CS4HS 2013

Why Computer Science?

Ed LazowskaBill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of Washington

July 2013

Forty years ago …

With forty years hindsight, which had the greatest impact?

Unless you’re big into Tang and Velcro (or sex and drugs), the answer is clear …

And so is the reason …

EXPONENTIALS US

1 1282 4 8 . . .

25665,546

16,777,2164,294,967,296

18,446,744,073,709,600,000

Exponentials are rare – we’re not used to them, so they catch us unaware

Processing capacity Storage capacity Network bandwidth Sensors (Astonishingly, even algorithms in some cases!)

Every aspect of computing has experienced exponential improvement

Constant capability at exponentially decreasing cost

Exponentially increasing capability at constant cost

You can exploit these improvements in two ways

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

10,000,000

100,000,000

1,000,000,000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Num

ber o

f hos

ts

Credit: Intel Corporation

The past thirty years …

The past thirty years …

The past thirty years …

The past thirty years …

The most recent ten years …

Search Scalability Digital media Mobility eCommerce The Cloud Social networking and

crowd-sourcing

In the next ten years,we’ll put the “smarts” in …

Smart homes Smart cars Smart bodies Smart robots Smart science

(confronting the data tsunami)

Smart crowds and human-computer systems

Smart interaction (virtual and augmented reality)

Computer science has a rich intellectual agenda Advances in CS accelerate the pace of discovery in nearly

all other fields Advances in CS drive economic growth

Not just through the growth of the IT industry, but through productivity growth across the entire economy

Advances in CS touch everyone’s lives – they change the way we live, work, learn, and communicate

Advances in CS are inextricably linked to our ability to address our major national and global challenges

Advances in CS have major public policy implications Ranging from e-voting and identity management to the nature

and global spread of democracy “Computational Thinking” is essential for all 21st century

citizens!

Computer science is unique in its impact and importance

CORE CSE

machine learning

natural language processing HCI

cloud computing

big data

mobile

sensors

CORE CSE

machine learning

natural language processing HCI

cloud computing

big data

mobile

sensors

Energy and Sustainability

Security andPrivacy

Technology for Development

Medicine andGlobal Health

Education

ScientificDiscovery

Transportation

Neural Engineering

Elder CareAccessibility

Interacting with the Physical World

CORE CSE

And there are jobs out the wazoo:nationally …

-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

New JobsNew Jobs + Re-placements

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Science & Technology Job Growth (2010-2020)

85%70%

60%

And there are jobs out the wazoo:nationally …

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation

Annualized Job Openings vs. Annual Degrees Granted (2010-2020)

And there are jobs out the wazoo:and regionally …

28

Physical sciences

Life Sciences and Agriculture

Engineering

Health Professions

Computer Science

- 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

112

205

912

2,137

1,665

151

98

663

397

1,171

High Employer Demand Occupations at the Baccalaurate Level.2010 Supply compared to 2014-2019 Demand

2010 Completers Entering the Laborforce Additional Supply needed each year to meet demand 2014-2019

Source: Washington State HECB, SBCTC, and WTECB: A Skilled and Educated Workforce, 2011 Update. Analysis of Employment Security Department and IPEDS data.

Is this a great time, or what?!?!