Defense Notices


All students and faculty are welcome to attend the final defense of EECS graduate students completing their M.S. or Ph.D. degrees. Defense notices for M.S./Ph.D. presentations for this year and several previous years are listed below in reverse chronological order.

Students who are nearing the completion of their M.S./Ph.D. research should schedule their final defenses through the EECS graduate office at least THREE WEEKS PRIOR to their presentation date so that there is time to complete the degree requirements check, and post the presentation announcement online.

Upcoming Defense Notices

Luke Staudacher

Enabling Versal-Based Signal Processing Through a Development Framework and User Guide

When & Where:


Nichols Hall, Room 246 (Executive Conference Room)

Committee Members:

Jonathan Owen, Chair
Shannon Blunt
Carl Leuschen
Erik Perrins

Abstract

AMD’s latest generation of adaptive system-on-chip (SoC) devices, the Versal product family, offers enhanced processing capabilities that are attractive to researchers and system designers. However, these capabilities introduce a significant knowledge barrier, limiting the practical benefits of Versal devices compared to more mature platforms from AMD, Intel, and other industry vendors. This project addresses this challenge through two primary deliverables: a software framework and a comprehensive user manual targeting Versal development. The software framework, named RSL Versal Core, provides a framework for users unfamiliar with Versal devices by selectively abstracting away more complex design components. Using a small set of commands, users can synthesize a programmable logic (PL) design, compile a Linux operating system for the onboard Arm processor with PL communication support, and program supported development boards. Following initial setup, the framework also supports extended software and firmware development for specific project needs. The accompanying user manual documents both RSL Versal Core and broader Versal development concepts. It guides users through reproducing and customizing the framework outputs manually and introduces key architectural and design principles useful for effective Versal-based system development. Together, these deliverables enable new developers to rapidly gain proficiency with Versal platforms and enable implementation of digital signal processing (DSP) concepts.


William Powers

Implementation and Analysis of Robust System-Informed Waveform Design

When & Where:


Nichols Hall, Room 246 (Executive Conference Room)

Committee Members:

Jonathan Owen, Chair
Shannon Blunt
Carl Leuschen


Abstract

Due to rapid advances in high-speed analog-to-digital conversion and software-defined architectures, modern radar systems increasingly shift signal generation and conditioning into the digital domain. These architectures enable high-fidelity signal capture and provide substantial flexibility in waveform synthesis and signal processing that was previously impractical in analog implementations. Despite these advances, however, achievable radar performance remains fundamentally constrained by the physical transmit hardware through which the signal is ultimately realized. Nonlinear amplification, finite bandwidth, and memory effects introduce distortion that creates a significant gap between idealized waveform design and the waveform that is physically radiated.

To address this limitation, this work proposes a system-aware radar waveform design framework that couples data-driven system identification with deterministic optimization to generate waveforms tailored to the underlying transmit hardware. A complex baseband memory polynomial model is developed to characterize nonlinear transmit-chain behavior using loopback measurements, where $\ell_1$-regularized LASSO estimation is employed to improve robustness against ill-conditioning and feature redundancy. Under this architecture, a generalized integrated sidelobe level (GISL) objective is reformulated using logarithmic scalarization to produce a numerically stable and Pareto-tunable optimization criterion capable of balancing output energy and sidelobe suppression. Additionally, efficient vectorized gradient expressions are derived using Wirtinger calculus and implemented using gradient-based descent and the limited-memory BFGS algorithm for practical high-dimensional waveform synthesis.

To validate the framework, a comprehensive hardware-in-the-loop testbench was developed supporting direct model identification and experimental evaluation of optimized waveform performance. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that continuous-phase FM waveforms exhibit strong inherent robustness to nonlinear distortion, while phase-coded waveforms with large instantaneous phase discontinuities show significantly greater sensitivity to transmit-chain impairments. Across both waveform classes, the proposed framework achieves substantial improvements in output power efficiency and pulse compression performance relative to system-agnostic waveform design. These results demonstrate that transmitter constraints must be treated as fundamental design variables rather than secondary effects and establish system-aware optimization as a practical framework for next-generation radar waveform synthesis.


