Thanks to the members of the Association of Graduate Engineering Students who developed and maintained the LaTeX style files used to format this dissertation.
Thanks to the librarians at Washington University's Olin library who helped me track down hard-to-find references and arranged for prompt delivery of articles not available on campus. Thanks also to the computer science office staff -- Peggy Fuller, Jean Grothe, Myrna Harbison, and Sharon Matlock -- for everything they did that helped make my life as a graduate student easier and more enjoyable.
Thanks to the professors from University College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the John M. Olin School of Business who allowed me to intrude on their class time to conduct surveys. Thanks also to all those who helped pre-test my surveys and suggested ways of improving my survey instrument, especially Dr. Don Strickland, Staci Kramer, and my mother, Dr. Judy Ackerman.
Thanks to all the people who discussed my research with me: students and faculty at Washington University; researchers who attended my talks at Carnegie Mellon University and AT&T Labs; and people I met at the 1996 Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference, the 1996 ACM Computer Science Conference, and the 1996 Midwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting. Many of these discussions inspired new ideas that contributed greatly to this project. In particular I would like to thank Dr. Jack Knight for his suggestions about literature to review and his insights into ways of approaching the problem, Dr. Subhash Suri for his explanations of simplex geometry, Dr. Massoud Amin for his insights into calculating pivot probabilities, and Dr. Edward Spitzagel for his advice on calculating uncertainty.
Thanks to my advisor, Dr. Ron Cytron, for agreeing to work on a project outside his normal research area. I am extremely appreciative of all the time he spent discussing this research with me, reviewing my papers and dissertation drafts, listening to me practice presentations, and offering advice and encouragement that helped me overcome the many obstacles I encountered along the way. He helped me see things from new perspectives, and encouraged me not to give up on aspects of my research that at first appeared fruitless, but later proved quite interesting. Thanks also to Dr. Robert Morgan for helping facilitate this interdisciplinary work and for making it possible for full-time graduate students to continue studying in the Engineering and Policy Department. Thanks to the other members of my doctoral committee: Dr. Jack Knight, Dr. Douglas Schmidt, and Dr. Don Strickland.
I was sad to learn this summer that one of my original committee members, Dr. Robert Durr, had become very ill and would be unable to continue serving on my committee. In August he lost a brave battle with cancer, four years after doctors told him he had only a year to live. Professor Durr had been interested in my dissertation work from the beginning of this project and offered much advice and encouragement. I am grateful for the brief opportunity I had to work with him.
Thanks to Nimmi Kannankutty, fellow Engineering and Policy graduate student with whom I've traveled the road to graduation more or less in parallel, for all her advice and moral support. Thanks also to my other friends -- especially the guys in the fourth floor Bryan back hallway and those who inhabited Lopata 404 with me -- who could always be counted on for commiseration and/or amusement, and whose friendship made graduate school more fun.
Finally, I am grateful to my family for all their love and support. My parents' stories about their own graduate studies and their advice helped me to maintain a sense of perspective throughout a sometimes-frustrating graduate school experience. Thanks to my husband, Chuck, for his understanding and encouragement, and for always being there for me.
Lorrie Faith Cranor
September, 1996