CS Graduate Orientation

August 21, 2007

Slides from today are available at

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/admissions/

grad/orientation07f/

Welcome

• Introductions

• Degree Requirements, Administrative Information -Terry Hayden

• Computer Systems – Jon Chen

• Break

Agenda, p. 1

• Research Presentations– The Tetherless World Constellation - Jim

Hendler– Worldwide Computing – C. Varela– Graph Visualization Examples Using WWWPal

System (developed at RPI) - M. S. Krishnamoorthy

• Peer advisor meetings

• Pizza

Agenda, p. 2

• Where are you from? (country, school, job, etc.)

• Are you here for MS or PhD?

• What is your intended research area?

• Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?

Introductions

• 18 new students

• About 90 total CS students

• About 85% are PhD students.

• 8 female

• Students from about 18 countries.

• Highest numbers from US, China, India, Turkey.

People: Students

• Take initiative

• Exceptions to rules

• Involvement in department life

• Party list

• Photos on web site

Life as a grad student

• http://www.cs.rpi.edu/people/staff.html

• Terry Hayden, Manager of Student Affairs

• Bob Ingalls, Executive Officer

• Chris Coonrad, Lally, Dept Secretary

• Shannon Carrothers, MRC, grad. adm.

• Pam Paslow, Amos Eaton, payroll

• Jacky Carley, Assistant to Chair

People: Administrative Staff

• Joey Armstrong

• Jon Chen

• Steven Lindsey

People: Labstaff

• Role of advisor

• If you have a problem with your advisor, you can go to the department chair.

• Research advisor vs. CS advisor

• If you want to change advisors, talk to the advisor you want to switch to. If he/she agrees to the change, let me know and I’ll make the change. You should also inform your original advisor about the switch.

People: Advisors

• http://www.cs.rpi.edu/people/faculty.html

• Jeffrey Trinkle, Chair

• Bulent Yener, Interim Graduate Advisor

• Boleslaw Szymanski, Chair, GCC

• Graduate students often call faculty by their first names, but if in doubt, faculty can be addressed as Professor [last name]

People: Faculty

• Most students are in the general CS program, but there are also tracks for Computational Molecular Biology and Computational Science and Engineering.

• The qualifying exam courses are different for the different tracks.

• There are no required courses for the general PhD program, but there are some for the tracks.

PhD Tracks

• These requirements may be changing soon.

• If you do not have prior MS:– 90 credits total– 45-60 course credits and 30-45 research credits.

• If you have MS:– 60 credits total – 15-30 course credits and 30-45 research credits.

• At least 2/3 of course credits at 6000 level.

PhD Credits

• The PhD qualifying exam must be passed by the end of the first year.

• The four components of the exam, based on the content of four courses, are taken separately.

• You may pass each component by course or by oral.

• You have two chances at each component.

PhD Qualifying Exam

• CSCI-4020 Computer Algorithms

• CSCI-4430 Programming Languages

• CSCI-6050 Computability and Complexity

• CSCI-6140 Operating Systems

Qualifying Exam Courses

• Must get final grade of A and meet additional criteria defined by instructor.

• You may not take the course twice as a grad student. (May re-take as grad if you have taken previously as undergrad)

Qualifying Exams: Taking the courses

• Offered at start of Fall & Spring semesters.

• You will meet with 3 faculty examiners.

• You will be asked one or several questions from a list available in advance.

• Password to view questions online: 5components

• Some components give you time to prepare after you are told the questions; others don’t.

Oral qualifying exams

• Committee

• End of second year: research qualifying exam

• End of third year: candidacy exam

• End of everything: defense

• 1 public talk

• Colloquium attendance

Other PhD requirements

• CSCI-6140 Operating Systems

• CSCI-6050 Computability and Complexity

• 2 systems courses

• 1 course each in theory and applications

• No more than 12 credits at 4000 level

• 6 credit thesis

• 30 credits total

• Colloquium attendance

MS Requirements

• Full-time graduate students must attend at least 50% of colloquia in their first two years.

• Part-time students must attend at least 25% of colloquia in their first four years.

• Sign-in sheet at colloquia.

• Your progress is checked in the semiannual review of students.

Colloquium Attendance

• TAs must take at least 9 credits.

• Others must take at least 12 credits to maintain full-time status.

• RAs must take exactly 12 credits.

• For others, the maximum number of credits covered by full-time tuition is 15.

• You can use research credits to take more credits without taking more classes.

