Category Archives: Computer Science
Do You Need a Four-Year Degree to Get a Job in Tech? – Dice Insights
Do you really need a four-year degree to get a job in tech? That depends on who you ask, as well as the role you seek.
Richard Wang, cofounder andCEO of coding bootcampCoding Dojo,says the skills gap and high cost of education are factors in why some tech professionals focus on skills rather than degrees. Wang noted that tech pioneers such as Steve Jobs,MarkZuckerberg, and Jack Dorsey became tech pioneers without completing college.
I really dont think it should be mandatory, Wang said. Now were seeing the evidence from major tech companies to get rid of that criteria, which is a testament to that.
Jobs that do not require a four-year degree include web developers, system administrators and database engineers, according to Wang.
Wangs assertion is backed up by Burning Glass, a database that collects and analyzes millions of job postings across the country. For many technology jobs, even highly specialized ones, a bachelors degree is often cited as the recommended degree. Thats also good news for technologists who dont necessarily want to earn an advanced degree in order to work in specialized fields.
Examples of companies prizing skills over degrees abound. Although Google lists many tech jobs that require four-year degrees, for instance, you can find positions such asData Center Technicianin which a bachelors degree is preferred (the position requires two years of experience with diagnosing, navigating and troubleshooting computer hardware and server hardware). Amazon posts positions such asSoftware Dev Engineer 1where a bachelors degree in computer science or a related field is likewise preferred.
Bootcamps such as Coding Dojo teach skills such as coding, data science, UX and product management. In addition to technical knowledge, candidates who can demonstrate strong problem-solving skills can often land a job without a formal degree. Some students who attended Coding Dojo had computer science degrees but lacked the basic building blocks of programming such as HTML and CSS, Wang said. (However, its important tocarefully evaluate any bootcampbefore you sign on.)
Sometimes people earn a degree in a general studies area and lack practical skills in more technical disciplines such as computer science. In order to overcome that issue, students with anon-computing backgroundcan take certification programs in computer science, like the Illinois Computing Accelerator for Non-Specialists (iCAN) at the University of Illinois.
Four-year degrees are becomingless of a requirementat companies such as Google and Apple. Google hires some people without technical degrees and trains them in-house, noted Nancy Amato, Ph.D., head of the Department of Computer Science and professor of engineering at theUniversity of Illinoisat Urbana-Champaign.
Some of this is driven simply by the fact that theres just not enough workers trained with these skills, so theyre resorting to other ways to try to build that up, Amato said. She noted that the tech jobs serve as an on-ramp, and the employees may pursue a degree later.
Is forgoing a four-year degree the best way to get a high-paying tech job? Not necessarily, according toEva Tardos, Ph.D., chair and professor of computer science at Cornell University. She explained that, although you can get a job as a computer programmer without a formal BA, if you plan to advance to a higher-paid position such as a software architect or engineer, seriously consider a four-year program.
Software engineers usually need a degree, and in contrast, a programmer does not, Tardos said. Software engineers and architects, like project managers and other advanced technology roles, need to have a grasp of abstract, deep conceptsoften taught as part of four-year programs.
The industry is eagerly hiring people without a degree because theyre so hungry for a capable workforce, but they pay a lot more if you have that degree, Tardos said, noting that, without a four-year diploma, you can land a decent tech job that pays around $60,000-$80,000. But with a diploma, CS graduates could land jobs that pay significantly moreperhaps even in the six-figure range, relatively soon after leaving school.
As Amato also noted, people in a four-year program can receive proper training in data security and privacy, which are important qualities that hiring managers often focus on. I strongly believe that students who are getting an undergraduate degree in computer science are going to be totally well-served, she said. Theyre not going to regret that for a second, and they will be better prepared and more competitive for the really excellent opportunities than someone who doesnt have that.
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Do You Need a Four-Year Degree to Get a Job in Tech? - Dice Insights
Meet the Site Coordinators of NOVA Science Studio – PBS
We are excited to take the NOVA Science Studio to the national stage with a virtual launch of our program that will engage students from across the country!
Not only do we seek to provide youth with the skills to tell engaging digital stories about the science happening in their communities, but also to amplify the voices of young people who have long been underrepresented in science communication.
Over the course of six months, students across the United States will learn about video production, identifying misinformation, and a wide range of STEM careers, under the guidance of a site coordinator and the mentorship of a NOVA producer.
Each site coordinator leads two hour long sessions a week for a regional cohort of six students. And the students receive regular feedback and instruction on how to develop and refine their science journalism video projects.
