Augusta University Programming Languages (PL) Reading Group is a regular meeting to discuss exciting recent results in programming languages research. The intent of the group is to learn about various ideas and generally broaden perspectives on PL research topics. We randomly select papers from the major PL conferences. At the end of the semester we gather for a lively discussion, to recognize papers that best match our original and handcrafted award categories.

We meet weekly on Fridays, 2-3 pm in room UH 117 (Summerville).

We encourage everyone to join our reading group. Even if your primary focus is not PL, this is a chance to learn about various new topics that may become relevant to you later. It is also simply fun to hang out with us.

The PL Reading Group is a regular meeting of ΔΛΔ student organization.

Our tools for paper selection: plgroup on Github.

Semester Papers

1. Schröer, Philipp, et al. “A Deductive Verification Infrastructure for Probabilistic Programs.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 7, no. OOPSLA2, Oct. 2023, pp. 2052–82. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3622870.
2. Andrici, Cezar-Constantin, et al. “Securing Verified IO Programs Against Unverified Code in F*.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 8, no. POPL, Jan. 2024, pp. 2226–59. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3632916.
3. Westrick, Sam, et al. “Entanglement Detection with Near-Zero Cost.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 6, no. ICFP, Aug. 2022, pp. 679–710. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3547646.
4. Grodin, Harrison, et al. “Decalf: A Directed, Effectful Cost-Aware Logical Framework.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 8, no. POPL, Jan. 2024, pp. 273–301. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3632852.
5. Wang, Jingbo, et al. “Synthesizing MILP Constraints for Efficient and Robust Optimization.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 7, no. PLDI, June 2023, pp. 1896–919. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3591298.
6. Heim, Philippe, and Rayna Dimitrova. “Solving Infinite-State Games via Acceleration.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 8, no. POPL, Jan. 2024, pp. 1696–726. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3632899.
7. Sun, Yican, et al. “Synthesizing Efficient Memoization Algorithms.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 7, no. OOPSLA2, Oct. 2023, pp. 89–115. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3622800.
8. Spiwack, Arnaud, et al. “Linearly Qualified Types: Generic Inference for Capabilities and Uniqueness.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 6, no. ICFP, Aug. 2022, pp. 137–64. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3547626.
9. Barthe, Gilles, et al. “On Feller Continuity and Full Abstraction.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 6, no. ICFP, Aug. 2022, pp. 826–54. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3547651.
10. Muller, Stefan K., et al. “Responsive Parallelism with Synchronization.” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 7, no. PLDI, June 2023, pp. 712–35. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3591249.
11. Breitner, Joachim. “More Fixpoints! (Functional Pearl).” Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, vol. 7, no. ICFP, Aug. 2023, pp. 686–710. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1145/3607853.

Awards

Spring 2024 Award Categories

The Hat-Trick

In sports, a hat-trick describes three positive feats in a single match. In PL, a hat-trick is a combination of three spectacular qualities in a single paper (main idea, writing, examples, visuals, evaluation, polished presentation, etc.). The winner of the hat-trick is a paper that best captures this quality.

Who Woulda Thunk It

Imagine yourself at your desk, head in your hands after what seemed like an eternity of brainstorming and problem-solving, only to realize that the solution to your problem was incredibly simple. This award is for the paper that best captures this feeling, that is, proposes a surprisingly simple solution to a problem that seems utterly massive in scale.

🚧[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]🚧

This award is for the paper that, however promising the contents are, feels unfinished and somewhat half-baked, as if the ideas and concepts within are still under construction.

An Experience Like No Other

For a paper that most feels like it could have come from Augusta University.

Chicken Scratch

Sometimes a great paper is ruined by a small detail. it’s even worse when this is something that the reviewers could have caught, and especially so if bad choices introduce unnecessary complexity. worst of all though, is when bad mathematical notation makes an otherwise good paper impenetrable. this award goes to the paper with the worst notational choices.

Homework Required

This award is for a paper that is very understandable and readable at first glance, before suddenly blindsiding you with the necessity to read thousands of papers of background to understand anything.

The “That’s cool! But why tho?”

This award is for the paper that wows you with its cleverness and innovation, presenting a concept so slick it slides right off the practical path. It’s the paper that leaves you applauding the performance while quietly wondering, “That’s genius, but what’s it actually for?”

Two’s Complement

Two complementary papers that form a third idea/paper from their two parts.

Winners

• The Hat-Trick: “More Fixpoints!” by Joachim Breitner.
• Who Woulda Thunk It: “Entanglement Detection with Near-Zero Cost.” by Westrick, Sam, et al.
• 🚧[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]🚧: “Synthesizing Efficient Memoization Algorithms.” by Sun, Yican, et al.
• An Experience Like No Other: “Synthesizing Efficient Memoization Algorithms.” by Sun, Yican, et al.
• Chicken Scratch: “Solving Infinite-State Games via Acceleration.” by Philippe Heim and Rayna Dimitrova
• Homework Required: “Linearly Qualified Types: Generic Inference for Capabilities and Uniqueness.” by Spiwack, Arnaud, et al.
• The “That’s cool! But why tho?”: “Decalf: A Directed, Effectful Cost-Aware Logical Framework.” by Grodin, Harrison, et al.
• Two’s Complement: “Securing Verified IO Programs Against Unverified Code in F*.” by Andrici, Cezar-Constantin, et al. and “More Fixpoints!” by Joachim Breitner.

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