Computer Science as an Evolving Discipline 

by

David N. Palacios

P.h.D Student

William & Mary

2018

-A TALK FOR NON-COMPUTER SCIENCE FOLKS-

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Milestones in Computer Science

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Computer Science Contributions

Milestones in Computer Science

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Liteos_debugging.png

What does it mean "Computer Science"?

is...

• theory
• engineering
• experimentation

of Machines! 

Etymology -> Computer -> Computation -> Counting

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus#/media/File:Boulier1.JPG

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Computer Science Contributions

Milestones in Computer Science

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Algorithm: Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

What should I do to withdraw money from an ATM?

1. Look for an ATM
2. Identify the card input
3. ...
4. ...
   1. 1 Select the amount...

Machine: Enabling computations 

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_machine_gallery#/media/File:Turing_machine_1.JPG

System: components and subcomponents interacting each other for a goal

Ref: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30591976@N05/6096667988

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Milestones in Computer Science

Milestones in Computer Science

Analytical engine

• mechanical general-purpose computer 
• 1837

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Engine#/media/File:AnalyticalMachine_Babbage_London.jpg

Binary logic

• boolean algebra
• 1854

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Boole

Enigma

• Crypto machine of German military during WW2

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Enigma.jpg

Digital revolution

• Third Industrial Revolution
• 50. - 70s
• Internet users: 3.9 billion (49.5% of world population in 2016)

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Internet_map_1024.jpg

Programming languages

• Punched cards (40s)
• Machine Language (1000111)
• High-Level Language (e.g., java, c, c++, cobol, scala)

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:C_Hello_World_Program.png

Computer graphics

• 60s (Verne Hudson and William Fetter of Boeing)
• Computer-generated imaginary (CGI)

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphics#/media/File:Blender_2.45_screenshot.jpg

Artificial intelligence

• 50s (Newell, Simon, McCarthy, Minsky, Samual)
• Intelligence demonstrated by Machines

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence#/media/File:D%C3%A9tection_de_personne_-_exemple_3.jpg

Human–computer interaction

• 80s (Newell, Moran)
• Interfaces between people and computers

Ref: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stockcatalog/42820690351

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Milestones in Computer Science

Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace

Analytical Engine - 1810s

Bernulli Numbers Program - 1840s

Alan Turing and the Turing machine

1. Cryptoanalysis
2. Computational Biology
3. Turing Test
4. Artificial Machines 

Akira Nakashima (switching circuit theory) & Konrad Zuse

Zuse-z3: First Fully Automatic Digital Computer (1949)

Norbert Wiener and cybernetics (1948)

John von Neumann and the von Neumann architecture

Another Father of Computation along with Turing

1. Game Theory
2. Set theory
3. Lattice Theory
4. Math formulation of Quantum Mechanics
5. Entropy
6. Mathematical Economics
7. Fluid Dynamics
8. Cellular Automata, DNA and Universal Constructor

What does it mean "Computer Scientist"?

Algorithms, machines and the main concepts in CS

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Milestones in Computer Science

Active (inter-disciplinary) fields

Science

Theoretical

Empirical (Applied)

Physics

Theoretical

Empirical (Applied)

Computer Science

Theoretical

Empirical (Applied)

Margaret Hamilton (1936)

• Leading the development of on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo Moon mission (1969)
• Software Engineering

Computer Science

Theoretical

Empirical (Applied)

Computer Science

Empirical (Applied)

Ref: https://www.kdnuggets.com/2017/07/rapidminer-ai-machine-learning-deep-learning.html

Machine Learning & Medicine

Ref: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Jeannette_Wing.pdf

1. Anti-inflammatory drugs
2. Chronic hepatitis
3. Mammograms
4. Renal and respiratory failure
5. Human Genome

Machine Learning & Other Sciences

Ref: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Jeannette_Wing.pdf

Chemistry

1. Atomistic computations to explore chemical phenomena
2. Search algorithms to improve reactions conditions

Physics

1. Genetic algorithms discover laws of physics

Machine Learning & Journalism

Ref: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Jeannette_Wing.pdf

1. Crowdsourcing as a new way of getting news tips from sources
2. An algorithmic approach to validate the credibility of sources
3. Digital Media and Learning Initiative

Machine Learning & Humanities

Ref: https://www.kdnuggets.com/2017/07/rapidminer-ai-machine-learning-deep-learning.html

1. Digging into Data Challenge: What could you do with a million books?
2. Music, English, Art, Design, Photography, …

In Summary

Embrace Computer Science

Embrace Computer Science

Enable Computational Thinking

Embrace Computer Science

Enable Computational Thinking

CS is Interdisciplinary (always)

Thanks!

(?)