Computer Science Colloquia: Dr. Steven P. Miller

Dr. Steven P. Miller, Rockwell-Collins

Formal Methods for Critical Systems

Date: Thursday November 12, 2009
Time: 3:40pm
Location: B29 Atanasoff

Formal methods have traditionally been reserved for systems with requirements for extremely high assurance. However, the growing popularity of model-based development, in which models of system behavior are created early in the development process and used to auto-generate code, are making precise, mathematical specifications much more common in industry. At the same time, formal verification tools such as model checkers continue to grow more powerful. The convergence of these two trends opens the door for the practical application of formal verification techniques early in the life cycle for many systems. This talk will describe how Rockwell-Collins has supplied both theorem proving and model checking to commercial avionics to reduce costs and improve quality.

Dr. Steven P. Miller is a Senior Principal Software Engineer in the Advanced Technology Center of Rockwell-Collins. He has over 30 years of experience in software development for both mainframe and embedded systems. He received his PhD in computer science from the University of Iowa in 1991, and also holds a BA in physics and mathematics from the University of Iowa.

His current research interests include model-based development and formal methods. He was PI on a 5 year project sponsored by NASA Langley's Aviation Safety Program and Rockwell-Collins, to investigate advanced methods and tools for the development of flight critical systems. Prior to that he lead several research efforts at Rockwell-Collins, including a collaborative effort with SRI International and NASA to formally verify the microcode in the AAMP5 and AAMP-FV microprocessors using the PVS verification system.