Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introduction to computer organization, operating systems, programming languages, artificial intelligence, and programming. Open to nonscience and nonengineering students. May not be taken for credit after any other programming course.

Long Title: FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: This seminar presents an overview of Computer Science for students who have not chosen a major. Weekly lectures address different topics in Computer Science. No technical background is assumed. The goal is to help students understand the problems that Computer Scientists attack and the impact of those solutions on society.

Long Title: COMPUTATION IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course introduces basic techniques for problem solving and visualization using computational environments such as Mathematica and MATLAB. Class will consist of a mixture of traditional lectures held in classrooms and self-paced modules covering topics in science and engineering that will be completed in Symonds II. No previous experience is required or expected. Cross-list: NSCI 230. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: AN INTEGRATED INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 4

Description: An integrated introduction to computation taught by solving real-world problems in audio, video and text processing, physical robotics, control and simulation of complex systems in nature, and swarm intelligence. Technical topics include how to model computational artifacts operating in the world; how to design and implement algorithmic solutions in Python; and how to experimentally test and evaluate performance of computational systems. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER GAME CREATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 4

Description: This class focuses on the mathematics and programming skills necessary to build computer games. math topics will include basic geometric primitives, transformations, texturing, lighting/shading and collision detection. Programming topics will include C# and XNA with students expected to construct two simple games that will be playable on the Microsoft Xbox. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Java Experience.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO GAME CONTENT CREATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explore how modern game content is created, and how it interacts with the underlying technology. Beginning with an explanation of how games are developed and what role content plays in the process, the class will learn to use 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, and game-native scripting as they create working content for an established game project.

Long Title: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING IN BIOLOGY

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 4

Description: The ability to sequence whole-genomes of organisms has ushered in a new era in which biology has become an information science. This era has also given rise to the interdisciplinary area of computational biology. This course aims to introduce students to this challenging, yet exciting area by emphasizing the central role of computer science in formulating biological problems, generating hypotheses, and making discoveries.

Long Title: ELEMENTS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Broad introduction to major topics in computer science. Includes algorithms, mathematical models of computation, machine organization and design, programming languages, communication, and artificial intelligence. This course is intended for majors outside of Science and Engineering.

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING I

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Introduction to computing focusing on the principles of object-oriented programming using design patterns coupled with progressively richer subsets of the Java programming language. Program design concepts such as structural and behavioral abstractions are emphasized in building contemporary dynamic software systems. Design Patterns are used as a vocabulary for codifying these abstractions and expressing fundamental computing principles. They are illustrated in the design and implementation of lists, trees and arrays and their associated algorithms that leverage both run-time and parametric polymorphism. The course utilizes UML diagrams for object modeling and unit testing as a part of an incremental, test-driven approach to writing programs. Recommended for Engineering and other non-Comp majors, plus students who have yet not committed to a COMP major.

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING II

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 201

Description: Continuation of COMP 201 covering advanced object-oriented data structures and their associated algorithms such as lazy evaluation, heaps, self-balancing trees, graphs, sorting, and generative recursion. Applications of Software Engineering principles such as abstract decomposition, decoupling, and command passing to large- and small- scale component-framework systems. Multi-threaded event-driven applications provide compelling illustrations for such principles. Recommended for Engineering majors, non-Engineering students, and potential Computer Science majors.

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAM DESIGN

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 4

Description: How to systematically design programs in functional and object-oriented languages. Includes inductive data definitions, data-directed program design, test-driven software development, semantic reduction rules, recursive problem decomposition, procedural abstraction, functions as values, tail recursion and loops, object-oriented design patterns, algorithmic efficiency, programming in Scheme and Java.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 220 AND (COMP 140 OR COMP 160 OR COMP 170)

Description: This course introduces computer systems from the programmer's perspective. Topics include data representation, the compilation process, and system-level programming concepts such as interrupts and concurrency.