Cody Gish

Real-time GPU Based Arbitrary Waveform Generation Utilizing a Software-Defined Radar Platform

When & Where:


Nichols Hall, Room 246 (Executive Conference Room)

Committee Members:

Jonathan Owen, Chair
Shannon Blunt
Patrick McCormick


Abstract

Due to the ever-growing demand for access to the finite resources of the electromagnetic spectrum, significant effort has been directed toward improving spectrum utilization. This has become a particular challenge in radar transmission design, where waveform diversity techniques have emerged as a promising solution despite the accompanying implementation complexity. Diverse signals are inherently non-repeating and pose unique challenges in comparison to traditional radar waveforms. Software defined radios (SDRs) allow for traditional RF components and signal processing to be implemented and controlled in software rather than hardware, providing a platform for testing experimental radar algorithms. This thesis presents a real-time parallel implementation of five previously developed distinct waveform-diverse radar signals for use in a coherent SDR system. The implemented waveforms include stochastic waveform generation (StoWGe), multi-user radar communication (MURC), phase-attached radar communication (PARC), pseudo-random optimized frequency modulation (PRO-FM), and waveform recycling. To enable real-time generation at maximum SDR data rates, these waveforms are implemented using digital synthesis techniques via GPU parallel processing. This approach alleviates CPU resource limitations by offloading computationally intensive waveform generation tasks to the GPU, enabling continuous high-throughput operation. A custom asynchronous transmit and receive architecture is developed to integrate these GPU-accelerated waveforms with UHD-based SDR hardware. The system leverages a multithreaded framework approach that can sustain coherent and synchronized radar operation. To validate the system, a series of loopback testing across all waveforms and a variety of parameters is completed to confirm the execution of the generate-transmit-receive chain.


David Felton

Optimization and Evaluation of Physical Complementary Radar Waveforms

When & Where:


Nichols Hall, Room 129 (Apollo Auditorium)

Committee Members:

Shannon Blunt, Chair
Rachel Jarvis
Patrick McCormick
James Stiles
Zsolt Talata

Abstract

The RF spectrum is a precious, finite resource with ever-increasing demand. Consequently, the mandate to be a "good spectral neighbor" is in direct conflict with the requirements for high-performance sensing where correlation error is fundamentally limited. As such, matched-filter radar performance is often sidelobe-limited with estimation error being constrained by the time-bandwidth (TB) of the collective emission. The methods developed here seek to bridge this gap between idealized radar performance and practical utility via waveform design.    

Estimation error becomes more complex when employing pulse-agility. In doing so, range-sidelobe modulation (RSM) spreads energy across Doppler, rendering traditional methods ineffective. To address this, the gradient-based complementary-FM framework was developed to produce complementary sidelobe cancellation (CSC) after coherently combining subsets within a pulse-agile emission. In contrast to the majority of complementary signals, explored via phase-coding, these Comp-FM waveform subsets achieve CSC while preserving hardware-compatibility since they are FM (though design distortion is never completely avoided). Although Comp-FM addressed practicality via hardware amenability, CSC was localized to zero-Doppler. This work expands the Comp-FM notion to a Doppler-generalized (DG) framework, extending the cancellation condition to an arbitrary span. The same framework can likewise be employed to jointly optimize an entire coherent processing interval (CPI) to minimize RSM within the radar point-spread-function (PSF), thereby generalizing the notion of complementarity and introducing the potential for cognitive operation if sufficient scattering knowledge is available a-priori.          

Sensing with a single emitter is limited by self-inflicted error alone (e.g., clutter, sidelobes), while MIMO systems must additionally contend with the cross-responses from emitters operating concurrently (e.g., simultaneously, spatially proximate, in a shared spectrum), further degrading radar sensitivity. Now, total correlation error is dictated by the overlapping TB (i.e., how coincident are the signals) and number of operating emitters, compounding difficulty to estimate if left unaddressed. As such, the determination of "orthogonal waveforms" comprises a large portion of MIMO literature, though remains a phenomenological misnomer for pulsed emissions. Here, the notion of complementary-FM is applied to a multi-emitter context in which transmitter-amenable quasi-orthogonal subsets, occupying the same spectral band, are produced via a similar gradient-based approach. To further practicalize these MIMO-Comp-FM waveform subsets, the same "DG" approach described above, addressing the otherwise-default Doppler-induced degradation of complementary signals, is applied. In doing so, Doppler-independent separability and complementarity greatly improves estimation sensitivity for multi-emitter systems. 

This MIMO-Comp-FM framework is developed for standard matched filter processing. Coupling this framework with a "DG" form of the previously explored MIMO-MiCRFt is also investigated, illustrating the added benefit of pairing optimized subsets with similarly calibrated processing. 

