Within the computer science major, students learn to program algorithmic processes that have large scale implications in using computers and a wide variety of other technology. Students also learn about the actual theory behind programming and developing computational systems.
In other words, we learn how to make computers do things for us.
wiredforlego, "LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 7 : Computer Programmer", 4/19/2012 via Flickr, Attribution-ShareAlike2.0 Generic License |
After earning a degree in computer science, there are a myriad of careers a computer science major typically go into.
Many go on to become computer programmers at all different kinds of companies. Others will work on developing actual computer parts that will change the way computers work all together. Some will develop their own software to sell over the internet. Nearly all the career paths computer scientists take will involve some elements of software or hardware development.
In such a broad field, countless computer scientists are pushing the boundaries of what computers can do. A group of five scholars known as the Siebel scholars are each pursuing a unique and intriguing aspect in computer science.
Thiago Pereira, one of the Siebal scholars, is focused on designing the mechanics to optimize 3D printing. He is currently testing various uses of light reflection and scattering on surfaces to improve our current 3D printing techniques.
Another Siebal scholar, Omri Weinstein, is focused on researching interactive communication in relation to security and economics. Weinstein's work led to a breakthrough in several areas of communication, specifically in parallel computation and secure multiparty computation.
Of course, with such an enormous field of study, there must be central outlets used to communicate the most recent research and findings.
IBM Journal of Research and Development published on ieeexplore.ieee.org is one of the leading sources for up to date information on all aspects of computer science.
The IEEE Transactions on Information Theory is another journal published on ieeexplore.ieee.org that focuses on papers concerning the transmission, processing, and use of information theory.
The online journal Computer Vision and Image Understanding published on www.elsevier.com focuses on original research papers regarding theory of algorithms and formal languages.
And that's a quick overview of my field of study.
EDIT:
After reading some of my classmates posts, specifically Laurence's and Chelsea's, I realized how important it is to find your professional passion. Both of these writers expressed great interest in their respective fields, and that inspired me to find exactly what I want to do within computer science. I also realized how closely related computer science is to many other fields. Both Laurence's interest in mechanical engineering and Chelsea's interest in Biosystems engineering will inevitably involve the use of computers and programmable technology. All of our fields have a connection to one another, as I may be the person programming their inventions in 20 years!
I find computer science really interesting. In middle school they taught us basic HTML and CSS and I liked it a lot but computer programming is a lot more complicated than just that. Computer science is such a growing industry that I doubt you'll have a problem finding a job after graduation. Do you want to do something with 3D printing too? That's so cool that you are interested in pursuing a degree in computer science.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your "My Discipline" post, I have realized it was smart of me to not choose Computer Science as my major. Our majors have a similarity in the sense they will both be very hard. I am a pre-physio major. The reason I am not a computer science major is because I am essentially computer illiterate. I understand very little about the surface knowledge of computers, much less the internal information. Before reading your post, I had very little understanding what computer science entailed. seems like there's an abundant amount of jobs out there for you. If you truly love computers then you are on the right track. I'll let you know if I ever have any computer troubles.
ReplyDeleteComputer science, from how you describe it, seems like it would be a really interesting field of study. It is still crazy to me how small electronic impulses can do so many calculations and so many complex algorithms. To me it seems like you really know what you're talking about and know what you want to do with your life after college and that is really exciting.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. It was really well formatted, and I left feeling a little better about my knowledge of computer science. I have a friend majoring in it, so I knew a little bit already, but this really helped me understand exactly what computer scientists do.
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