Long Title: MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course provides an introduction to the use of mathematics in modeling and reasoning about problems in computer science. Topics include logic, proof methods (including mathematical and structural induction), reasoning about recursive and iterative programs, sets, functions and their asymptotic growth, counting, and modular arithmetic. Recommend Prerequisites: COMP 140 OR COMP 160 OR COMP 170 OR COMP 210 OR COMP 201.

Long Title: THE ROLE OF CHANCE IN AN INFORMATION WORLD

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The concept of probability is a powerful idea pervading many aspects of our lives and this notion has a surprisingly long history. This course is meant to be accessible to any curious undergraduate (or graduate student) and starts out with the colorful early history of the concept. Based on this background, during the next phase of course, we will develop the precise concepts that support the intuition. We move on to discussing the concept of probability and its use in an essential manner in the physics, computer science and mathematical finance. Mathematical background typical of a sophomore or junior in science, engineering, business or any field with a quantitative foundation, will be adequate. Cross-listed with STAT 381 and ELEC 281.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 3

Description: Theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. Instructor Permission Required.Equivalency: COMP 390. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: SOCIETY IN THE INFORMATION AGE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: We will review the remarkable technology of the Information Age and examine its effects on the ways in which we live, work and think about the world around us. We will consider, for example, how the pervasive use of computers and networks is changing our ideas about property, privacy, authority, social relations, knowledge and identity. And we will discuss what further changes we might see as technology continues to advance.

Long Title: IDENTITY THEFT TO THE iPOD: TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS IN THE INFORMATION AGE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Information and computing technologies (ICT) have produced sweeping changes in societal, economic and political domains. Examining the relationship between ICT and public policy, this course will cover current issues including computer crime, immigration, intellectual property and online commerce to better understand the intersection of the microchip and democratic society. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 211

Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.

Long Title: APPLIED ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Design analysis of computer algorithms and data structures useful for applied problems. Laboratory assignments will use these techniques in conjunction with advanced programming methods. Cross-list: ELEC 322. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 280 and COMP 202 or COMP 211 or COMP 212.

Long Title: DIGITAL LOGIC DESIGN

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 220

Description: Gates, flip-flops, combinational and sequential switching circuits, registers, logical and arithmetic operations. Cross-list: ELEC 326.

Long Title: COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 AND MATH 211

Description: 2D graphics techniques including fast line and curve drawing and polygon filling. 3D graphics problems including representation of solids, shading, and hidden surface elimination. Fractals, graphics standards.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 3

Description: See COMP 290. Instructor Permission Required.Equivalency: COMP 290. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: An introduction to technical communication in computer science. Includes oral, written, and visual presentations. Primarily for upper-level computer science undergraduates.

Long Title: PRODUCTION PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: This course focuses on the principles and practices of test-driven software development, which have been popularized under the banner of "Extreme Programming." To provide students with practical experience, the course engages students in the development of open source production programs written in JAVA or C#. The DRJAVA programming courses was developed by students in this course. Some of the major topics covered in course lectures include design patterns for controlling concurrency and refactoring transformations to improve legacy code. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 211.

Long Title: ALGORITHMIC VERIFICATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 212 AND COMP 314

Description: An introduction of the fundamental techniques of algorithmic verification, including temporal logics, enumerative and symbolic model checking, and dealing with the state-explosion problem.

Long Title: LOGIC IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Set theoretical concepts. Propositional and first-order logic. Soundness and completeness, incompleteness, undecidability. Logical issues in computer science. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 202 or COMP 211 or COMP 212 or COMP 280.

Long Title: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING METHODOLOGY

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 211

Description: COMP 410 is a pure discovery-based learning course designed to give students real-life, hands-on training in a wide variety of software engineering issues that arise in creating large-scale, state-of-the-art software systems. The class forms a small software development "company" that works to deliver a product to a customer. The topics encountered include and are not limited to, dealing with new technologies (e.g. C#, .NET, distributed computing), advanced object-oriented programming and design, interacting with customers, problem specification and tasking, individual and group communications, human resource management, group leadership, testing, integration and documentation. Traditional development cycle methodologies will be compared to recent, "agile" techniques. Recommended prerequisite(s): COMP 314.