Each of these methods is developed to address unique and increasingly complex sources of estimation error. All approaches are initially developed and evaluated via simulated analysis where ground-truth is known. Then, despite hardware-induced distortion being unavoidable, the MIMO-Comp-FM framework is confirmed via loopback measurements to preserve the majority of CSC that was observed in simulation. Finally, open-air demonstration of each approach validates practical utility on a radar system.


Past Defense Notices

Dates

YUFEI CHENG

Future Internet Routing Design for Massive Failures and Attacks

When & Where:


246 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

James Sterbenz, Chair
Victor Frost
Fengjun Li
Gary Minden
Michael Vitevitch

Abstract

With the increasing frequency of natural disasters and intentional attacks that challenge the optical network, vulnerability to cascading and regional-correlated challenges is escalating. Given the high complexity and large traffic load of the optical networks, the correlated challenges pose great damage to reliable network communication. We start our research by proposing a critical regional identification mechanism and study different vulnerability scales using real-world physical network topologies. We further propose geographical diversity and incorporate it into a new graph resilience metric cTGGD (compensated Total Geographical Graph Diversity), which is capable of characterizing and differentiating resiliency level from different physical networks. We propose path geodiverse problem (PGD) and two heuristics for solving the problem with less complexity compared to the optimal algorithm. The geodiverse paths are optimized with a delay-skew optimization formulation for optimal traffic allocation. We implement GeoDivRP in ns-3 to employ the optimized paths and demonstrate their effectiveness compared to OSPF Equal-Cost Multi-Path routing (ECMP) in terms of both throughput and overall link utilization. As from the attackers perspective, we have analyzed the mechanism by which the attackers could use to maximize the attack impact with a limited budget and demonstrate the effectiveness of different network restoration plans.


DARSHAN RAMESH

Configuration of Routing Protocols on Routers using Quagga

When & Where:


246 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Joseph Evans, Chair
Victor Frost
Glenn Prescott


Abstract

With the increasing number of devices being connected to the network, efficient connection of those devices to the network is very important. The routing protocols have evolved through time. I have used Mininet and Quagga to implement the routing protocols in a topology with ten routers and eleven host machines. Initially the basic configuration of the routers is done to bring its interfaces administratively up and the IP addresses are assigned. Static routes are configured on the routers using Quagga zebra daemons. With the amount of overhead observed, static protocol is replaced with RIPv2 using the Quagga ripd daemon and the features of RIPv2 are implemented like MD5 authentication and split horizon. RIPv2 is replaced with OSPF routing protocol. The differences between static and dynamic protocol are observed. Complex OSPF applications are implemented using the Quagga ospfd daemon. The best route to the neighboring routers is changed using the OSPF cost attribute. Next the networks in the lab are 
assumed to belong to different autonomous systems and BGP is implemented using the Quagga bgpd daemon. The routing updates are filtered using the access list attributes. The path to the neighboring routers is changed using BGP metrics such as MED, weight, AS_PATH and local_pref. Load balancing is also implemented and the results are verified using traceroute and routing tables.


RUXIN XIE

Single-Fiber-Laser-Based Multimodal Coherent Raman System

When & Where:


250 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Ron Hui, Chair
Chris Allen
Shannon Blunt
Victor Frost
Carey Johnson

Abstract

Single-fiber-laser-based coherent Raman scattering (CRS) spectroscopy and microscopy system can automatically maintain frequency synchronization between pump and Stokes beam, which dramatically simplifies the setup configuration. The Stokes frequency shift is generated by soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) through a photonic crystal fiber. The impact of pulse chirping on the signal power reduction of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) have been investigate through theoretical analysis and experiment. The strategies of system optimization is discussed. 
Our multimodal system provides measurement diversity among CARS, SRS and photothermal, which can be used for comparison and offering complementary information. Distribution of hemoglobin in human red blood cells and lipids in sliced mouse brain sample have been imaged. Frequency and power dependency of photothermal signal is characterized. 
Instead of using intensity modulated pump, the polarization switched SRS method is applied to our system by changing the polarization of the pump. Based on the polarization dependency of the third-order susceptibility of the material, this method is able to eliminate the nonresonant photothermal signal from the resonant SRS signal. Red blood cells and sliced mouse brain samples were imaged to demonstrate the capability of the proposed technique. The result shows that polarization switched SRS removes most of the photothermal signal. 