Were excited to introduce the first group of NOVA Science Studio site coordinators, which includes science communicators, producers, and teachers who have a strong track record of covering science through multiplatform storytelling.
Chicago, ILMidwest Region
Cesar Almeida is a stewardship coordinator for the CIMBY Center. As an artist, educator, and Fulbright Scholar, he designs artistic and educational programs for youth and young adults to conserve and uphold ancestral forms, which include environments, cultures, and languages. He earned his B.S. in education from Northwestern University, and his work challenges Western colonial approaches to education by centering the learners identity, embodying youth-led approaches, and validating new media as literacy. Ultimately, Almeida recognizes that the environment is not only about the birds, bees, and trees but is about the places we live, learn, eat, and sleep.
There is not enough representation or access to science and the environment, Almeida says. The dominant narrative perpetuates the idea that nature and science originate from foundations of white and eurocentric forms of thought, but this is not the case, and it is my mission to increase representation and access to science and the environment for BIPOC artists, youth, and communities.
Charlotte, NCSoutheast Region
Tazeen Hossain is a process development engineer at Bosch Rexroth where she leads her sites digital manufacturing transformation. She graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a minor in Spanish from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also holds a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell University. As an alumna of INROADS and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), she has served both organizations through STEM advocacy and mentorship for minority students in high school and college. Hossains passion for increasing representation in STEM has led to her establishing an employee resource group at Bosch Rexroth focused on highlighting and celebrating the intersectionality of different identities within the workplace. Her love for engineering technology drives her to constantly seek ways to break barriers and provide underrepresented youth with access to careers in STEM.
When you bring more people on stage who can tell different stories, and share perspectives that speak to the other 40% of Americans, suddenly science is relatable, Hossain says. More problems get solved within our communities because more people are aware of them.
Boston, MANortheast Region
Greg Hufford is a STEM literacy specialist at 826 Boston who has a fervent passion for the natural sciences and is fascinated by the overlap between scientific and artistic pursuits. Prior to joining 826 Boston, he served with AmeriCorps in New Hampshire, where he taught environmental science to elementary school students. Hufford holds an M.S. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines, andbefore a recent career switchworked as a geologist. In his free time, Hufford loves to wander outdoors, paint, play Dungeons and Dragons, and make music.
Science has had a central role in my life for over two decades, says Hufford. Even as an adult, I still crawl in the woods on my hands and knees, and explore the world through a magnifying glass. I see science as an iterative process of discovery that can enrich our lives. I have been and will continue to be a student of science.
San Francisco, CAWest Coast Region
Niba Nirmal is a multimedia science communicator based on the traditional land of the Ramaytush Ohlone (San Francisco, CA). She creates scientific content through articles, photos, videos, and social media. Her personal project Notes By Niba explores the science of cosmetics, fashion, and skincare through YouTube and Instagram. She holds a B.S. in genetics and genomics from UC Davis, where she studied the effects of climate change on crops. She also holds a double-minor in toxicology and diversity studies. She received her M.S. in genetics from Duke University, graduating with the class of 2020. Her graduate research focused on the genetics, form, and function of plant roots.
While researching plant genetics, I discovered a passion for science communication, Nirmal says. Lacking scicomm mentorship, I had to teach myself video production and arduously build my brand from the ground up. NOVAs program gives me the unique opportunity to directly mentor students in my field so they need not undergo the unnecessary struggles I had to.
Phoenix, AZSouthwest Region
Leon Tynes is the technology and computer science lead educator at the Academy of Math and Science Desert Sky in Phoenix, Arizona. For the past eleven years, Tynes has used a flipped classroom approach to maximize learning in the realms of 3D modeling, digital media, mobile app development, and computer science courses. Dedicated to immersing his students in all aspects of technology, he has successfully integrated science and engineering concepts, which has led to numerous student awards. He has a passion for habitat and climate issues and wishes to develop authentic projects to broaden students global awareness in STEM.
My focus has always been in urban education and equity in computer science and technology, Tynes says. I have a significant amount of experience with students creating nonfiction media dealing with contemporary social issues. Imploring students to research contemporary issues that directly affect their communities and their potential to explore college and substantive careers is a priority of my pedagogy.
With a focus on hyperlocal storytelling, the NOVA Science Studio aims to give students the tools to tell their own stories through the science happening right in their own backyard. We will be sharing updates on the program and student projects via the NOVA Education Spark newsletter and NOVA Science Studio social media accounts. Follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay connected!
Receive emails about upcoming NOVA programs and related content, as well as featured reporting about current events through a science lens.
