 27, 02-06:00pm, 10-105 Bush Room

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 21-Dec-2008
Single session event
Prereq: research or lab project

Be a Presenter!
Students can show off any project they've been working on to the entire MIT community. Course VI undergrads especially encouraged to present UROPs, UAPs, and final lab projects, but graduate students and other majors welcome. Poster presentations and in-progress projects are fine. Posterboard provided. Let lots of people see what you've accomplished. $500 in prizes, voted by company, faculty and student judges.

Be a Judge!
This is a great way to see what's going on at MIT, and get inspired to do a UROP or take a lab class. Vote on your favorite project.
Web: http://hkn.mit.edu/expo/
Contact: Douglas Adams, hkn-iap@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Eta Kappa Nu

Ruby on Rails
Matthew Knox
Tue Jan 20, Wed Jan 21, Tue Jan 27, Wed Jan 28, 07-09:00pm, 32-144


Unleash your RoR! Ruby on Rails has laid waste to all other web programming frameworks in its path, and is now the default choice for discriminating startup founders everywhere. Find out why, and how it can help you get your
web application up and running faster than the competition.

Ruby on Rails was extracted from the Basecamp project management in 2004 by David Heinemeier Hansson. It uses ruby to develop several domain-specific languages for different parts of developing web apps: there is a
declarative language for defining associations, a templating language for generating html, and a mini-language for defining routes (the urls recognized by the application). The class will assume a history of
programming, but will introduce ruby and rails over the course of the class.
Contact: Matthew Knox, mattknox@mit.edu

Scientific Data Integration on the Semantic Web
Jonathan Rees Science Commons, Alan Ruttenberg
Mon Jan 12 thru Fri Jan 16, 10am-12:00pm, 2-143, afternoon office hours

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 12-Jan-2009
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: data manipulation experience

Students will learn the use of Semantic Web technologies (RDF, SPARQL) in integrating and querying heterogeneous scientific data sources. The emphasis will be on molecular biology and biomedicine but our subject's material should apply equally to any kind of scholarly data integration.
Requirement: For optional lab, please bring a data set of some kind to work with; for example, a spreadsheet, an XML file, a relational database, or RDF or OWL.
Monday: Orientation, URIs, RDF, SPARQL, XQuery, sources
Tuesday: Some data and knowledge sources and their ontologies
Wednesday: Tools and services
Thursday: OWL, consistency checking, rich query
Friday: Contributing to the Semantic Web: URIs, ontologies, consensus, and provisioning
Web: http://neurocommons.org/page/IAP_2009
Contact: Jonathan Rees, jar@csail.mit.edu
Cosponsor: Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab

Serving Java: MEET's Project Design Challenge
Ted Golfinopoulos, Froylan Sifuentes
Tue Jan 20 thru Fri Jan 23, 02-04:00pm, 32-155

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2009
Limited to 25 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: prior Java, C++ or other object oriented language experienc

Help MEET, contribute to world peace, win prizes!

Teams or individuals design prototypes for original, high-school-level computer science projects aimed for use in the curriculum of MEET (Middle East Education through Technology). These will be judged, and the winner(s) team will receive a generous prize. The project prototypes may be implemented by MEET students in Jerusalem.

Week 1: project introduction, practice in writing lab-sized projects, discussion of challenges unique to the MEET program, technical and teaching workshops.

Week 2: Developing and coding projects with support from former MEET instructors.

This course is an excellent way for students to learn about teaching computer science and to discover MEET. It is not intended as a course in Java programming.
Web: http://meet.mit.edu/iap
Contact: Ted Golfinopoulos, tedg@meet.mit.edu

The Science Behind Virtualization
Larry Rudolph
Mon Jan 26 thru Fri Jan 30, 01-03:00pm, 32-124

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 19-Jan-2009
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: general programming experience

Virtualization has gained widespread attention and transformed the way companies think about their IT infrastructure. This course presents basic concepts which enable server virtualization, then delves into the science behind several application areas including resource management, storage, security, performance management, benchmarking and disaster recovery. We will also discuss the future of virtualization and the interesting opportunities presented as technology in both the enterprise and consumer markets evolves. Daily 1-1.5 hour lecture followed by 30 minutes for demonstrations and Q&A. Lectures will be delivered by VMware founder and senior engineers including MIT alumni. Please sign up at the url below.
Web: http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/register.cfm?course=28115&user=0&operator=0&pwd=&order=0&mL_method=register&rMethod=register&ui=www&token=none
Contact: Melissa Wood, iap-vms09@mit.edu

The Visual Warning System
Louis M. Hebert
Wed Jan 21, 02-03:00pm, 32-G449 (Kiva/Patel)

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none

The development and operation of the Visual Warning System (VWS), providing a warning to pilots violating the restricted areas over Washington DC. An aircraft pilot may inadvertently enter the airspace over Washington without proper authorization. Many smaller aircraft operate under rules which do not require continuous contact with air traffic controllers. The VWS was developed to provide an additional way to communicate with a pilot violating airspace rules, and to prompt an immediate action by the pilot to contact air traffic control and exit the restricted flight zone. The system was designed, developed, and deployed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Refreshments.
Louis M. Hebert is assistant leader of the Surveillance Systems Group and program manager for the Enhanced Regional
Situational Awareness Program.
Contact: Gary Hackett, hackett@ll.mit.edu
Cosponsor: Lincoln Laboratory

Web Programming Competition Awards Show
Lydia Chilton
Fri Jan 30, 04-05:30pm, 10-250, Free T-Shirts!

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

The awards show for the 6.470 web programming competition.
Student sites are based on music, colleges, and cars. Sites will be original, funny, and beautiful. Prize presentations and judges' critiques.
Web: http://6.470.scripts.mit.edu
Contact: Lydia Chilton, 6.470-chair@mit.edu

Writing Your Thesis with Microsoft Word
Chris Cassa
Thu Jan 29, 07-08:30pm, 32-155, NOTE ROOM CHANGE

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Lots of seniors, MEng and PhD students need to write theses. Learn how to use the built-in features of Microsoft Word 2007 to make your experience better. Covers auto generation tables of contents, lists of figures and tables, the MIT thesis header page, cross referencing figures and tables, managing citations and interacting with Endnote, generating a bibliography, standardizing formatting, and using the new equation editor.

Refreshments!
Contact: Chris Cassa, cassa@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers


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Last update: 30 September 2004