VENU GOPAL BOMMU

Performance Analysis of Various Implementations of Machine Learning Algorithms

When & Where:


2001B Eaton Hall

Committee Members:

Jerzy Grzymala-Busse, Chair
Luke Huan
Bo Luo


Abstract

Rapid development in technologies and database systems result in producing and storing large amounts of data. With such an enormous increase in data over the last few decades, data mining became a useful tool to discover the knowledge hidden in large data. Domain experts often use machine learning algorithms for finding theories that would explain their data. 
In this project we compare Weka implementation of CART and C4.5 with their original implementation on different datasets from University of California Irvine (UCI). Comparisons of these implementations has been carried in terms of accuracy, decision tree complexity and area under ROC curve (AUC). Results from our experiments show that the decision tree complexity of C4.5 is much higher than CART and that the original implementation of these algorithms perform slightly better than their corresponding Weka implementation in terms of accuracy and AUC. 


SRI HARSHA KOMARINA

System Logging and Analysis using Time Series Databases

When & Where:


2001B Eaton Hall

Committee Members:

Joseph Evans, Chair
Prasad Kulkarni
Bo Luo


Abstract

Logging system information and its metrics provides us with a valuable resource to monitor the system for unusual activity and understand the various factors affecting its performance. Though there are several tools that are available to log and analyze the system locally, it is inefficient to individually analyze every system and is seldom effective in case of hardware failure. Having centralized access to this information aids the system administrators in performing their operational tasks. Here we present a centralized logging solution for system logs and metrics by using Time Series Databases (TSDB). We provide reliable storage and efficient access to system information by storing the parsed system logs and metrics in a TSDB. In this project, we develop a solution to store the system’s default log storage - syslog as well as the system metrics like CPU load, disk load, and network traffic load into a TSDB. We further extend our ability to monitor and analyze the data in our TSDB by using an open source graphing tool. 


EVAN AUSTIN

Theorem Provers as Libraries — An Approach to Formally Verifying Functional Programs

When & Where:


246 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Perry Alexander, Chair
Arvin Agah
Andy Gill
Prasad Kulkarni
Erik Van Vleck

Abstract

Property-directed verification of functional programs tends to take one of two paths. 
First, is the traditional testing approach, where properties are expressed in the original programming language and checked with a collection of test data. 
Alternatively, for those desiring a more rigorous approach, properties can be written and checked with a formal tool; typically, an external proof system. 
This dissertation details a hybrid approach that captures the best of both worlds: the formality of a proof system paired with the native integration of an embedded, domain specific language (EDSL) for testing. 

At the heart of this hybridization is the titular concept -- \emph{a theorem prover as a library}. 
The verification capabilities of this prover, HaskHOL, are introduced to a Haskell development environment as a GHC compiler plugin. 
Operating at the compiler level provides for a comparatively simpler integration and allows verification to co-exist with the numerous other passes that stand between source code and program. 

The logical connection between language and proof library is formalized, and the open problems related to this connection are documented. 
Additionally, the resultant, novel verification workflow is applied to two major classes of problems, type class laws and polymorphic test cases, to judge the real-world feasibility of compiler-directed verification. 
These applications and formalization serve to position this work relative to existing work and to highlight potential, future extensions.


CAMERON LEWIS

Ice Shelf Melt Rates and 3D Imaging

When & Where:


317 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Prasad Kulkarni, Chair
Chris Allen
Carl Leuschen
Fernando Rodriguez-Morales
Rick Hale

Abstract

Ice shelves are sensitive indicators of climate change and play a critical role in the stability of ice sheets and oceanic currents. Basal melting of ice shelves plays an important role in both the mass balance of the ice sheet and the global climate system. Airborne- and satellite based remote sensing systems can perform thickness measurements of ice shelves. Time separated repeat flight tracks over ice shelves of interest generate data sets that can be used to derive basal melt rates using traditional glaciological techniques. Many previous melt rate studies have relied on surface elevation data gathered by airborne- and satellite based altimeters. These systems infer melt rates by assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, an assumption that may not be accurate, especially near an ice shelf’s grounding line. Moderate bandwidth, VHF, ice penetrating radar has been used to measure ice shelf profiles with relatively coarse resolution. This study presents the application of an ultra wide bandwidth (UWB), UHF, ice penetrating radar to obtain finer resolution data on the ice shelves. These data reveal significant details about the basal interface, including the locations and depth of bottom crevasses and deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium. While our single channel radar provides new insight into ice shelf structure, it only images a small swatch of the shelf, which is assumed to be an average of the total shelf behavior. This study takes an additional step by investigating the application of a 3 D imaging technique to a data set collected using a ground based multi channel version of the UWB radar. The intent is to show that the UWB radar could be capable of providing a wider swath 3 D image of an ice shelf. The 3 D images can then be used to obtain a more complete estimate of bottom melt rates of ice shelves.