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The Year of the Ox: How students are celebrating an untraditional Lunar New Year – OSU – The Lantern
Chinese American Student Association helps bring in dancers to perform at a show at the Ohio Union.Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Huang
The Year of the Ox will be ushered in Friday as those celebrating the Lunar New Year face changes to traditional festivities.
Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of the Chinese calendar and is often celebrated with decorations, extravagant meals, fireworks and gifts. This year, the traditions live on, but several student organizations at Ohio State will be celebrating the holiday in smaller settings.
Jacob Chang, a third-year in psychology and political science, chair of the International Student Council and vice president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Society, said there would usually be huge gatherings on campus.
In a normal year, our club will throw a huge LNY performance where about 700 to 800 students will participate on campus, Chang said. We emphasize the sense of community for every Chinese international student at Ohio State and everyone who observes Chinese New Year.
When students around campus are able to come together, Jessica Huang, a fourth-year in industrial and systems engineering and the leader of Ohio States Chinese American Student Association, said there is a wide variety of performers that are able to show up for the celebration.
Outside of OSU, we invite Dance of Soul and Chinese Folk Music, which focus on more traditional CNY performances, Huang said. From OSU, we have a mix of martial art performances, dance teams and singers, consisting of both domestic and international students.
Both Huang and Chang said that this holiday can be compared to popular American holidays and that anyone can celebrate Lunar New Year.
The decorations throughout China are equivalent to if not, dare I say more extravagant than how people prep for Christmas in America, Huang said. CNY feasts are comparable to Thanksgiving dinners many restaurants are booked months in advance or prepped for days in advance.
However, because of the ongoing pandemic, the usual big festivities will be put on hold for the first time. Instead, smaller groups will gather and put their twist on the holiday.
The Chinese Folk Music Orchestra is unable to perform their normal shows for Lunar New Year but is working on video performances, Yamei Tu, a third-year doctorate student in computer science and engineering and the publicity chair for the group, said. However, she is still celebrating with decorations, a big meal and video chatting with family in China.
Tu said one of her favorite Lunar New Year traditions is receiving lucky money a tradition where children receive money from adults in red envelopes.
Traditionally, children put it under the pillow for good luck, Tu said. Red can scare bad things and keep you safe in ancient stories.
Because she is unable to travel home, Tu said her family sent well wishes and her lucky money online.
Chang, an international student, said no matter the circumstances, he is going to find a way to celebrate with his friends.
I am unable to return home for LNY, but I never let that stop me from celebrating it with my Chinese friends here at Ohio State, Chang said. The pandemic stops us from having huge gatherings, so me and my two close friends are getting together to have hotpot and watch movies together.
Hotpot is a social meal originating from Eastern Asia that consists of a large pot of simmering broth with a variety of ingredients, like beef, seafood, vegetables and noodles.
Chang joins the ranks of a multitude of Ohio State students who had to make the most of the situation and find new ways to celebrate with family and friends both in Ohio and abroad.
Personally, I am doing hotpot with my best friend and calling my family back home in Ohio and China, Huang said.
Although they could not be together, Huang said CASA rang in the new year with a Twitch stream last week, hoping to accommodate anyone celebrating from home with their families or traveling home to do so.
Chang said his favorite aspects of this time of year are the ideas of unity and importance it can promote within the country.
It promotes solidarity among our community while spreading the joy and happiness to everyone around, Chang said. It is an inclusive holiday for everyone who is willing to participate and share the refreshing start of the new year with us.
Ohio State students who are looking for ways to ring in the Year of the Ox can register for the Lunar New Year Party on the International Friendships website.
The Year of the Ox will be ushered in Friday as those celebrating the Lunar New Year face changes to traditional festivities.
Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of the Chinese calendar and is often celebrated with decorations, extravagant meals, fireworks and gifts. This year, the traditions live on, but several student organizations at Ohio State will be celebrating the holiday in smaller settings.
Jacob Chang, a third-year in psychology and political science, chair of the International Student Council and vice president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Society, said there would usually be huge gatherings on campus.
In a normal year, our club will throw a huge LNY performance where about 700 to 800 students will participate on campus, Chang said. We emphasize the sense of community for every Chinese international student at Ohio State and everyone who observes Chinese New Year.
When students around campus are able to come together, Jessica Huang, a fourth-year in industrial and systems engineering and the leader of Ohio States Chinese American Student Association, said there is a wide variety of performers that are able to show up for the celebration.
Outside of OSU, we invite Dance of Soul and Chinese Folk Music, which focus on more traditional CNY performances, Huang said. From OSU, we have a mix of martial art performances, dance teams and singers, consisting of both domestic and international students.
