The Complexity & Importance of Computer Science
According to Springer.com, the areas listed below are a key part of computer science. These are advanced areas that people concentrate in after years of studying the fundamentals, preferably in K-12 schools onward. And these areas are at the heart of the modern world. These are the indispensable technologies as human work to improve life on earth and solve many of the problems we face, whether self-inflicted or not.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Communication Networks
- Database Management & Information Retrieval
- Human Computer Interaction
- Image Processing, Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition & Graphics
- Information Systems & Applications
- Media Design
- Security & Cryptology
- Software Engineering
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Systems Biology & Bioinformatics
- Robotics & Control
Anyone (or any country) wishing to participate in a significant way in the global economy must begin laying the foundations for computer science excellence as early as possible.
Coding & Programming the New Grammar
It used to be that knowledge of and proper use of English grammar was required for students to get ahead in school and life. This is still somewhat true, but today, anyone who’s good at English grammar, but has no knowledge of coding and computer programming, is at a huge disadvantage vis-à-vis those who do.
Last year, leaders from some of the nation’s top businesses, including Apple, Facebook, Target, Walmart, and AT&T urged the U.S. Congress to put computer science education front and center in K-12 schools to nurture students who are literate in IT and related technologies. Twenty-seven US Governors joined the chorus, adding that to attract good, middle-class jobs to their states they needed students proficient in programming and computer science.
Still, three-quarters of US K-12 public schools do not offer any computer science courses, and the federal government provides very little funding to improve computer science classes in K-12 schools.
The US Has Great Colleges & Grad Schools, But . . .
The top 10 grad schools in the United States to study computer science, according to US News and World Report are:
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- University of California— Berkeley
- University of Illinois— Urbana- Champaign
- Cornell University
- University of Washington
- Princeton University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Texas— Austin
And six out of 10 of these schools lead the entire world in computer science. Unfortunately, at this time, 53% of all computer and information science doctoral degrees and 50% of mathematics and statistics degrees are earned by foreign students. In engineering, foreign students earn 57% of all engineering doctoral degrees.
The following video by Maarten van Steen explains how computer science is changing and merging with all other disciplines.