How many credits to take

• Most new students will take:CSCI-6050 Computability and ComplexityCSCI-6140 Computer Operating Systems

• For your additional credits, you may take a course recommended by your advisor.

• MS students may take courses to fulfill the breadth requirement.

• You might also take a few research credits

What to take

• If you can’t register for a class because it is full, contact the professor and/or go to class the first day to find out if you can get it in anyway.

• The Authorization form allows you to register for a class even though it is full.

• An Independent Study form is required to register for an independent study.

Registration issues

• Research credits are graded IP (in progress) until you submit your thesis, so it’s more important that you finish your thesis eventually than that the amount of work done in a semester corresponds to the number of research credits taken.

• You need 30-45 credits of CSCI-9990 to get a PhD.

• You need 6 credits of CSCI-6990 to get an MS.

Research Credits

• If you can’t find the right type of research credits on the class hour schedule, contact Bob Ingalls and he will add them.

• Don’t register for CSCI-6990 if you need CSCI-9990.

Registering forResearch Credits

• If you enter as full-time, you can’t change to part-time when you have few credits left. Instead, you must take as many credits as needed to attain full-time status.

• You can’t just not register for a semester. If you aren’t going to be taking any credits, you need to have some status such as in absentia, on leave, etc.

Maintaining your status

• Graduate students are reviewed at the end of each semester.

• You will need to fill out an online form to report your progress.

• You will receive a letter about how you are doing and expectations for the coming semester.

Semiannual review of students

• Certifies department approval of your courses and research credits.

• Could do once near beginning and once near end.

• Can re-do as often as needed if you change your plans.

• Credits must total 90 for PhD or 30 for MS.

• Signed by you, advisor, and Terry Hayden.

Plan of Study

• Please register ASAP if on payroll

• International studentsSee Judy Sawyer, x2385, sawyej@rpi.eduBring Passport.

• Domestic studentsSee Pam Paslow in AE 123B, 7:00am 2:30pm M-F.Bring – photo ID and social security card

OR– US passport

Financial support

• Pick up check in Academy Hall every other Friday or get direct deposit (see Pam Paslow and bring voided check).

• If picking up your check on a day other than payday, you’ll need to go the Rice Building (take shuttle bus).

• The number of pay periods may vary from semester to semester, which means the amount of you paycheck may change. The total paid per semester will stay the same.

Financial support, p. 2

• TA waiting list

If you are not getting aid

• Rest rooms in Lally

• Amos Eaton, Lally and MRC buildings.

• http://www.cs.rpi.edu/admissions/grad/floorplan.html

• Dept. office, faculty/staff mailboxes

• Student mailboxes, lounge

• Conference rooms, kitchenettes

• Department library (i.e. bookshelf)

Places

• You will share an office with others in your research group.

• If your research advisor is in a different department, your advisor should provide space there. If not, contact Terry Hayden to see if you can get space in CS.

• Use AE 217 for TA office hours.

Student offices, p. 1

• Talk with your officemates about sharing space, who sits at which desk.

• Make your office nice. Check with Chris Coonrad, Pam Paslow, Shannon Carrothers, Bob Ingalls, or Terry Hayden if your office needs anything.

Student offices, p. 2

• Check with all your officemates, and if you find things that belong to none of the occupants, throw them away. Or if you think someone may want them, check with department staff.

• When you move out, be courteous to future occupants and remove your stuff.

Student offices, p. 3

• Username and password for CS account

• Blue forms for your reference

• Yellow and green forms to fill out and return

• Keys

In your packets

• Key rings available

• Staff have master keys

• Everyone has:– KA48 lab, lounge, coffee room, xerox– 1B59 Amos Eaton building

Keys, Part 1

• Some people also have an office key

• If your advisor is outside CS or is Jim Hendler, get office assignment and key through advisor

• If your office is Amos Eaton 109, you need to wait for current occupant to move out, and you will receive notification when your key is ready to be picked up.

Keys, Part 2

• If your office is in Lally, you also have MOA25 for Lally building

• Lally building key works in front door and one of two back doors.

• To unlock Lally front door, turn key, then push button.

• If your office is in MRC, you will have card access to the building and MG15 for conference room.

Keys, Part 3

• Fill out yellow form with your local address, phone number, etc.

• Fill out evaluation form

• Return these forms to Terry Hayden during break, end of session, or another day.

• Get your photo taken during the break, at the mixer, or stop by Bob Ingalls’ office (Lally 209).

To do