Both Huang and Chang said that this holiday can be compared to popular American holidays and that anyone can celebrate Lunar New Year.
The decorations throughout China are equivalent to if not, dare I say more extravagant than how people prep for Christmas in America, Huang said. CNY feasts are comparable to Thanksgiving dinners many restaurants are booked months in advance or prepped for days in advance.
However, because of the ongoing pandemic, the usual big festivities will be put on hold for the first time. Instead, smaller groups will gather and put their twist on the holiday.
The Chinese Folk Music Orchestra is unable to perform their normal shows for Lunar New Year but is working on video performances, Yamei Tu, a third-year doctorate student in computer science and engineering and the publicity chair for the group, said. However, she is still celebrating with decorations, a big meal and video chatting with family in China.
Tu said one of her favorite Lunar New Year traditions is receiving lucky money a tradition where children receive money from adults in red envelopes.
Traditionally, children put it under the pillow for good luck, Tu said. Red can scare bad things and keep you safe in ancient stories.
Because she is unable to travel home, Tu said her family sent well wishes and her lucky money online.
Chang, an international student, said no matter the circumstances, he is going to find a way to celebrate with his friends.
I am unable to return home for LNY, but I never let that stop me from celebrating it with my Chinese friends here at Ohio State, Chang said. The pandemic stops us from having huge gatherings, so me and my two close friends are getting together to have hotpot and watch movies together.
Hotpot is a social meal originating from Eastern Asia that consists of a large pot of simmering broth with a variety of ingredients, like beef, seafood, vegetables and noodles.
Chang joins the ranks of a multitude of Ohio State students who had to make the most of the situation and find new ways to celebrate with family and friends both in Ohio and abroad.
Personally, I am doing hotpot with my best friend and calling my family back home in Ohio and China, Huang said.
Although they could not be together, Huang said CASA rang in the new year with a Twitch stream last week, hoping to accommodate anyone celebrating from home with their families or traveling home to do so.
Chang said his favorite aspects of this time of year are the ideas of unity and importance it can promote within the country.
It promotes solidarity among our community while spreading the joy and happiness to everyone around, Chang said. It is an inclusive holiday for everyone who is willing to participate and share the refreshing start of the new year with us.
Ohio State students who are looking for ways to ring in the Year of the Ox can register for the Lunar New Year Party on the International Friendships website.
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The Year of the Ox: How students are celebrating an untraditional Lunar New Year - OSU - The Lantern
Routt Recognized for Diversity in Computer Science – WLDS-WEAI News
Routt Catholic High School has earned a national award for diversity in the classroom.
Routt Catholic High School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles.
Anna Terwische, a Junior at Routt, says the computer logic learned in the class applies to many other things not just related to computer programming.
Weve learned different types of coding like Python and HTML. You can create websites and make them do different things. Weve also started to use 3D printing, and we are working on printing a prosthetic hand for a guy from Missouri, so thats been cool. Weve been sending it back and forth making new versions of it to see what works best for him.
Colleen Doyle Development and Enrollment Director says the class is only offered every other year at Routt. She says its a great review of what the world of computer science can look like.
They learn a lot about programming languages. They learn about building websites, being safe on the internet, learning about different carers you can have.
As a female who works here myself Im just excited for these young women here at the school that can benefit from Mr. Link, Mr. Roscetti, and Mrs. Ptacek who have worked so hard to provide these opportunities for our young women.
Senior Abigail Beddingfield says she proud that Routt was recognized with the award.
Honestly to me it feels good because is it specifically just about female participation. To me, it just feels really really good.
College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 5 times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to similar female students who did not take CSP.
The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping-stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.
Schools honored with the award have expanded girls access to AP Computer Science courses. Routt was one of 831 schools recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles.
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Routt Recognized for Diversity in Computer Science - WLDS-WEAI News
Computer science class is paving the way for women in Walton County – WMBB – mypanhandle.com
SOUTH WALTON, Fla. (WMBB) Two Walton High Schools are helping create a path for more women in science.
South Walton and Walton High School have seen an increase in womens participation in computer science courses.
The College Boards Female Diversity Award is helping to pave the way for women going into computer science.
It is to advance female diversity in the computer workplace, said South Waltons Magnet Innovation Teacher Richard Komando. So with that, I think its important that we are enabling females in the computer classes and encouraging them every step of the way.
Komando is one of the Magnet Innovation teachers. He said he has seen more women join his AP Computer Science Principles course just within the past year.
The biggest thing about this class is that it teaches girls how a computer thinks, said Komando.
He said his computer principles class empowers women to see opportunities past just high school. And that is the case for both students, Katelyna and Catherine, at South Walton High School.
