Subject: Student Lecture Notice: Dr. Christopher W. Clifton (fwd)

From: "M. A. Saleh" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 19:51:42 -0400 (EDT)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 16:07:07 -0400
From: Maureen Marano <[email-masked]>
Subject: Student Lecture Notice: Dr. Christopher W. Clifton
To: [email-masked]

        Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

                             Student Lecture

                   The Two Meanings of Inheritance in
                       Object-Oriented Programming

                       Dr. Christopher W. Clifton
                          The MITRE Corporation
                               Bedford, MA

          When: Friday, 4/7/00

          Where: 220 Link Hall

          Time: 12 Noon

                                Abstract

Object-oriented programming has taken off - but why?  What does it
really give us?  There are a number of key changes in design
methodologies that come with object-oriented programming, such as
abstract data types and encapsulation.  These are not new concepts; and
the fundamental differences between object-oriented languages and older
procedural languages are small (witness C vs. C++).  Why has
object-oriented programming taken off, while other mechanisms for
supporting these design methodologies have not?

Inheritance is a key feature that distinguishes object-oriented
languages from others -- and may be the reason that object-oriented
programming has succeeded.  However, inheritance is easily misused. The
problem is that inheritance captures two distinct concepts: inheriting
interface, and inheriting implementation.  Using inheritance when only
one meaning is satisfied leads to bad designs.

Attendees of this lecture will learn these two meanings, and will
understand proper and improper use of inheritance.  I assume programming
experience and basic knowledge of data structures.
                               **********
                      Pizza and soda will be served

Dr. Christopher W. Clifton is a candidate for a faculty position in the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  He received
his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Princeton University in 1991.  His
current research interests are in data mining with an emphasis on text
mining and distributed data mining.  Dr. Clifton is presently a
Principal Scientist with the MITRE Corporation in Bedford, MA.

RSVP to Maureen Marano <[email-masked] by> Thuirsday, 4/6/00, if
you are planning on attending the lecture so we can order enough food.