Long Title: ADVANCED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 AND COMP 280

Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.

Long Title: COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 314 AND COMP 221

Description: Topics in the design of programming language translators, including parsing, run-time storage management, error recovery, code generation and optimization.

Long Title: DISTRIBUTED PROGRAM CONSTRUCTION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 421 or permission of instructor

Description: This course focuses on modern principles for the construction of distributed programs, with an emphasis on design patterns, modern programming tools, and distributed object systems. The material will be applied in a substantial software design/construction project.

Long Title: REAL-WORLD SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 410

Description: Experience real customers, software, and situations. The class will be contracted by an industrial customer to design build, and deliver a product. Negotiate to finalize specifications, updates, and delivery schedules Encounter real-life issues such as team management, intellectual property, and vagueness and specification changes while developing a state-of-the-art software application.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 421

Description: Introduction to advanced operating systems and distributed systems. The course covers concepts, architecture, algorithms, protocols and implementation focusing on distribution, scale, robustness in the face of failure, and security.

Long Title: OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CONCURRENT PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Introduction to the design, construction, and analysis of concurrent programs with an emphasis on operating systems, including filing systems, schedulers, and memory allocators. Specific attention is devoted to process synchronization and communication within concurrent programs. Cross-list: ELEC 421. Recommended Prerequisites: (COMP 211 or COMP 212) and (COMP 221 or COMP 320).

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO PARALLEL COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Fundamentals of parallel computing including abstract models for parallel computation, parallel computer architectures, parallel algorithms, and data structures, programming models and methods, mapping and scheduling computation, analyzing computations for correctness and efficiency, and applications to science and engineering. Includes an extensive programming component. Recommended Prerequisites: (COMP 211 or COMP 212) AND (COMP 221 or COMP 320).

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 320 AND ELEC 326

Description: Design of advanced uniprocessor system architecture and basics of parallel architectures. Advanced pipelining, including dynamic scheduling and precise interrupt handling. Advanced techniques for exploiting instruction level parallelism, including superscalar and VLIW architectures. Case studies of several recent high-performance microprocessors. Vector processors. Memory system design--techniques to improve cache performance, virtual memory systems, main memory enhancements. I/O systems--disk arrays and graphical interfaces. An overview of parallel computers. Cross-list: ELEC 425.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER NETWORKS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Network architectures, algorithms, and protocols. Local- and Wide-area networking. Intra- and inter-domain routing. Transmission reliability. Flow and congestion control. TCP/IP. Multicast. Quality of Service. Network Security - Networked applicatIons. Cross-list: ELEC 429. Recommended Prerequisites: (COMP 211 or COMP 212) AND (COMP 221 or COMP 320).

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Laboratory

Credit Hours: 3 TO 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 280 AND COMP 211

Description: Query Introduction to relational database systems, SQL programming, Database application programming, and Database design.

Long Title: ELECTION SYSTEMS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND ADMINISTRATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This multidisciplinary course will consider how elections are conducted to enhance participation, to accurately measure the will of the electorate, and to be sufficiently rigorous to convince all parties that the results are legitimate. This course will consider the design and evaluation of election technologies, ranging from voter registration through the polling booth and vote tabulation. This course will consider three questions: how do individual voters interact with the voting technology, how are voting technologies engineered to be accurate and secure, and how do the social aspects of voting fulfill democratic goals for elections? A central requirement for this course will be group research projects, many operating in our community, built around the November 2006 election. Cross-list: POLI 420, PSYC 420.

Long Title: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 AND COMP 280) AND (STAT 310 OR ELEC 331)

Description: Techniques for simulating intelligent behavior by machine, problem solving, game playing, pattern perceiving, theorem proving, semantic information processing, and automatic programming. Cross-list: ELEC 440.

