What is Computer Science?• Study of the foundations of computing, data

storage, and information processing

• Computer Science spans diverse areas:– Security and cryptography– Robotics and computer vision– Data mining and databases– Distributed and mobile systems– Intelligent systems and gaming– Computational biology– Computer networks– More…

How is CS different?

• Computer scientists obtain a comprehensive foundation that permits them to adapt to as well as create new technologies, new paradigms and new ideas.

• Foundation consists of:– Mathematics (problem solving, algorithms, calculus,

discrete math)– Modeling (Object oriented programming, abstract data

types, design patterns)– Systems (Computer architecture, operating systems,

networks, foundations of programming languages)• Computer Scientists have flexible employment

opportunities

What is Software Engineering?

• Many Computer Scientists make their career in the software development industry.

• Software engineers develop and maintain software that:– behaves reliably and efficiently– is affordable to develop and maintain– satisfies all the customers’ requirements.

A Sample of CS areas

• Distributed systems development

• Computer game software development

• Database administration

• Search engine technologies

• Recommender systems (Prof. Burke)

• Medical informatics (Prof. Furst)

• Operating Systems (Prof. Montgomery)

• Please ask me about other CS areas.

Distributed System development

• A distributed system is software system that uses multiple independent computers communicating over a network to accomplish a common task.

• Examples:– Email– Napster and SETI@home– World Wide Web– Online games– Grids

A sample job listing (excerpts)

Applications Developer - Computer ProfessionalDepartment: Computing Division, Fermilab.• Must have software analysis, development, testing and

debugging skills. • Excellence in distributed software development and

integration using some or all of C++, Java, and Python is needed.

• Experience with database systems and (…)• Proven ability in oral and written communication is

essential. • Demonstrated ability for analysis and resolution of

problems in distributed and/or networked systems.

Computer Game software development

• Game software development requires an understanding of– Mathematics– Computer graphics– Computer architecture– Operating systems– Network programming– Parallel processing

A sample job listing (excerpts)

Full-time Software Engineer, Location:  Chicago

Electronic Arts is looking for engineers who love games (…) Video Game Engineering (…) challenges involve advanced rendering techniques, … , algorithmic optimizations, (…), linear algebra, (…), calculus, numerical equation solving, audio/video compression.

Required skills:

• Proficiency with C++, experience in C, Assembly, …

• Good communication and writing skills.

• Excellent problem solving skills.

• Self-starters who can work with others in a team-oriented environment as well as independently.

• Strong math skills.

Database administration

• Databases are used to store and organize data in ways to make insertion, search and retrieval of information efficient

• Databases are used in the following industries– Financial industry– Search engines– Travel industry

A sample job listing (excerpts)Title: Database Administrator, Chicago Mercantile Exchange

Responsible for the administration of Oracle 10g RAC, Grid and ASM running on Sun Unix or Linux operating systems.Must be able to implement databases on Unix and Linux platforms.

Requirements:– In depth knowledge in the works of Oracle 10g, RAC,

ASM and Grid, TOAD, DB2 and SQL Server a plus– Experience in a very high transaction rate OLTP

applications required– Working knowledge of Linux and Unix operating systems

are required. NT and MVS is a plus.

Search Engine Technologies

• A Search Engine is a computer program that is used to find information stored in a software system such as the World Wide Web

• How does a search engine return web pages that are relevant to the query?

• Technologies include: databases, distributed systems, artificial intelligence, networking etc.

A sample job listing (excerpts)Openings in Software Engineering, Google

We need world-class engineers to join our engineering team in developing our next-generation search engine (…)We’re working on problems in (…) cutting-edge information retrieval algorithms, scalability issues related to dealing with huge amounts of data and a rapidly increasing user population, and a variety of novel search features.

Requirements: – Enthusiasm for solving interesting problems.– Experience with Unix/Linux or Windows environments,

C++ development, distributed systems, machine learning, information retrieval, network programming…

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

• Mathematical tools

• Problem solving, algorithms, and structured programming

• Modeling and object oriented programming

• Computer Systems

• Communication skills

• Senior Capstone

Advanced Coursework

• Theory• Data storage• Computer Systems• Data analysis and mining• Artificial intelligence• Computer vision• Human computer interaction• Computer gaming• Software engineering• Graphics• Computational Sciences• Network programming• and more to come…

Sample CS topics covered at CTI

• How does Google work and why is it such a good search engine?

• How does a computer beat the World Chess Champion?

• How does information get routed on the Internet?

• How does encryption work and how can encrypted messages be broken?

• How do the Mars robots see and process the landscape around them?

Sample CS topics covered at CTI

• How does one protect a system against an attack?

• How are players synchronized in an online computer game?

• What techniques are being developed to increase the speed of microprocessors?

• What makes a Graphical User Interface user-friendly?

• What problems are Computer Scientists currently solving in the field of computational biology?

Software Engineering Concentration

• This concentration integrates:– the foundational Computer Science material with– engineering practices developed for building and

maintaining software applications.

• Six additional SE courses.

What Computer Scientists do?

• Employed at the top programming jobs

• Invent new applications for computer systems– World Wide Web– Google search engine– Peer-to-Peer networks

• Develop better ways to solve computing problems– More secure ways to encrypt information– More efficient ways to send audio and video on

the Internet

Career Outcomes

Average

Salary

Students 5850203301838803

$30,714$25,000$31,364$45,909$30,112$42,596

TheatreMusicEducationCTILA&SCommerce

Average salaries based on a 2004 survey of bachelor degree

graduates conducted by the Career Center 6 months after

degree completion.

Career Outcomes

Based on a 2004 survey conducted by the Career

Center 6 months after degree completion.

50%60%58%61%79%67%Do degree field and job relate?

$40,455$47,222$40,000$46,212$48,333$45,909Estimated

Annual

Salary

OtherE-CommerceNetworksInformation

Systems

Computer

Science

All CTI

So, why choose CS?Average payJob growthCareer

$66,21622.78%Real estate appraiser8

$83,42736.10%Computer/IT analyst7

$82,31720.19%Market research analyst6

$75,11749.65%Physician assistant5

$73,73123.47%HR manager4

$122,46225.92%Financial advisor3

$81,49131.39%College professor2

$80,42746.07%Software engineer1

Source: Money Magazine, April 12, 2006

And why choose CS at CTI?

• Because our students are successful!• Ranking of the top 12 US teams at the 2006

World Programming Contest:

Wisconsin, Mad.7Washington, St.L. 4

Rice7Maryland, Coll.P.4

Virginia Tech7Caltech4

Georgia Tech7DePaul3

Carnegie Mellon7Princeton2

Duke7MIT1

TeamRankTeamRank