Why Study Computing? Computer Science Computer Engineering Computer Information Systems Department of Computer Science and Engineering The University of South Carolina

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Why Study Computing?Computer ScienceComputer
EngineeringComputer Information
SystemsDepartment of Computer Science and
EngineeringThe University of South Carolina
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The World Changes
Compared to my universitys computer when I was a
graduate student, my laptop is 15,000 times
cheaper 10,000 times physically smaller with 500
times more memory and 1000 times more hard
disk and is 1500 times faster Storing Microsoft
Vista on a disk takes about 1.4 million times
more space than was present on the lunar landing
module on 20 July 1969.
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Questions You Should Ask(If You Havent Already)

• What is computing all about?
• Will there be jobs?
• How much will I get paid?
• Will I enjoy what I do?
• (Why should I study computing at USC?)

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Jobs
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Will There Be Jobs? YES!!

• Six of the ten fastest growing job areas are in
  computing
• 25,000 BS degrees per year, 1.4 million jobs
  between 2004 and 2014
• Four times more new jobs in computing (2004-2014)
  than in all of engineering

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Perception, Reality, and the Media

• 2001 The predicted number of open jobs in IT
  has dropped 44 compared to last year.
• True, but not the whole truth.
• A) Predicted vacancies go from 1.4 million to
  about 950,000 (about a 44 drop, yes).
• B) Predicted new hires in IT go from about
  250,000 to about 400,000.
• Is (A) or (B) the more important point?

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Money
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How Much Will I Get Paid?

• Computer science has traditionally been in the
  top tier of all occupations (chemical
  engineering, electrical engineering, computer
  engineering, computer science, mechanical
  engineering) for starting salary
• National average starting salary (BS) is about
  52,000
• The fastest growing jobs in computing are also
  among the highest paying jobs
• Computer and mathematical is third highest
  paying of all occupational groups (averages, not
  starting)

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Satisfaction
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Will I Enjoy What I Do?

• Software engineer was rated the most satisfying
  job of all
• Computer/IT analyst comes in number seven
• There is satisfaction in doing well a difficult
  job that is constantly changing
• Computing changes from one year to the next
• Computing is not one job its many
• Look for your personal niche

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A Long-Term IT Labor Shortage Exists
Fraction of professionals with degrees in that
discipline
Life Sciences
Chemical and Physical Sciences
Mathematics
Engineering
Computing and Information Science
Source NSF/Division of Science Resources
Statistics, SESTAT, 1999, presented by Caroline
Wardle at Snowbird 2002
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What Do Computing People Actually Do?
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Some Jobs in Computing

• Computer systems analyst
• Web applications interfacing with databases
• Scientific computing
• Sensors, embedded systems, and wireless
• Networking
• Computer security and information assurance
• Games, multimedia, animation

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Some Jobs in Computing

• Computer systems analyst
• I know you think you understand what you thought
  I said, but I dont think you realize that what
  you heard is not what I meant.
• Web apps and databases
• Everyone wants applications to be browser
  enabled, with desktop clients, uniform interface,
  complete security, etc.

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Some Jobs in Computing

• Scientific computing
• Small in terms of number of jobs, but very high
  in salary and job satisfaction (and lots more
  jobs than people available)
• Dept of Energy (Los Alamos, Livermore, Oak Ridge,
  ), NASA, NSA, NOAA,
• Seismic processing in the oil industry
• Airplane and auto industries
• Pharmaceuticals
• A roughly equal mix of computing, applied
  mathematics, and discipline science

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Parallel Computing

• The Dead Computer Society
• ILLIAC-4
• CDC STAR-100
• Denelcor HEP
• Tera Computer Corp. MPA
• Alliant
• Sequent
• Stardent
• Kendall Square Research (KSR)
• Intel Hypercube
• NCube
• BBN Butterfly
• NASA MPP
• Thinking Machines CM-2, CM-5
• MasPar
• Successful Parallel Machines
• Cray T3D, T3E, XMP, YMP, X
• SGI Challenge, Origin, Altix
• Sun Enterprise

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Some Jobs in Computing

• Sensors, embedded systems, wireless, and
  networking
• GPS, RFID, iPhone, Blackberry, smart homes,
  freeway traffic monitoring, biometric
  identification, smart credit cards,
• Issues of power, device failure, communications
  distance, mobility, real-time operations