Long Title: MOBILE WIRELESS SERVICES PROJECT

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 410 OR COMP 314

Description: Design and implement a wireless mobile information system utilizing Windows Mobile hardware (SmartPhone and PDA), Visual Studio .NET and .NET services to run over cellular data networks (Ev-Do, Edge) and the Rice 802.11b wireless infrastructure. Students will be provided with hardware, required software and access to a .NET server. Preference given to students who have experience with Visual Studio or have taken COMP 410, COMP 415 or ELEC 694. Cross-list: ELEC 446. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: ALGORITHMIC ROBOTICS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 314 AND (COMP 211 OR COMP 221)

Description: Robots have fascinated people for generations. Today, robots are built for applications as diverse as exploring remote planets, de-mining war zones, cleaning toxic waste, assembling cars, inspecting pipes in industrial plants, and mowing lawns. Robots are also interacting with humans in a variety of ways: robots are museum guides, robot pets entertain, and robots assist surgeons in life threatening operations. The field of robotics studies not only the design of new mechanisms but also the development of algorithms, and frameworks to make these mechanisms useful in the physical world, integrating science, engineering, mathematics and more recently biology and sociology, in a unique way. This class will take both a conventional and an unconventional view of robotics in an effort to show the breath of this field. It will present spectacular recent successes achieved with devices that one would readily recognize as robots, such as automated vehicles and the Mars rovers. Cross-list: ELEC 450, MECH 450.

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPUTER GAME CREATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Laboratory

Credit Hours: 4

Description: This project-based class involves teams of 2-4 CS and Visual Arts students designing and building computer games suitable for Xbox Live Arcade using C# and XNA. For CS students, Comp 260 or Comp 360 is recommended as a prerequisite. For Visual Arts students, previous experience in drawing using Photoshop is suggested. Instructor Permission Required.Cross-list: ARTS 460. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 160 or COMP 360. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: FROM SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: This course is a modern introduction to problems in computational biology spanning sequence to structure. The course has three modules: the first introduces statistical techniques in sequence analysis; the second covers statistical machine learning techniques for understanding experimental data generated in computational biology; and the third introduces problems in the structure of complex biomolecules. Cross-list: BIOE 470, STAT 470. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 211 and COMP 280 and STAT 310.

Long Title: AUTOMATA, FORMAL LANGUAGES, AND COMPUTABILITY

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Finite automata, regular expressions, regular languages, pushdown automata, context-free languages, Turing machines, recursive languages, computability, and solvability. Recommended Prerequisites: COMP 314 and COMP 280.

Long Title: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 314 AND (STAT 310 OR ELEC 331) or permission of instructor

Description: Methods for designing and analyzing computer algorithms and data structures. The focus of this course will be on the theoretical and mathematical aspects of algorithms and data structures. Cross-list: ELEC 420.

Long Title: FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDICAL IMAGING I

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): MATH 211 AND MATH 212

Description: Fundamentals of various medical imaging modalities (e.g., x-ray, CT, and MRI) used to identify the anatomy of human organs, as well as other modalities (e.g. PET, SPECT, fMRI, and MEG) specifically developed to identify the function of the brain. Cross-list: BIOE 485, ELEC 485.

Long Title: FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDICAL IMAGING II

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course is directed towards graduate and senior undergraduate students interested in acquiring an in depth knowledge of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The course will focus on PET physical principles, image formation, and processing. The course will also cover the various correction techniques used to quantify PET images as well as lay the foundations for understanding tracer kinetic modeling. A field trip to MD Anderson's PET facility will be organized to provide the students with hands on experience of PET imaging and data analysis. The use of PET imaging in various medical applications will also be covered. Cross-list: BIOE 486, ELEC 486. Recommended Prerequisites: ELEC 485 or BIOE 485 or COMP 485.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 4

Description: Theoretical and experimental investigation under staff direction. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A combination of in-service teaching and a seminar. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE HONORS PROJECT

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1 TO 6

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: HURRICANE RISK ASSESSMENT & DESIGN OF EVACUATION POLICIES FOR HOUSTON

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group III

Credit Hours: 1 TO 3

Description: This course provides students with an opportunity to learn and apply tools and technologies from civil and environmental engineering, political science, and computer science to evaluate plans for Houston's response to major hurricane and flood hazards. This course includes field work to survey residential neighborhoods and visits to state-of-the-art Emergency Management Operations Center of the City of Houston. This course may be repeated once if annual hurricane seasons justify it. Cross-list: CEVE 495, POLI 481. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): MATH 354 OR MATH 355 OR CAAM 335

Description: Introduction to the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators and to applications of artificial intelligence and computer vision in robotics. Cross-list: ELEC 498, MECH 498.

