Why Computer Science?
Specializations & Degrees
Zachary Ives
Associate Professor, Computer & Information Science Dept.
and Undergrad Curriculum Chair – Market & Social Systems Engineering
University of Pennsylvania
Teacher & Guidance Counselor Day
July 25, 2016
“Why Computer Science”?
Some Highlights of the Field
What makes a lifelong career rewarding?
 Is it likely to help people (or society)?
 Gives freedom, creative input, and the ability to do
something new?
 Does it yield new ideas and knowledge?
 Does it pay reasonably?
 Computer science is one of the few areas that hits
on all of these in a multitude of specializations –
even with a Bachelor’s degree!
 Computers are an enabler of the mind!!
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Contributing to Everyday Life & Society
Computers have changed
the way we communicate
… and learn
… and do science
and art
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Freedom and Creativity: Some
Well-Known Stories
 CS has always been about empowerment of those
with ideas who can build and design in teams!
“20% time”
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Creation of New Ideas and Knowledge:
Some Recent Examples
The Internet has led to a recent boom in:
 Social networking
 The study of incentives
 New business models
“Core” CS is underneath a lot of that…
 … And new techniques for data centric computing
As well as new CS applications
 … Like automatic gene sequencing,
physics-based animation, …
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Different Degrees & Specializations
 CS is a great enabler – of new technologies within
the field, and of art and the sciences
 Recognizing this, Penn (and many other institutions)
have a variety of programs
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Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Digital Media Design
Computational Biology
Computer & Cognitive Science
Market & Social Systems Engineering
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Computer Science: “The Core”
What is computation and what are its properties?
 Mathematics, complexity
How do we create solutions?
 Programming, algorithms, software engineering
How does it map onto a machine –
or today, set of 100s of machines?
 Hardware, networks
Example questions:
 How does Google work?
 How can a computer plan a course of action to solve a problem?
Future careers: Software development, entrepreneurship, analysis and
consulting, academia
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Computer Engineering:
Computing Meets Devices
Today a computer isn’t just a PC
… It’s your car, your cell phone or iPod
… It’s a pacemaker, a blood glucose
monitor, a TV, a Roomba, a self-driving car
Software interacts with the environment
(and often a wireless network)!
Computer engineering focuses on the connections between
hardware and software
 From circuits to programming, devices to PCs and servers
Example question:
 How does an iPod work?
Future careers: Medical devices, cell phone software, …
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Digital Media Design
Computers have changed the way we do art and film,
and it has spawned a huge industry in games
DMD combines 3 skill sets:
 Art
 Software development
 And knowledge of creative tools
Example question:
 How can I digitally model
a human using math & physics?
Future careers: game design,
special effects, …
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Computational Biology
Understanding living systems – formerly a “wet lab”
science – is now an information science
 DNA sequencing, information about protein coding, …
How do we combine computational
techniques and a knowledge of biology
to make new discoveries?
Example question:
 Given a gene in a human, how do we find
what’s known about analogous genes in mice?
Future careers:
 Biology, medicine, pharmaceuticals
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Computer and Cognitive Science
How does the human brain work?
 How does it learn?
 neuroscience, linguistics, education, …
 Can one model and emulate this using
machines?
 artificial intelligence, natural language processing, …
Example questions:
 How can we build statistical models of different languages,
and use them to translate from English  any language
Future careers:
 Research in the sciences, educational methods, academia
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Market & Social Systems
Engineering (MKSE)
The Internet has changed communication,
entertainment, media, and commerce
 At its core: ways of letting people and machines interact,
over networks, to exchange ideas, conduct transactions, …
But how do we build systems and incentives that encourage
people to be honest and forthright in their dealings?
 Play by the rules, pay fair prices, avoid spamming, …
And how do we use the structure of the network to understand
things about the people / players?
Example questions: How do we estimate a person’s influence, if
we know their “friends” in a social net?
Future careers: Internet software, finance, academia
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Summary
 CS is a great enabler – of technology as well as art and
science
 Penn has degrees focusing more towards:
 Technology and engineering:
 Computer science
 Computer engineering
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Arts and entertainment: Digital media design
Life science: Computational biology
The mind and education: Computer & cognitive science
Social interactions and economics: Market & social systems
engineering
 Many rewarding careers along these directions!
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