Download - Why Computer Science?
Why Computer Science?
Ed LazowskaBill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of Washington
March 2012
Forty years ago …
Credit: Peter Lee, Microsoft Research
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
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 challenges
A CS education is a terrific foundation for any career!
Computer science is unique in its impact and importance
http://www.cs.washington.edu/WhyCSE/
Power to Change the World People enter computer science
for all sorts of aspirational reasons
Pathways in Computer Science A computer science education
is the gateway to all sorts of careers in addition to the software industry
A day in the life The software industry is pretty
cool
Message #1 Want to change the world? Then Computer Science is the right field for you.
And there are jobs out the wazoo
Annualized Job Openings vs. Annual Degrees Granted
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
Com
pute
rsc
ienc
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inee
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Phy
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Annualized job openings, 2008-2018 (BLS data)
Degrees granted, 2006 (NSFdata)
Message #2 There are tons of jobs However, a Bachelors-level education is not about
vocational training – it’s about discovering something you’re passionate about, preparation for life-long learning, and preparation for citizenship
UW Computer Science & Engineering
Ranked among the top 10 programs in the nation MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon,
Illinois, Washington, Cornell, Princeton, Georgia Tech, Princeton, Caltech, Wisconsin …
Two undergraduate programs Computer Science (College of Arts & Sciences) Computer Engineering (College of Engineering)
160 Bachelors students per year We also grant ~85 Masters and ~20 Ph.D.
degrees annually
Extraordinary studentsA deep commitment to providing a top-tier
undergraduate education Winner of 5 UW Distinguished Teaching Awards Winner of the inaugural UW Brotman Award for
Instructional Excellence
Why a research-intensive university?
What we can uniquely do: Get students into the lab Make them our partners in discovery Prepare them for life-long learning at the
forefront of knowledge and society
Admission “Regular Admission” for UW students who have
fulfilled a set of prerequisites (math, physical sciences, computer science, etc.)
Offered twice each year – for autumn and spring quarters
“Accelerated Admission” for students who do extremely well in our introductory courses
Offered every quarter “Direct Admission” for top high school students
Offered in the spring, for autumn quarter, coordinated with the UW Admissions Office and the UW Honors Program
Message #3 There are various reasons to go out of state for
college Getting the best computer science or
computer engineering education in the nation is not one of them
Once upon a time, the “content” of the goods we produced was largely physical
Education for the 21st century
Then we transitioned to goods whose “content” was a balance of physical and intellectual
In the “innovation economy,” the content of goods is almost entirely intellectual rather than physical
What kind of education is needed to produce goods whose content is almost entirely intellectual rather than physical?
By any measure, Washington is a leader in America’s innovation economy
2010 Kauffman FoundationNew Economy Index:*1. Massachusetts2. Washington3. Maryland4. New Jersey5. Connecticut7. California8. Virginia9. Colorado10. New York12. Utah
* Index #6 Delaware and #11 New Hampshire intentionally omitted.
Washington’s workforce
Sources: National Science Foundation: Science & Engineering Indicators, 2010; Milken Institute: State Technology and Science Index: Enduring Lessons for the Intangible Economy, 2011
Intensity ofS&Eworkforce
Intensity ofEngineers
Intensity ofComputerspecialists
Washington’s National Rankings
Human Capital
2 25
1
% of payrollin high techNAICS codes
3135
46
A mismatch between economic opportunity and our educational opportunity
Sources: ITIF/Kauffman Foundation: The 2010 State New Economy Index; National Science Foundation: Science & Engineering Indicators 2010; NCHEMS/Postsecondary Opportunity
NS&Ebachelor’sproduction
Totalbachelor’sproduction
S&E graduateprogramparticipation
Intensity ofS&Eworkforce
Intensity ofEngineers
Intensity ofComputerspecialists
% of payrollin high techNAICS codes
25
12
(all indexed to age-range population)
Washington is the 2nd largest importer of degrees among tech states (and 1st, by far, as a proportion of population)
Net Migration: 22-39 Year Olds, Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (2007)
Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems/U.S. Census Bureau
57,386
24,543
WA
Message #4 Our economy is
creating great jobs, and they are going to other people’s kids
Washington State is all geared up to fight the last war!
Then and now … 20 years ago, microprocessors had 4 million
transistorsToday, they have 4 billion
20 years ago, the Internet had 1 million usersToday, it has 1 billion
20 years ago, only 15% of households had a computer
Today, nearly everyone owns a mobile phone, and in the most recent quarter, nearly 60 percent of those who purchased a mobile phone chose a smart phone, putting the Internet – the world – in their pocket
To avoid ending on a downer …
Waking Up
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Turning on the Lights
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Heating and Cooling Your Home
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Cleaning the House
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Making Phone Calls
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Walking
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Navigating
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Searching for Information
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“Look it up.” “Google it.”
Falling in Love
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Reading Books
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Listening to Music
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Watching Movies
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Visiting Grandma and Grandpa
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Falling Asleep
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Message #5 Is this a great
time, or what?