Rocky K. C. Chang September 4, 2017 Why CS education? Rocky K. C. Chang September 4, 2017

Why do we need to learn read and write? Most of the communication are expressed in written form.

Why do we need to study Math? There is always a need to count. There is always a need to do +, -, ×, /. There is always a need to understand fundamental concepts in geometry, probability, statistics, … More Math is required for some professions, such as engineering, scientists, actuary. …

Why receive Computer Science education? Computer has become a necessary tool for most people. Most of the personal and business matters are performed electronically. “Computational thinking will be a fundamental skill used by everyone in the world in the middle of the 21st century” (Jeannette M. Wing) “Everybody in the country should learn how to program a computer... Because it teaches you how to think” (Steve Jobs) Computer literacy has become essentially for everyday life, especially facing cyber attacks. Computer knowledge is essential for many many disciplines (https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~blerner/Applications.html).

What is Computer Science?

What is Computer Science? “CS is the study of the theory, experimentation, and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers” (Wikipedia). “CS is the study of automating algorithmic processes that scale” (Wikipedia). “CS is the study of computers and computational systems” (UMD). “CS is posing a problem in such a way that a computer can help us solve it” (NCWIT.org). “CS is about understanding computer systems and networks at a deep level” (Oxford). “CS is the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, and their impact on society” (Tucker et. al, 2003, p. 6). “CS is the body of knowledge dealing with the design, analysis, implementation, efficiency, and application of processes that transform information” (Peter J. Denning). “CS is the study of computation—what can be computed and how to compute it” (Jeannette M. Wing).

The evolution of CS (Denning 1985) Theory (1940) Numerical computation (1945) Architecture (1950) Programming languages and methodology (1960) Algorithms and data structures (1968) Operating systems (1971) Networks (1975) Human interface (1978) Database systems (1980) Concurrent computation (1982) Artificial intelligence (1986?)

Future directions in computer science research (by John Hopcroft) Early years (emphasis on making computers useful) Programming languages Compilers Operating systems Algorithms Data bases The future years Tracking the flow of ideas in scientific literature Tracking evolution of communities in social networks Extracting information from unstructured data sources Processing massive data sets and streams Extracting signals from noise Dealing with high dimensional data and dimension reduction The field will become much more application oriented

Computers and embedded systems

Self-driving car Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-ubers-driverless-cars-work-2016-9

The Internet and mobile computing Source: http://www.technologyace.com/technology/types-sensors-modern-smartphones/ Source: http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/Internet_History.htm Source: http://www.gadgetreview.com/reviews/tablet-reviews

Computational * Biology Chemistry Finance Physics Mechanics Musicology Linguistics Law Fluid dynamics Geosciences Sociology Pharmacology …

2008-2018 Employment Projections for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

CS in the K-12 STEM education in US

Coding at a younger age Why Estonia Has Started Teaching Its First-Graders To Code It was the birthplace of Skype. It has launched a nationwide scheme to teach school kids from the age of seven to 19, how to write code.

How important is the IT/Software/Internet industry to the worldwide economy?

Largest IT companies Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_information_technology_companies

Largest software companies Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_software_companies

Largest Internet companies Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Internet_companies

Conclusions CS or Computing is a young, still evolving and very exciting field. There are many different ways that you could use Computing/CS to contribute to society. It is your job to find your own place. Computational thinking will be a fundamental skill used by everyone. Some people regard CS is about computational problem-solving.

Self study Watch a YouTube video on “Great Principles of Computing” by Peter J. Denning. Watch “How Estonia became E-stonia,” a BBC video. Watch a YouTube video on “Solving Problems at Google Using Computational Thinking.” Read Peter J. Denning, “The Science of Computing: What is computer science,” American Scientist, vol. 73, 1985. Read Jeannette M. Wing, "Computational Thinking," Commun. of the ACM, vol. 49, March 2006. Read about Charles Babbage (the Father of Computing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVVB5RQfYxk.

Acknowledgments for the sources Peter J. Denning, “The Science of Computing: What is computer science,” American Scientist, vol. 73, 1985.

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