Why Computer Science?

Ed Lazowska

Bill & 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

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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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Shopping

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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?