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TRIESTE (Trusted Radio Infrastructures for
Enforcing SpecTrum Etiquettes)

• Cognitive Radio future wireless platform
• Expose the lower-layers (PHY) of the protocol
  stack to the public
• scan the available spectrum
• select from a wide range of operating frequencies
• adjust modulation waveforms
• perform adaptive resource allocation
• An ideal platform for abuse, for example, for
  building jammers
• Goal to regulate the future radio environment,
  ensure trustworthy radio operation
• How two complementary mechanisms
• On-board enforcement restricting any violation
• attempt from accessing the radio
• running its own suite of spectrum etiquette
  protocols
• behaves according to acceptable communal policies
• An external monitor infrastructure
• Distributed Spectrum Authority (DSA) police
• agent observes the radio environment
• DSA will punish CRs if violations are detected.

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Some Jobs in Computing

• Computer security/information assurance
• Preventing attacks on the networks
• Authenticating access
• Verifying the integrity of data
• Prosecuting criminals
• Public policy
• (And some headaches dealing with people who just
  dont understand!)

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Web Data Security
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Some Jobs in Computing

• Games, multimedia, animation
• USC Summer camp in games

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USC Summer Game Camp
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Okay. Im sold.I want to do computing.How do
I get there?
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The Basic Game Plan

• A solid technical background because you wont
  be able to fake it.
• The ability to read, write, and present technical
  information because the CEO is likely to be a
  nontechnical person.
• The ability to work with people because nearly
  all projects are bigger than just one person can
  do.

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Whats Your Second Favorite Thing?

• Most people dont just work on the computerthey
  use the computer to do something else.
• Computer engineers deal with computing hardware,
  real-time, and the outside world.
• Business applications people do business.
• Computer scientists can do music, science,
  animation/graphics/art, biology, law,

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Your Goals
Not just to be trained and get Microsoft/Oracle/Ci
sco certifications But to be educated in
computing Not to learn to be a lifelong
programmer But to know programming so you can
manage programmers ten years from now Not to be
trained on todays Package A But to learn how to
re-educate yourself with Package B in 2008,
Package C in 2009, Package D in 2010,
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Why Study Computing at USC?

• Three different majors
• B.S. in Computer Engineering
• Supporting courses in electrical engineering
• B. S. in Computer Information Systems
• Minor in Business Information Management
• B. S. in Computer Science
• Supporting courses in an application area

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Some Student Success Stories

• We have had some of the very best students on
  campus
• Jared Ligatti, finishing Ph.D. at Princeton 2006
• NSF Fellow Heather Wake, 2 woman in computing in
  the US in 2004 (now at Duke)
• NSF Fellow Stacey Ivol, started at Carnegie
  Mellon fall 2006
• NSF Fellow Matt Elder, started at Wisconsin fall
  2006
• Our students do research and travel to present
  their papers (Japan, Milan, Seattle, San
  Francisco, )
• Most of our students have computing jobs while
  they are students too many to list here

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Heather Wake, Computer Engr. 2004

• NSF Graduate Fellowship
• Computing Research Association Outstanding Female
  Undergraduate Runner-up (i.e., 2 among 2004
  women graduates in computing in North America)
• Tau Beta Pi Fellowship
• James B. Duke Fellowship
• Duke Endowment Fellowship
• Ford Foundation Fellowship (declined)
• GEM Fellowship
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Duke University, fall 2004

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Matt Elder, Computer Science 2006

• NSF Graduate Fellowship
• NSF Res Exp for Undergrads
• National Defense Science and
• Engineering Grant
• Phi Beta Kappa
• U of Wisconsin, fall 2006
• (algorithms and theory)

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Stacey Ivol, Computer Engr. 2006

• NSF Graduate Fellowship
• NSF Res Exp for Undergrads
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Carnegie Mellon University,
• fall 2006 (robotics)

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Some Current Students

• Liz Timko, with the protein she folded

John Flowers, recent UPE scholarship winner
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www.cse.sc.eduinfo_at_cse.sc.eduDepartment of
Computer Science and EngineeringUniversity of
South CarolinaColumbia, South Carolina
29208803.777.2880
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The End
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