Towards concrete concurrency

Abstract

In a world of ad-hoc networks, highly interconnected mobile devices and increasingly large supercomputer clusters, students need models of computation that help them think about dynamic and concurrent systems. Many of the tools currently available for introducing students to concurrency are difficult to use and are not intrinsically motivating. To provide an authentic, hands-on, and enjoyable introduction to concurrency, we have ported occam π , a language whose expressive powers are especially compelling for describing communicating dynamic reactive processes, to the LEGO Mindstorms.