Presentation Requirements

Overview

Everyone is required to give a presentation to the class during the class period on April 30, May 2, or May 7. The goals of the presentations include the following:

Introduce a new networking topic to the other members of the class
Practice learning and assimilating new topics on your own
Practice your presentation and public speaking skills

You will choose a topic related to computer networking and prepare a presentation on that topic. You are encouraged to choose something of interest to you. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about a topic in which you are interested.

You will prepare for your presentation by reading papers, articles, or book chapters on your topic. Other sources, such as web resources, may also be appropriate. Though there is some flexibility in the required preparation, a good target would be to read at least two academic papers on your topic and do a bit of web surfing to get a broader view of the subject.

The presentation itself will be roughly 30 minutes in length. There are no strict rules for the format of the presentation. However, each presentation will provide an introduction to the topic as well as provide some technical depth on the subject.

You are strongly encouraged to use a PowerPoint slide presentation. General guidelines for preparing presentations can be found HERE!

Topics

Following is a list of potential topics. You are not required to choose one of the following topics. However, all students must get approval for their chosen topic. Note that it may be possible for more than one student to choose a given topic. Also note that the topics listed are quite broad. Most students will present a particular subarea of their topic.

Network Security
Wireless Networking
Multimedia
Distributed Hash Tables
Measurement Studies
CDNs and Proxies
Network Simulation Tools
Net Neutrality
Sensor Networks
Social Networking

Presentation Guidelines

In general, a presentation will spend roughly 10 minutes provide an overview of the topic, 7-10 minutes discussing the design and implementation of a particular technology or algorithm, 7-10 minutes presenting results of experimentation or study, and 2-5 minutes summarizing the presentation. However, there are many potential ways to structure a presentation. Following are a couple of examples:

Example 1: 10 minute overview of area and ideas presented in paper 1 and paper 2, 8 minute overview of the goals and design of the work presented in paper 1, 8 minute discussion of the results presented in paper 1, 4 minute conclusion.
Example 2: 7 minute overview of area and ideas presented in paper 1 and paper 2, 10 minute discussion of the goals and results of paper 1, 10 minute discussion of the goals and results of paper2, 3 minute conclusion and comparison of the two papers.
Example 3: 10 minute overview of area, 15 minute discussion of the implementation of a particular technology, 5 minute conclusion.

Above all, you must make your audience understand your topic and demonstrate that you understand the technical details of the project or technology.

Requirements

You must receive approval for your topic by April 16.
You must provide a list of sources (papers, books, URLs) by April 23.
You must attend a one-on-one meeting with the instructor by April 25. During the meeting we will discuss your sources and the outline of your presentation. Of course, you are more than welcome to schedule more than one such meeting and you are also welcome to schedule a practice talk with the instructor.

Sami Rollins