Courses Taught by Chris Nikolopoulos

COURSES TAUGHT

(course syllabi will be linked in the near future)

Computer Science
FORTRAN, BASIC, Introduction to Programming I, Introduction to Programming II, C, Data Structures, Foundations of Computer Science, Communications Networks, Digital Design, Computer Architecture, Logic, Discrete Math, Algorithms, Formal Languages, Computability Theory, Numerical Analysis, File Structures, Database Management Systems, Computers and Society, Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems, Neural Networks, Machine Learning, and Deductive Databases.

Mathematics
Calculus, Abstract Algebra, Topology, Non Euclidean Geometry, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Statistics.

Research involving undergraduates
(last update 1994)
Following undergraduates presented results of projects at the First, Second, Third and Fourth Annual Argonne National Labs Symposium of Undergraduate Research in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Nov. 2-3, 1990, Nov. 8-9, 1991, Nov. 3-4, 1992, and Nov. 5-6, 1993.

"Use of Genetic Algorithms in the Expert System YAM", R. Moss, junior, p. 66 of First Argonne National Symposium for undergraduate Research, Nov. 1990.

"A Prolog Natural Language Parser front end to a simulated robot environment", M. Bunch, senior, p. 69 of First Argonne National Symposium for undergraduate Research, Nov. 1990.

"Optimizing Error Correction and Error Detecting Codes", J. Mogill, junior, p. 120 of Second Argonned Symposium for undergraduate Research.

"Use of directed Graphs to produce weighted hierarchical clusterings", J. Mogill, senior, p. 83 fo the Third Research Symposium, Nov. 1992. Mr. Mogill was subsequently granted an undergraduate Research Semester award at Argonne Labs for Spring 93, and after graduation from BU, he continued working as Research Associate at Argonne. He is presently persuing his Ph.D in C.S. at the University of Pittsburg.

"Explanation facilities for Neural Networks", Apollo Crum, senior, P. 77 of the Fourth Argonne Symposium for undergraduate Research, Nov. 5-6, 1993. Mr Crum was a National Merit Scholar at Bradley. He also received an undergraduate Research Semester at Argonne National Labs.

Theses directed:
Directed M.S. thesis for the following students:

Cheng Hwa Chung "On Expert Database Systems", thesis completed June 1990.

Prasad Parupalli "Search strategies in automated reasoning", thesis completed May 1989.

Yiing Rui Hwang, "Classifier based Neural Networks using Genetic Algorithms", thesis completed March 1990.

Xiang Tian, "Prorule: A system to Learn rules from noisy data", thesis completed May 1990.

David Haugh, "AI and fault tolerant Networks", thesis completed Dec. 1991.

Shannon Duvendack, "Inductive Machine Learning", thesis completed Dec. 1993.

Jody Howard, "Object Oriented Design", thesis completed Dec. 1994.

Other Curricular activities: Introduced Lab components in teaching the courses CS320 Logic, CS682 Formal Languages and Theory of Computation, and CS350 Digital Design. The Lab was based on software simulation packages developed at Stanford (Turing's and Tarski's world) and a digital design harware lab, on a developed simulator. Developed an interdisciplinary course with engineering departments, CIS588/IE588, on Expert Systems. Started an AI Lab to support this and other courses. Developed a new course on Multimedia and WWW technologies, Java and CGI/Perl. Developed a new course, CS 505 on Intelligent Databases. The work on autonomous mobile robots initiated under an Innovative Teaching grant by the Teaching Excellence Committee led to the incorporation of mobile robots in the computer science curriculum. Over the fall of 98, team of students assembled and tested a second autonomous mobile robot with extended capabilities and sensor functions. In the Fall 98 and Spring 99 classes, CS521 Artificial Intelligence, CS 522 Knowledge Based Systems and Neural Networks, and CIS588/IE588/ME555 Expert Systems, students were involved in the development and use of AI algorithms such as neural networks and machine learning techniques in mobile robot guidance. Their involvement in these research efforts led to two research papers which are to be presented this Fall at International Conferences. Co-director/technical director of Interlabs, supervising development of various projects, (in conjunction with the CS500 class on CGI/Perl and Java based Web development which I developed and introduced), including an online web based system for information/registration/assistance for prospective graduate students, and a number of web based animation games, including an online lab monitor scheduling system, a web based tutorial system for quiz/test taking and quiz creation by professors, and a web based shopping and e-commerce system.