[comp.software-eng] Info on Software Engineering Research Center

spaf@cs.purdue.EDU (Gene Spafford) (12/14/90)

It's been some time since I posted any information on the SERC so I
bet that many of you haven't heard the information.  People interested
in research on testing, debugging, metrics, prototyping, CASE tools,
programming aids, analysis tools, user interface design, and more will
probably be interested in this material.

First, a *complete* bibliography with abstracts of all SERC technical
reports is updated monthly for ftp.  You can get the file, along with
other information about the SERC, by anonymous ftp from
arthur.cs.purdue.edu  look in the directory ~ftp/pub/serc

What follows is the "About-SERC" file from that directory:

A decade or so ago, the National Science Foundation established a
program to encourage cooperative research between academia and
industry.  The goal of the program was to establish self-sufficient
research centers of excellence in areas of critical technology.  These
centers would be located at universities, and staffed principally by
faculty and student researchers.  Those researchers would cooperate
closely with scientists and engineers at partner US industrial
concerns, and conduct research into critical topics of near-term
importance.

The idea was simple enough -- industry folks would provide guidance and
feedback, funding, and some cooperative research.  Most importantly,
they would provide real-world data and experience to help the
researchers in their work.  Meanwhile, the university researchers would
contribute their time and talent, using (mostly) the research
facilities of their universities, to conduct innovative research into
topics that the companies were interested in but not able (or currently
willing) to pursue.  The industrial concerns would get first crack at
licensing or developing the results of this research as a direct
pay-back for their investment.   

The researchers gain from this because they get access to real-world
data and experience to valiate their models and guide their research.
They get to explore ideas they might not otherwise get to investigate.
Furthermore, they gain in the interaction with researchers at
affiliate companies, and they gain access to some stable, long-term
funding for their work.  The companies gain by having immediate access
to innovative research that is often outside the areas they can
support.  They get to interact with some world-class researchers, and
they often get to take advantage of new graduates, summer internships,
and possibilities of sending their personnel for advance degrees while
working on company-specific projects.

It's a win all the way around.

The SERC is one of over 50 such centers established by NSF, and the
only one devoted to software engineering.  It was founded in 1986.  It
has been self-supporting since its inception.  The program is known
at NSF as the Industry-University Cooperative Reserarch Center program
(IUCRC for short).

The SERC is co-located at Purdue University and the University of
Florida in Gainesville.  We also have active research associations
with faculty and students at Ball State University, the University of
West Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of
Minnesota, Georgia Tech, the University of Houston, UC Irvine, and the
University of Massachusetts.  We have a number of affiliate
organizations -- our industry partners (see the "affiliates" file).
And, of course, NSF is still a supporter of our work.

We have had faculty and students from CS, EE, Industrial Engineering,
Management, and Systems Engineering all involved with SERC projects.
To go through an entire list would take too much space (we can send a
tech report list on request).  We've had projects in prototyping, user
interfaces, CASE technology, design methods, software testing, program
debugging, maintenance tools, management-oriented metrics, real-time
analysis, management methods, object-oriented design, and more.  Our
research is also supported by outside funding sources as well as our
affiliates.  Currently, we have an approximate annual expenditure rate
of over $1 million dollars.

Our affiliates get to leverage into all this research and activity for
a total committment of $30K per year.  Yup, only $30,000 -- about 1/3
to 1/4 the cost of a MS-level software engineer.  However, a chunk of
that $30K comes right back as a special tax credit (the government very
much wants these centers to continue their great success).  Admittedly,
there are some additional costs -- the company needs to have someone
come to management meetings, and someone needs to take the time to read
all the research information we send out!  Overall, the cost is *very*
reasonable for value received, and that is one reason the program has
been so successful.

We've got lots of other things we've been doing, too, including an
extensive publications series, seminars, participations and
sponsorship in workshops and symposia, national boards, and so on.
The list goes on, but if you follow these things, you've already seen
us listed.  If not, we can send you further details if you want.

I can send some printed info on the SERC, including an up-to-date tech
report list and some past newsletters if you send me your postal
(surface) address.  I am also willing to follow-up to any e-mail or
phone questions you may have.  We have a short presentation we can
make, in person or if you'd like to visit us and see some demos of our
work.  Just let us know.

Current Commercial Affiliates:

	Andersen Consulting Co.
	AT&T Bell Labs
	Bellcore
	Bell Northern Research
	Computer Sciences Corporation
	Contel
	Digital Equipment Corporation
	GTE Data Services
	Harris Corporation
	IBM Corporation
	Magnavox Government and Industrial Electronics

Current Organizational Affiliates and Contacts:

	Florida High Technology and Industry Council
	National Science Foundation
	US Army Information Systems Engineering Command

Joining (early 1991):

	Rockwell Corporation
	Sun Microsystems
	Westinghouse (Savannah River Plant)

-- 
Gene Spafford
NSF/Purdue/U of Florida  Software Engineering Research Center,
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-2004
Internet:  spaf@cs.purdue.edu	uucp:	...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf