UCSD COSMOS Cluster 1: The Science of Computing

Computers are changing our world. They are everywhere, in our homes and workplaces, we carry them, and eventually, they will be human-embedded. However, while most people use computers and many even know how to program them, our goal as computer scientists is to go deeper than simply programming and "hacking," to truly understand and explore the science behind computation. Indeed, computer science is a discipline rich in ideas spanning mathematics, engineering, and even philosophy, addressing deep questions such as: What is computation, and what are its limits? Why are computers improving so rapidly, and how is this affecting our future? Can a computer think, and is the brain just a computer?

In this UCSD COSMOS cluster, we will explore the "Science of Computing" from several angles to give insight into how computers are changing science and society. We will study mathematical foundations of computing, and see that computers transcend technology. We will learn about algorithms, the central concept of computation, and see how they are constructed and analyzed. We will quantify the exponential growth in computer power, and see how this is revolutionizing physics, chemistry and biology by replacing physical experiments with massive computer simulations that run on parallel supercomputers. We will take a look at the Internet to understand how the science of computing influences and sustains its development. Finally, we will explore concepts in the fascinating area of artificial intelligence, focusing on natural language and visual understanding, and considering how a machine may be able to learn.