CS4HS 2013

Why Computer Science? Ed Lazowska Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington July 2013

Forty years ago …

With forty years hindsight, which had the greatest impact? z Unless you’re big into Tang and Velcro (or sex and drugs), the answer is clear … z And so is the reason … EXPONENTIALS US

,546 16,777,216 4,294,967,296 18,446,744,073,709,600,000 Exponentials are rare – we’re not used to them, so they catch us unaware

z Processing capacity z Storage capacity z Network bandwidth z Sensors z (Astonishingly, even algorithms in some cases!) Every aspect of computing has experienced exponential improvement

z Constant capability at exponentially decreasing cost z Exponentially increasing capability at constant cost You can exploit these improvements in two ways

Number of hosts

Credit: Intel Corporation

The past thirty years …

The most recent ten years … z Search z Scalability z Digital media z Mobility z eCommerce z The Cloud z Social networking and crowd-sourcing

In the next ten years, we’ll put the “smarts” in … z Smart homes z Smart cars z Smart bodies z Smart robots z Smart science (confronting the data tsunami) z Smart crowds and human- computer systems z Smart interaction (virtual and augmented reality)

z Computer science has a rich intellectual agenda z Advances in CS accelerate the pace of discovery in nearly all other fields z Advances in CS drive economic growth y Not just through the growth of the IT industry, but through productivity growth across the entire economy z Advances in CS touch everyone’s lives – they change the way we live, work, learn, and communicate z Advances in CS are inextricably linked to our ability to address our major national and global challenges z Advances in CS have major public policy implications y Ranging from e-voting and identity management to the nature and global spread of democracy z “Computational Thinking” is essential for all 21 st century citizens! Computer science is unique in its impact and importance

CORE CSE

machine learning natural language processing HCI cloud computing big data mobile sensors CORE CSE

machine learning natural language processing HCI cloud computing big data mobile sensors Security and Privacy Technology for Development Medicine and Global Health Education Scientific Discovery Transportation Neural Engineering Elder Care Accessibility Interacting with the Physical World CORE CSE

And there are jobs out the wazoo: nationally … Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Science & Technology Job Growth ( ) 85% 70% 60%

And there are jobs out the wazoo: nationally … Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation Annualized Job Openings vs. Annual Degrees Granted ( )

And there are jobs out the wazoo: and regionally … 28 Source: Washington State HECB, SBCTC, and WTECB: A Skilled and Educated Workforce, 2011 Update. Analysis of Employment Security Department and IPEDS data.

Is this a great time, or what?!?!