RALPH BAIRD

Isomorphic Routing Protocol

When & Where:


250 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Victor Frost, Chair
Bo Luo
Hossein Saiedian


Abstract

A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) routing algorithm defines the path packets take to reach their destination using measurements of attributes such as adjacency and distance. Graph theory is increasingly applied in many fields of research today to model the properties of data on a graph plane. Graph theory is applied to in networking to form structures from patterns of nodes. Conventional MANET protocols are often based on path measurements from wired network algorithms and do not implement mechanisms to mitigate route entropy, defined as the procession of a converged path to a path loss state as a result of increasing random movement. Graph isomorphism measures equality beginning in the individual node and in sets of nodes and edges. The measurement of isomorphism is applied in this research to form paths from an aggregate set of route inputs, such as adjacency, cardinality to impending nodes in a path, and network width. A routing protocol based on the presence of isomorphism in a MANET topology is then tested to measure the performance of the proposed routing protocol.


DAIN VERMAAK

Application of Half Spaces in Bounding Wireless Internet Signals for use in Indoor Positioning

When & Where:


246 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Joseph Evans, Chair
Jim Miller
Gary Minden


Abstract

The problem of outdoor positioning has been largely solved via the use of GPS. This thesis addresses the problem of determining position in areas where GPS is unavailable. No clear solution exists for indoor localization and all approximation methods offer unique drawbacks. To mitigate the drawbacks, robust systems combine multiple complementary approaches. In this thesis, fusion of wireless internet access points and inertial sensors was used to allow indoor positioning without the need for prior information regarding surroundings. Implementation of the algorithm involved development of three separate systems. The first system simply combines inertial sensors on the Android Nexus 7 to form a step counter capable of providing marginally accurate initial measurements. Having achieved reliable initial measurements, the second system receives signal strength from nearby wireless internet access points, augmenting the sensor data in order to generate half-planes. The half-planes partition the available space and bound the possible region in which each access point can exist. Lastly, the third system addresses the tendency of the step counter to lose accuracy over time by using the recently established positions of the access points to correct flawed values. The resulting process forms a simple feedback loop.


ANDREW FARMER

HERMIT: Mechanized Reasoning during Compilation in the Glasgow Haskell Compiler

When & Where:


250 Nichols Hall

Committee Members:

Andy Gill, Chair
Perry Alexander
Prasad Kulkarni
Jim Miller
Chris Depcik

Abstract

It is difficult to write programs which are both correct and fast. A promising approach, functional programming, is based on the idea of using pure, mathematical functions to construct programs. With effort, it is possible to establish a connection between a specification written in a functional language, which has been proven correct, and a fast implementation, via program transformation. 

When practiced in the functional programming community, this style of reasoning is still typically performed by hand, by either modifying the source code or using pen-and-paper. Unfortunately, performing such semi-formal reasoning by directly modifying the source code often obfuscates the program, and pen-and-paper reasoning becomes outdated as the program changes over time. Even so, this semi-formal reasoning prevails because formal reasoning is time-consuming, and requires considerable expertise. Formal reasoning tools often only work for a subset of the target language, or require programs to be implemented in a custom language for reasoning. 

This dissertation investigates a solution, called HERMIT, which mechanizes reasoning during compilation. HERMIT can be used to prove properties about programs written in the Haskell functional programming language, or transform them to improve their performance. 
Reasoning in HERMIT proceeds in a style familiar to practitioners of pen-and-paper reasoning, and mechanization allows these techniques to be applied to real-world programs with greater confidence. HERMIT can also re-check recorded reasoning steps on subsequent compilations, enforcing a connection with the program as the program is developed. 

HERMIT is the first system capable of directly reasoning about the full Haskell language. The design and implementation of HERMIT, motivated both by typical reasoning tasks and HERMIT's place in the Haskell ecosystem, is presented in detail. Three case studies investigate HERMIT's capability to reason in practice. These case studies demonstrate that semi-formal reasoning with HERMIT lowers the barrier to writing programs which are both correct and fast.