Long Title: NEURAL NETWORKS AND INFORMATION THEORY I

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Review of major Artificial Neural Network paradigms. Analytical discussion of supervised and unsupervised learning. Emphasis on state-of-the-art Hebbian (biologically most plausible) learning paradigms and their relation to information theoretical methods. Applications to data analysis such as pattern recognition, clustering, classification, blind source separation, non-linear PCA. Cross-list: ELEC 502. Recommended Prerequisite(s): ELEC 430 and ELEC 431 or equivalent or permission of instructor.

Long Title: MULTI-STAGE PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 311 OR COMP 411

Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Advanced topics in the design of an optimizing compiler. This course will focus on analysis and optimization of programs for uniprocessor machines, including program analysis (data-flow analysis, construction of static single-assignment form) and program transformation (redundancies, constant values, strength reduction, etc.). The course uses a variety of readings from the literature and includes an implementation project. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 412.

Long Title: DESIGNING EMBEDDED COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An interdisciplinary course addressing the energy issues facing computing in the coming decade and beyond. In a student research-griven format we ill ask how IT may address its power consumption problem and serve as a vehicle for energy efficiency, sustainability, and reduced carbon emissions across all human activity. Cross-list: ELEC 514.

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPILATION FOR VECTOR PARALLEL PROCESSORS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Advanced compilation techniques for vector and parallel computer systems, including the analysis of program dependence, program transformations to enhance parallelism, compiler management of the memory hierarchy, interprocedural data flow analysis, and parallel debugging. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 412.

Long Title: RESOURCE AWARE PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: While high-level programming languages can be very helpful for general-purpose programming, they can be unsuitable for programming systems that interact directly with the physical world. Such systems include real-time and embedded systems. This seminar explores the design space for high-level languages that can support the more specialized task of resource-aware programming (RAP). Recommended Prerequisite: COMP 211 and COMP 280.

Long Title: NETWORK SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Design and Implementation of network systems, including hardware and software architectures of network routers and servers. Students will design and implement either the hardware or software components of a network system, depending on their experience and preferences. This course is suitable for students with expertise in either software or hardware. Cross-list: ELEC 519. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 221 or COMP 326.

Long Title: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 421 AND COMP 425

Description: Distributed systems: workstations, local area networks, server machines. Multiprocess structuring and interprocess communication. File access and memory management. User interfaces: window systems and command interpreters. Case studies of selected distributed systems. Emphasis on performance aspects of system software design. Cross-list: ELEC 520.

Long Title: OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CONCURRENT PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 421

Description: Advanced topics in the design and implementation of state-of-the-art operating systems for general-purpose computation, emphasizing solutions to performance and scalability bottlenecks that are common with today's commercial and scientific workloads: process and thread management; NUMA memory management, super page support; SMP memory and address translation coherence; low-overhead, high-throughput I/O systems; robustness versus performance in file systems.

Long Title: MULTI-CORE COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Multi-core microprocessors are becoming the norm. The course will focus on emerging multi-core processor architectures and challenges to using them effectively. Topics include multi-core microcompressors, memory hierarchy, synchronization, programming systems, scheduling, and transactional memory. Recommended Prerequisite(s): (COMP 221 or COMP 320 or COMP 425) or instructor's permission.

Long Title: COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN FOR VLSI

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Fundamental topics in computer-aided design for VLSI: logic synthesis and formal verification, timing analysis and optimization, technology mapping, logic and fault simulation, testing, and physical design will be covered. Relevant topics in algorithms and data structures, generic programming, and the C++ standard template library will also be covered. Cross-list: ELEC 523.

