2:10 p.m., Sept. 23, 2009----Prasad Jayanti, a University of Delaware computer and information sciences alumnus and professor in the Department of Computer Science at Dartmouth College, returned to Newark campus to give the keynote address, “My Experiences with Concurrent Algorithms Research,” at the third annual Computer Science Research Day held Monday, Sept. 21.

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Jayanti said he looked forward to returning to the University of Delaware because it allowed him the opportunity to meet with the professors who helped mold him into the person he is today.

While he was on campus, Jayanti said he relished the opportunity to have dinner with two of his professors, Adarshpal Sethi and Paul Amer, and breakfast with David Saunders, chairperson of UD's Department of Computer and Information Sciences.

Jayanti also said that he planned to meet with Errol Lloyd, professor of computer and information sciences, who he noted, “was also my mentor.”

Coming back to UD also meant a lot to Jayanti because it provided him with an opportunity to talk about his experiences with current computer science students.

“It's wonderful to come back to a place where I learned,” he said, adding, “All the frustrations and jubilations I experienced as a graduate student, to get a chance to share with the students here in particular is very special.”

Jayanti's talk dealt with the general theme of the research he is conducting at Dartmouth, which deals with concurrent algorithms.

Jayanti summarized his talk by saying, “When there are several computers and they all have to cooperate with each other to solve a problem, just the mere fact that there are so many entities and some communication and coordination and cooperation is required makes it very challenging to solve problems. So I look at things such as what are the interesting concurrent problems, which of them can we solve, which of them can we prove are impossible to solve, and if we can solve them, how well can we do, can we prove that this is the best solution?”

The interest in concurrent algorithms was sparked in Jayanti while he was a student at UD, specifically from what he learned in Sethi's course on operating systems and in Amer's lab.

Jayanti says there was one lesson he learned at the University of Delaware that really helped him as he prepared for graduate school.

“When I wrote my first research result up, I thought I did a very good job,” he said. “I gave it to Prof. Errol Lloyd and he said 'OK, come back and we'll discuss this in a couple of days.' And I walked into his office with a feeling that I did a great job and that he was going to pat me on the back, and then he came back with the draft I gave him and it was red all over the first page.”

Jayanti paused to laugh as he recalled that Lloyd said that the paper “was terribly written. But he didn't stop there, he showed me how I could have written the same page and I looked at the two and instantly recognized why he felt so, and I learned from it, and when I went to Cornell and I wrote my first paper, my professor said, 'How can you write so well?' And I said, 'It's all because of Professor Lloyd from the University of Delaware.'”

Jayanti said that he appreciated the candid criticism and the fact that “the same person was so caring when that was called for, so I had great teachers and they all had a positive impact on me.”

As for advice to current computer science students, Jayanti said, “Research can be exhilarating, research can also be frustrating at times, so learn that and when you are in times of frustration, don't get depressed because the good times still will come. You just have to be passionate about what you are thinking, what you are doing and persevere, and then the good things will come about, as well.”

A record number of more than 290 people attended the third annual Computer Science Research Day. This included Department of Computer and Information Sciences students, faculty, and staff, other UD students, faculty, and staff, representatives of six companies, and prospective graduate students from seven area colleges and universities, and even 10 high school students from the Charter School of Wilmington. At 20 strong, Delaware State University brought the largest contingent.

After the keynote by Jayanti and a panel discussion about graduate school experiences, the day was highlighted by a poster session in which 53 CIS students presented their work, a scavenger hunt on poster content that helped focus visitors' attention, a Jeopardy game on computer sciences topics and laboratory tours and demonstrations in Smith Hall.

Article by Adam Thomas
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson