Course Description

The Computing Science Colloquium is a mandatory part of the thesis project for all students following the Computing Science master programme. By attending talks you learn how to give one yourself; and you will give one. In a way, this is a long term preparation towards your thesis. It is also a good medium to keep up with the fast moving state of the art in various topics related to the programme.

What does this course entail?

The course consists of three parts, each of which is mandatory.

1. attend at least 30 talks of the Computing Science Colloquium
2. write a paper on the subject of an article about a matter relevant for the Computing Science programme, and
3. give a presentation in the Colloquium (usually about the subject of the paper mentioned in the previous point).

It is not allowed to let your master project presentation count as the presentation to be performed in this talk. It is allowed that both presentations are about the same subject. The contents however should be different. Generally, the talk given within the Colloquium concerns papers/results by others, while your master projct presentation concerns itself with your own contribution to the field.

We shall now consider each of the three requisites in turn. We expect participants to keep track of the amount of time they spent on writing the paper and preparing for the talk. For instance, in the case of the former, we expect you to be able to tell us how long it took you to read the various articles that you had to read.

Attending talks

Part of your training should consist of attending a number of presentations which lie within the areas of our master programme. These talks are often more in-depth about subjects within our master than the courses which we give. Attending these talks should broaden your horizon within the field and help you find out in which direction you would like to do a master project. The talks often reflect the research focus within the Computing Science programme. Talks can be given by both Master students, staff and outsiders.

Attendance of the talks is registered for the students; see here. Whenever your count has reached 30 (thirty) you have fulfilled this obligation.

The presentation schedule for the Colloquium be found here. Talks are given on a weekly basis. The summer holidays are usually free of talks.

Writing a paper

Writing a paper is an important part of this course. Writing the paper will be done under the supervision of a staff member. We have established the following criteria:

• The topic of the paper be relevant for Computing Science.
• As a rule of thumb, the paper should consist of 8 to 10 pages of written text (11 pt font).
• The paper must be written in English.
• It should address at least one article in detail, and for obtaining a broader view, we expect you to also study related articles. How many of these and which is best decided together with your supervisor.
• The contents of the paper should be critical of the subject article and the topic in general. If necessary, it should explain the subject more carefully and give illustrative examples.
• The intended audience of your paper are your fellow Master students. You can find out whether they understand by asking one of them to read your paper.

• Cut and paste paragraphs are forbidden: write down things in your own words. Definitions and the like may be taken from the original paper, but always make clear what you have done yourself and what is copied. This is where your supervisor can help.

How to get your topics

You need a topic for your paper and a topic for your talk. It would be more efficient if you pick the same topic.

It this Literature List you can find suggestions for relevant conferences. Check them out, and pick a paper that is interesting for you; this is the base for your topic. Then you need to find a staff member who wants to supervise you; usually this will a member whose research interest is close to your chosen topic. The list mentioned before is only lightly maintained by the way, and is currently also incomplete. You can also search a paper through other means. E.g. search for top conferences in your area of interest, then browse through their papers.

Alternatively, you can also approach a staff member first and ask if he/she has a topic for you.

In any case, before fixing your topic consult the Colloquium coordinator first to prevent the same topic to be presented twice.

The supervisor mentioned above will supervise your for writing the paper, and he is also the person to talk to if you have any questions about the contents and the form of the paper. The Colloquium coordinator is just the organizer of the colloquium.

After you fix a topic, you have four weeks to complete your paper about that topic. There is no such restriction on the amount of time between completing your article and giving a presentation.

In some cases dispensation can be obtained for writing the paper, for instance, because you have at some point written an in-depth paper about a CS subject. Dispensation can not be obtained for work which has been done within the context of your bachelor or master education. Contact the Colloquium coordinator.

Giving a presentation

The most likely subject for your presentation is the subject you have written a paper about for this course. This is, however, not necessary. In case you prefer to give a presentation about a different subject, first contact the Colloquium coordinator to ask permission.

Talks are scheduled to take place weekly. It is in your best interest to apply for a slot as soon as possible, so that you still have many choices available. Once a talk is scheduled, it is fixed unless disaster really strikes.

Your presentation should be all your own work: it is not allowed to download slides about the subject from a website and present these.

Make sure to plan your talk early, even if you do not plan to give it soon, because the later it gets the less slots there will be open. The months July and August are generally free of presentations.