Long Title: MOBILE AND WIRELESS NETWORKING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 429 OR ELEC 429

Description: Study of network protocols for mobile and wireless networking, particularly at the media access control, network, and transport protocol layers. Focus is on the unique problems and challenges presented by the properties of wireless transmission and host or router mobility. Cross-list: ELEC 524.

Long Title: ADVANCED MICROPROCESSOR ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 425 OR COMP 425

Description: Exploration of the current trends and future directions of microprocessor architecture. Includes topics such as technology trends that affect microprocessor architecture, modern microprocessor design, techniques for statically and dynamically maximizing parallelism, memory system issues, and proposed future microprocessor architectures. Cross-list: ELEC 525.

Long Title: HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Design of high performance computer systems, including shared-memory and message-passing multiprocessors and vector systems. Hardware and software techniques to tolerate and reduce memory and communication latency. Case studies and performance simulation of high-performance systems. Cross-list: ELEC 526. Recommended Prerequisite: COMP 425.

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS SECURITY

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): (COMP 311 OR COMP 412) AND (COMP 421 OR COMP 429)

Description: This class will focus on computer security in real systems. We will cover theory and practice for the design of secure systems (formal modeling, hardware and compiler-enforced safety, software engineering processes, tamper-resistant and tamper-reactive hardware, firewalls, cryptography, and more).

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Fundamental topics in performance analysis of computer systems: workload, characterization, measurement techniques, probability and statistics, experimental design, simulation, and analytical modeling. These techniques will be used to understand the performance of computer systems, serial and parallel programs, networks and client-server computing. Assignments will focus on applying these techniques in practice.

Long Title: COMPUTER NETWORK PROTOCOLS AND SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 429 OR ELEC 429

Description: Graduate level course on the study of protocols and systems for wide-area inter-networks with an emphasis on the challenges presented by the scale and complexity of the Internet. Topics include network architecture, router design, intra- and inter- domain routing, multicast services, congestion control, quality of service, network security, active and overlay network, network management. Cross-list: ELEC 529.

Long Title: COMPUTING DESIGN WITH NANOTECHNOLOGIES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: CMOS transistors, building elements of modern computing are entering the nanometer era. This course aims at providing basic knowledge of nanotechnologies-based computing. It starts with addressing immediate challenges facing CMOS-based computing. It then covers emerging non-standard CMOS and non CMOS devices, their physical properties, fabrications, circuit design, and impacts on the existing design flow and computing paradigms. Cross-list: CHEM 527, ELEC 527.

Long Title: SECURITY OF HW EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course covers wide range of topics pertaining to security of Hardware Embedded system, including cryptographic processors, secure memory access, hardware IT protection by monitoring and watermarking FPGA security, physical and side-charmed attacks, Trojan horses. Cross-list: ELEC 528. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Multi-disciplinary methods of designing and analyzing adaptive systems. Discussion of recent research in the areas of planning, scheduling and control as well as machine learning. Recommended Prerequisites: CAAM 440 and (MATH 355 or MATH 354 or CAAM 335)

Long Title: TOPICS IN PHYSICAL COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Advanced topics in the design and application of algorithms for solving problems in the physical world.

Long Title: GEOMETRIC MODELING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisite(s): COMP 460

Description: Exploration of curves and surfaces (e.g. parametric form, implicit form, and conversion between forms), the representation of solid (e.g., wireframes, octrees, boundary representations, and constructive solid geometry), and applications (e.g., graphics, motion planning, simulation, and finite element mesh generation. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: BIOINFORMATICS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, Markov chains and HMMs, Phylogenetic reconstruction, Haplotype inference, Computational models of RNA structure, Gene finding, Genome rearrangements, and comparative genomics.

Long Title: BIOINFORMATICS: NETWORK ANALYSIS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course covers computational aspects of biological network analysis, a major theme in the area of systems biology. The course addresses protein-protein interaction networks, signaling, and metabolic networks, and covers issues related to reconstructing, analyzing, and integrating various types of networks.

