Study core areas of computer science and advance to courses on algorithms, artificial intelligence, databases, natural language processing, neural networks, human-computer interaction and security.
As a computer science major or minor, you'll learn to analyze complex problems and to critically evaluate potential solutions. You'll also become versed in core areas of computer science including systems, theory and algorithms. You'll apply that knowledge in the senior seminar and an optional independent senior project or thesis, as well as in electives that include artificial intelligence, databases natural language processing, neural networks, human-computer interaction and security.
What You’ll Study
- Techniques for identifying, formulating and solving complex problems
- Discrete mathematics and data structures
- Systems, programming languages and algorithms
- Current topics in computer science
Research at Pomona
Animating Asterism
Research under Professor Osborn allowed Katiana Wieser ’24 to explore the underlying complexities and logic that make video games possible while also questioning how to lower the barrier of entry into video game creation through Asterism: A Game Engine Engine. Through this research she has been able to use her personal interest in animation to add new features to the existing lab work.
Text Simplification
Conducting research with Professor David Kauchak allowed Justin Long ’24 to explore a fascinating subfield of computer science that he likely would not have been exposed to otherwise. Throughout the process, he fostered a more holistic approach to computer science while also strengthening academic and practical skills he can take beyond college.
Sim-to-Real Transferability
Christy Marchese ’24 has worked with Professor Anthony Clark in the Autonomous Robotics and Complex Systems Lab, researching methods to bridge the sim-to-real transferability gap for mobile robots. She has been able to explore a variety of activities within the lab from building robot parts in CAD to designing and implementing novel neural network architectures.
YARDS: A Python Package
Jaden Kim ’22 spent a summer working in Professor Joseph Osborn's lab on a Python package called YARDS—a tool that allows users to generate synthetic data for training deep learning models. They published a paper which they presented at AIIDE.
Diversity in Open Source
Magali Ngouabou ’22 got a research opportunity at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University focused on looking into what the Black experience has been in this space and exploring if open source is a welcoming and inclusive space for Black students.
The experiences I have had studying CS at Pomona have been transformative and have fed into my curiosity—the joy of learning such exciting concepts never ceases. Thanks to the professors and students in the department, I have discovered my passion for CS and feel eager and well prepared to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science following my undergraduate studies.