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Computer science investigates the nature of computation,
with applications ranging
from designing sophisticated programs and machines for
solving difficult problems to
understanding how the mind works. It is a science, but it is
not about nature. Like a natural science, computer science
has theoretical and experimental components, but it is
unlike the natural sciences in that computer scientists
design some of their own objects of study.
There are connections with mathematics, linguistics,
philosophy and cognitive science, as well as applications in
the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities. Computer
science has had a tremendous impact on society over the last
50 years, and its impact is only expected to increase in the
future.
The Pomona College Computer Science Department offers a wide
variety of courses
for both majors and non-majors, with multiple introductory
level courses as well as
advanced electives in areas like artificial intelligence,
computer security, and high
performance computing. Along with solid coverage of the core
areas of computer
science, the department also maintains close relations with
Linguistics and Cognitive
Science, offering both introductory and advanced courses
designed to appeal to students with interdisciplinary
interests. Because of their close proximity students can
take advantage of courses offered by the 10 other computer
science faculty members at Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna
Colleges. For example, advanced electives at other colleges
include computer graphics, software design, and database
systems. As a result, Pomona students have available a
broader selection of upper division courses than may be
found at other liberal arts colleges.
Faculty pride themselves on close interaction with students
in classes, in senior
projects, and in research. Biweekly colloquia make available
lectures by world famous
computer scientists and provide information about jobs and
graduate school. Informal
social events provide the opportunity for students and
faculty to get to know each other
outside of the classroom.
Computer Science faculty are interested in engaging students
in their research:
• Professor Kim Bruce '70 is the new chair of Computer
Science, having joined
Pomona after 28 years at Williams College. His research is
in programming language
design as well as the semantics and pragmatics of natural
languages.
• Professor Everett Bull '71 served as coordinator of the
program for over 15 years. He
is a logician whose interests include complexity theory and
computer security.
• Assistant Professor Yi Chen's interests include matrix
computations, algorithms, and
high performance computing. She has also done research in
computer science
education. |
