## Cloudifying the Curriculum with AWS

My paper, Cloudifying the Curriculum with AWS, was presented at Frontiers in Engineering (FiE) 2021, in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 14, 2021.

Abstract: This is an Innovate Practice Full Paper. The Cloud has become a principal paradigm of computing in the last ten years, and Computer Science curricula must be updated to reflect that reality. This paper examines simple ways to accomplish curriculum cloudification using Amazon Web Services (AWS), for Computer Science and other disciplines such as Business, Communication and Mathematics.

This paper is an expanded version of a technical report (see here). In particular, it contains material related to teaching Machine Learning (see here).

At the same conference, FiE 2021, I was also part of a panel with Joshua C. Nwokeji, Myra Roldan, and Terry Holmes, on A Hands-on Approach to Cloudifying Curriculum in Computing and Engineering Education.

Abstract: The term cloud computing is used to describe a pool of configurable virtualized computing resources (databases, software, storage, network, servers, etc.) delivered as a service via the Internet. The demand for cloud computing professionals continues to increase, yet academic institutions make little effort to integrate cloud computing into the computing curriculum. Lack of cloud computing resources has been identified as a major hindrance to teaching and learning cloud computing in higher education. This workshop aims to explore resources that could help computing educators teach cloud computing to students. Through hands-on activities, participants will learn about the various resources, tools, and technologies that are freely available for teaching and learning cloud computing.

## Our paper with Neerja Mhaskar on logic of stringology appeard in Discrete Applied Math

In this paper, A new formal framework for Stringology is proposed, which consists of a three-sorted logical theory $S$ designed to capture the combinatorial reasoning about finite strings. We propose a language $L_S$ for expressing assertions about strings, and study in detail two sets of formulas $\Sigma_0^B$, a set of formulas decidable in polytime, and $\Sigma_1^B$, a set of formulas with the property that those provable in $S$ yield polytime algorithms.

## Very proud to receive this recognition

The Foundation is named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, full name Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (middle name particularly appropriate for those of us living in Ventura County), who was a military engineer and statesman, fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s struggles against Russia and Prussia (1790s), and on the American side in the American Revolutionary War. A close friend of Thomas Jefferson’s, with whom he shared ideals of human rights, Kościuszko wrote a will in 1798 dedicating his American assets to the education and freedom of U.S. slaves.

## Happy that our paper with Ariel Fernandez & Ryszard Janicki will appear in IJCA

Very happy that our paper Computing covers from matchings with permutations, with Ariel Fernández and Ryszard Janicki, is going to appear in the International Journal of Computer Applications.

We present a matrix permutation algorithm for computing a minimal vertex cover from a maximal matching in a bipartite graph. Our algorithm is linear time and linear space, and provides an interesting perspective on a well known problem. Unlike most algorithms, it does not use the concept of alternating paths, and it is formulated entirely in terms of combinatorial operations on a binary matrix. The algorithm relies on permutations of rows and columns of a 0-1 matrix which encodes a bipartite graph together with its maximal matching. This problem has many important applications such as network switches which essentially compute maximal matchings between their incoming and outgoing ports.

## A new paper on normalization of inconsistency indicators

A new paper: On normalization of inconsistency indicators in pairwise comparisons, by W.W. Koczkodaj, J.-P. Magnot, J. Mazurek, J.F. Peters, H. Rakhshani, M. Soltys, D. Strzałka, J. Szybowski and A. Tozzi.

Abstract: In this study, we provide mathematical and practice-driven justification for using [0,1] normalization of inconsistency indicators in pairwise comparisons. The need for normalization, as well as problems with the lack of normalization, are presented. A new type of paradox of infinity is described.

The paper can be found here: https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.07205v2

## A new paper: Non-repetitive strings, with Neerja Mhaskar

Title: Non-repetitive strings over alphabet lists

Authors: Neerja Mhaskar and Michael Soltys

Abstract: A word is non-repetitive if it does not contain a subword of the form vv. Given a list of alphabets L = L1, L2, . . . , Ln, we investigate the question of generating non-repetitive words w = w1w2 . . . wn, such that the symbol wi is a letter in the alphabet Li. This problem has been studied by several authors (e.g., [GKM10], [Sha09]), and it is a natural extension of the original problem posed and solved by A. Thue. While we do not solve the problem in its full generality, we show that such strings exist over many classes of lists. We also suggest techniques for tackling the problem, ranging from online algorithms, to combinatorics over 0-1 matrices, and to proof complexity. Finally, we show some properties of the extension of the problem to abelian squares.

Source:

## A new paper: String Shuffle, with Neerja Mhaskar

Title: String Shuffle: Circuits and Graphs

Authors: Neerja Mhaskar and Michael Soltys

Abstract: We show that shuffle, the problem of determining whether a string w can be composed from an order preserving shuffle of strings x and y, is not in AC0, but it is in AC1. The fact that shuffle is not in AC0 is shown by a reduction of parity to shuffle and invoking the seminal result of Furst et al., while the fact that it is in AC1 is implicit in the results of Mansfield. Together, the two results provide a lower and upper bound on the complexity of this combinatorial problem. We also explore an interesting relationship between graphs and the shuffle problem, namely what types of graphs can be represented with strings exhibiting the anti-Monge condition.

Source:

## CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement

The CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement Scholarship is available for the 2015-2016 academic year. Students who have overcome adversity, demonstrated financial need, and have attributes of merit, including significant personal achievements, superior academic performance, and exemplary community service are eligible for this award.

The CSU Trustees Award will be available for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students, an Information Technology student, engineers, a veteran, a student who gives the most to his/her home, university, or global community, students studying the humanities, and students studying to become teachers.

Scholarships will be awarded in the amount of \$6,000 for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Applicant must:

• Demonstrate superior academic performance with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be in good academic standing.
• Demonstrate financial need as determined by the campus Financial Aid and Scholarships office.
• Be currently enrolled as a full-time equivalent undergrad or graduate student in any major field at a CSU campus and remain a CSU full-time equivalent student during the upcoming academic year.

Application Deadline: Friday, April 3, 2015