milestone:Research Milestone

[MelissaPatton]

I researched node.js Key takeaways:

• JavaScript Runtime: Node.js is a runtime environment that allows you to execute JavaScript code outside of a web browser. It's built on the V8 JavaScript engine used in Google Chrome.
• Event-Driven Architecture: Node.js operates on a non-blocking, event-driven architecture. It uses an event loop to handle multiple operations at once, which makes it suitable for building scalable, real-time applications.
• NPM (Node Package Manager): Node.js comes with a built-in package manager called NPM, which is the largest software registry. NPM makes it easy to install, share, and manage packages and libraries for JavaScript projects.
• Full-Stack Capabilities: Node.js enables developers to use JavaScript on both the client-side (frontend) and server-side (backend). This simplifies development, allowing full-stack JavaScript development.
• Cross-Platform: Node.js is cross-platform, meaning it can run on various operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, which makes it versatile in different environments.
• Suitable for Real-Time Applications: Node.js is ideal for real-time applications like chat apps, online gaming, collaborative tools, and live data streaming due to its event-driven architecture.
• Microservices and APIs: Node.js is widely used for building microservices architectures and RESTful APIs. Potential Useful Libaries:
• Express.js: To create the server and handle routes.
• Sequelize: For SQL database interactions
• assport.js: For authentication and session management.
• Socket.io: For real-time updates.
• Nodemailer: for sending emails
• Express-Validator: form validation

[IsabelM8]

Node.js Scalable network applications Pros:

• Asynchronous, event-driven arch.
• npm; Package Manager
• Good for real-time apps Cons:
• Not as strong as Python for AI and data science-related tasks
• Learning Curve

• Uses CommonJS module syntax (require and module.exports) for importing and exporting modules • Can use ES modules (import and export) in newer versions of Node.js • Built-in modules (like http, fs, path) are part of Node.js, and can create your own modules

Node Package Manager (npm)

• Default package manager for Node.js
• Allows installation of libraries and manage dependencies for projects

Frontend (HTML/JavaScript) - Students provide info

• Express.js can create API endpoint to take in info as input and return schedule
• fetch or axios calls API and display generated schedules

Potential AI tools openAI GPT via API TensorFlow.js - train and run ML models in js ML5.js - library that provides high-level interface for ML

[danistrausburger]

I researched responsive design, and how to use the Bootstrap framework to implement it. My main takeaways and thoughts:

• BS5 is built to be adaptive to screen size and to aid in creative responsive designs. This helps with many accessibility and usability-related concerns, by using Bootstrap as our basic styling.
• BS5 has a built-in ability to do stacked progress bars, making implementing the graduation project bar with the different topics much more feasible.
• BS5 has a card function that could be extremely useful when creating a schedule overview page.
• BS5 can be used to have an accessible navigation bar, that switches from expanded to a hamburger menu depending on screen size.
• BS5 has classes for most basic style features, so we can save a lot of time with the basics and appearance.
• Responsive design is a multi-faceted issue, with things that need to be considered such as text amounts, link placement, and usability. Bootstrap is a helpful framework to use to focus on this responsive nature and optimize our project.
• If we choose to pursue one of our stretch goals, BS5 could be used to have options for a light and dark mode for expanded accessibility.
• BS5 can be used to have things like tooltips and popovers to help users without having to clutter the interface.
• BS5 includes a variety of utility/helper classes to decrease the amount of redundant CSS needed.

[Stephaniemotz]

I researched the best practices for data encryption and how essential they are to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of sensitive information. Here are some of the practices that I found, that I would like to implement within our project:

Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption

Other Key Points:

• Use of strong encryption algorithms: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a modern and widely accepted algorithm for symmetric encryption. ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) is used for asymmetric encryption.
• Use of Proper Key Management: store keys securely using Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) or dedicated key management services.
• Use Salt and IV for Encryption: Salt (random data added to input before encryption) and an Initialization Vector (IV). This helps to protect against pattern analysis and certain types of attacks.
• End-to-End Encryption: Data will be protected throughout its entire lifecycle with end-to-end, so that only authorized parties can decrypt it.
• Potential use of digital signatures and certificates
• Ensure proper authentication and access control
• Compliance Standards: Ensure that these practices adhere to regulatory standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and FIPS 140-2.