Embedded network systems are transforming the planetary compute fabric, changing the way we coordinate with peers, safeguard natural resources, and protect local communities. Ensuring the correctness and performance of these systems has immediate relevance to the health and welfare of the planet. The objective of this CAREER project is to develop the theoretical and applied foundations necessary to ensure these properties and to instill the requisite skills in the next generation of embedded network system engineers. The project relies on a pattern-centric approach motivated by the profound impact of design patterns on software reliability and programmer productivity in other domains and the observation that these benefits can be amplified through the development of formal foundations and supporting software tools.
There are four project components: First, the team is codifying expert knowledge in the form of new patterns for embedded network system design and implementation. Second, the team is developing a specification and reasoning formalism to capture pattern requirements precisely and to validate the correctness of pattern implementations. Third, the team is developing static analysis techniques and supporting software tools to automate the detection of pattern implementation errors. Finally, the team is applying these techniques and tools to reverse-engineering and code generation tasks, extending the benefits of model-based software engineering to this new domain. The dissemination and outreach program includes publication, undergraduate and graduate curriculum integration, undergraduate research involvement, high-school outreach and engagement, academic and dissemination to industry, and mini-workshops for evaluation and promulgation of findings, methods and tools.
