BOOM '05 fills Duffield Atrium with scintillating sights and sounds

Computing projects span range of fields

This was the first year BOOM exhibitors enjoyed one central location -- the large open atrium of Duffield Hall. In previous years, the exhibits were spread throughout several floors in Upson Hall.	Students flock to the different projects set up in the Duffield Hall atrium, this one called "Physical," during the BOOM (Bits On Our Minds) 2005 fair, March 9. The annual fair showcases projects in multiple disciplines that share a central theme of computing.
Aaron Nathan '06, ECE, commands the movements of a miniature model of the vehicle that Cornell's DARPA Grand Challenge Team is building for the challenge, a 175-mile race run by fully autonomous vehicles that will be held in October. The team uses the model as a prototype platform before implementing different coding and sensors on the full-size truck.	Rafael Frongillo '07, math and computer science, Arts and Sciences, poses with one version of the Rubik's Cube that his artificial-intelligence program can solve. His was one of the numerous booths in Duffield Hall's atrium during the BOOM fair March 9. All photos by Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

By Alex Kwan

Hundreds of enthusiastic students filled the Duffield Hall atrium March 9 with glossy posters and computer presentations for BOOM (Bits On Our Minds) 2005, an annual fair that showcases Cornell's best student computing projects to the community.

BOOM 2005 boasted more than 50 projects with the common theme of computing. In between the expected projects on databases, programming and robotics, a few displays demonstrated how computing could be applied in fields as diverse as biology, psychology, economics and even the arts.

The Genetic MusicComposer was a Java-based creation of Yash Parghi '06, A&S, and Andrew Dailey '06, A&S, which brings together computer science and music by intelligently composing short tunes. Using a genetic algorithm, the program generates random tunes and scores them based on such criteria as harmony and rhythm. In the next stage, the most promising tunes are selected and recombined to make better tunes. This process is repeated until a worthy tune emerges. "Our program will not produce anything approaching a masterpiece anytime soon, but our approach is very open-ended and has great potential," said Parghi.

While its tunes might not be ready for the concert halls, Genetic MusicComposer was a perfect fit at BOOM. The program created new tunes within seconds and played them through speakers. To have an objective feedback for their work, the team set up a Web page with five MIDI samples and asked participants to rate them on humanness and pleasantness. "The survey response varies. Some would say they couldn't believe the tunes were generated by a computer. Others, especially the musically trained, were disappointed at the music quality," said Parghi.

Daniel Cohen's project on solid freeform fabrication of tissue implants was an interdisciplinary effort combining computing and medicine. Cohen, a master's degree student in biomedical engineering, and his adviser, Hod Lipson, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, made gantry robots that deposit cell-seeded gels layer by layer, following a pattern from computer-aided design drawings. When incubated under growth conditions, the cells consume the gel and form a structure made of living tissue.

"We can make these tissues in impressive geometries. Compared to the conventional fabrication methods using scaffolding, our technique is very efficient and quick," explained Cohen. He also noted that their technique enables them to create tissues consisting of multiple types of materials. "Our eventual goal is to provide inexpensive implants that are specific to the needs of a patient," he said.

This year was the ninth time that BOOM was held, but it was the first time the event was held in Duffield Hall. The spacious atrium provided the perfect venue for all the student projects to be displayed in one central location. In previous years, the event spanned several floors in Upson Hall.

The BOOM 2005 Web site at http://www.cis.cornell.edu/boom contains links for all the exhibits. The event was organized by the faculty of Computer and Information Science and sponsored by Bloomberg and Credit Suisse First Boston.

Alex Kwan is a science writer intern with the Cornell News Office.