Long Title: PARALLEL ALGORITHMS AND ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Parallel architectures; shared memory, VLSI, message-passing. Structure and relation between architectures. Parallel time, work, and efficiency. Parallel algorithms for fundamental computational problems and applications. Network routing.

Long Title: SYMBOLIC COMPUTATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Fundamental and advanced topics in symbolic computational symbolic-numerical arithmetic in basic domains, computing by homomorphic images, indefinite summation, computer analysis and the method of Groebner bases. The course also includes applications of symbolic computation to geometric modeling and theorem proving.

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 4

Description: Advanced theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: This seminar course meets weekly to discuss current research results by graduate students in the Computer Science Department. Senior students are expected to present their results. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: NEURAL NETWORKS AND INFORMATION THEORY II

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 502 OR ELEC 502

Description: Advanced topics in ANN theories, with a focus on Self-Organizing Maps and unsupervised learning. The course will be a mix of lectures and seminar discussions with active student participation, based on most recent research publications. Students will have access to professional software environment to implement theories. Cross-list: ELEC 602. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: AUTOMATED PROGRAM VERIFICATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1

Prerequisite(s): COMP 409

Description: Methods, tools and theories for the computer-aided verification of concurrent systems. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: A discussion of programming language semantics in computer science. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 2

Description: Topics in construction of programming language translators. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN ADVANCED LANGUAGE IMPLEMENTATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Topics in advanced language implementation. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: PARALLEL PROGRAMMING SYSTEMS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 2

Description: This course will explore topics in parallel programming environments and compilers for parallel computers. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN RESOURCE AWARE PROGRAMMING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3 OR 4

Description: While high-level programming languages can be very helpful for general-purpose programming, they can be unsuitable for programming systems that interact directly with the physical world. Such systems include real-time and embedded systems. This seminar explores the design space for high-level languages that can support the more specialized task of resource-aware programming (RAP). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: Content varies at discretion of instructor. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR ON COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Subjects covering virtual memory and security structures, pipelines and vector processing, instruction set definitions, multi-threading, will be discussed. Both contemporary and "ancient systems" will be analyzed. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPUTER NETWORKING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: This course will explore research topics in computer networking with an emphasis on the Internet. Topics include network algorithms and protocols, quality of service, network measurement, network management, network security, overlay networking. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: MULTI-TIER WIRELESS NETWORKS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Topics in multi-tier wireless networks Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INDEXING LARGE DATABASES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: This course will cover the topic of indexing for different topic of indexing for different type of large, (typically) disk-based data sets. Indexing generally refers to the design, implementation, and use of data structures that allow you to quickly find database objects that satisfy a particular selection criteria. For example, in a database containing a large number of surveillance photographs, you may want to find all photographs that are similar to the picture of a known criminal, without having to check each and every photograph in the database explicitly. In the course, we will study data structures that are appropriate for this problem, as well as for many other database search problems.

Long Title: SEMINAR: HETEROGENEOUS PROCESSORS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: In this seminar, we will study programming models for accelerators and heterogeneous processors being developed in industry and academia that span the range across FPGAs, stream processors, and processing units with local memories (including GPGPUs). The seminar will have a participatory format. We will meet weekly to study different heterogeneous processors and their software environments. In some cases, real hardware will be available for experimentation as well.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN MACHINE LEARNING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): COMP 440

Description: A reading course covering the latest developments in statistical machine learning and pattern recognition. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR ON PHYSICAL COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: Algorithmic issues related to physical problems of all scales, from the molecular to the astrophysical. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR: GEOMETRIC COMPUTATION

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: RESEARCH AND THESIS

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 12

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: FUTURE PERSONAL COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Survey of the component and standards trends that are the basis of personal computers and digital appliances with the aim of predicting technologies, solutions, and new products five years into the future. Examples of these technologies are dual Core processors, iPods and their evolution, mobile wireless data devices, and even Google vs. Microsoft. Students will each pick a topic important to the digital lifestyle and through a series of one-on-one sessions develop a depth of understanding that is presented to the class. Cross-list: ELEC 694.

Long Title: GRADUATE RESEARCH

Department: Computer Science

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 15

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.