I am planning on taking mechanical engineering after high school, so it definitely helped me study computers and different programming systems work behind the whole engineering scene, said Catherine Field. We started off with scratch and block coding and now we are actually writing the functions, said Katelyna.
Fields was actually in the class which received the college board female diversity award. South Walton and Walton High schools are two out of 1,119 schools receiving this award.
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Computer science class is paving the way for women in Walton County - WMBB - mypanhandle.com
Examining the world through signals and systems – MIT News
Theres a mesmerizing video animation on YouTube of simulated, self-driving traffic streaming through a six-lane, four-way intersection. Dozens of cars flow through the streets, pausing, turning, slowing, and speeding up to avoid colliding with their neighbors. And not a single car stopping. But what if even one of those vehicles was not autonomous? What if only one was?
In the coming decades, autonomous vehicles will play a growing role in society, whether keeping drivers safer, making deliveries, or increasing accessibility and mobility for elderly or disabled passengers.
But MIT Assistant Professor Cathy Wu argues that autonomous vehicles are just part of a complex transport system that may involve individual self-driving cars, delivery fleets, human drivers, and a range of last-mile solutions to get passengers to their doorstep not to mention road infrastructure like highways, roundabouts, and, yes, intersections.
Transport today accounts for about one-third of U.S. energy consumption. The decisions we make today about autonomous vehicles could have a big impact on this number ranging from a 40 percent decrease in energy use to a doubling of energy consumption.
So how can we better understand the problem of integrating autonomous vehicles into the transportation system? Equally important, how can we use this understanding to guide us toward better-functioning systems?
Wu, who joined the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) and MIT in 2019, is the Gilbert W. Winslow Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as a core faculty member of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Growing up in a Philadelphia-area family of electrical engineers, Wu sought a field that would enable her to harness engineering skills to solve societal challenges.
During her years as an undergraduate at MIT, she reached out to Professor Seth Teller of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to discuss her interest in self-driving cars.
Teller, who passed away in 2014, met her questions with warm advice, says Wu. He told me, If you have an idea of what your passion in life is, then you have to go after it as hard as you possibly can. Only then can you hope to find your true passion.
Anyone can tell you to go after your dreams, but his insight was that dreams and ambitions are not always clear from the start. It takes hard work to find and pursue your passion.
Chasing that passion, Wu would go on to work with Teller, as well as in Professor Daniela Russ Distributed Robotics Laboratory, and finally as a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society's best PhD award in 2019.
In graduate school, Wu had an epiphany: She realized that for autonomous vehicles to fulfill their promise of fewer accidents, time saved, lower emissions, and greater socioeconomic and physical accessibility, these goals must be explicitly designed-for, whether as physical infrastructure, algorithms used by vehicles and sensors, or deliberate policy decisions.
At LIDS, Wu uses a type of machine learning called reinforcement learning to study how traffic systems behave, and how autonomous vehicles in those systems ought to behave to get the best possible outcomes.
Reinforcement learning, which was most famously used by AlphaGo, DeepMinds human-beating Go program, is a powerful class of methods that capture the idea behind trial-and-error given an objective, a learning agent repeatedly attempts to achieve the objective, failing and learning from its mistakes in the process.
In a traffic system, the objectives might be to maximize the overall average velocity of vehicles, to minimize travel time, to minimize energy consumption, and so on.
When studying common components of traffic networks such as grid roads, bottlenecks, and on- and off-ramps, Wu and her colleagues have found that reinforcement learning can match, and in some cases exceed, the performance of current traffic control strategies. And more importantly, reinforcement learning can shed new light toward understanding complex networked systems which have long evaded classical control techniques. For instance, if just 5 to 10 percent of vehicles on the road were autonomous and used reinforcement learning, that could eliminate congestion and boost vehicle speeds by 30 to 140 percent. And the learning from one scenario often translates well to others. These insights could one day soon help to inform public policy or business decisions.
In the course of this research, Wu and her colleagues helped improve a class of reinforcement learning methods called policy gradient methods. Their advancements turned out to be a general improvement to most existing deep reinforcement learning methods.
But reinforcement learning techniques will need to be continually improved to keep up with the scale and shifts in infrastructure and changing behavior patterns. And research findings will need to be translated into action by urban planners, auto makers and other organizations.
Today, Wu is collaborating with public agencies in Taiwan and Indonesia to use insights from her work to guide better dialogues and decisions. By changing traffic signals or using nudges to shift drivers behavior, are there other ways to achieve lower emissions or smoother traffic?
Im surprised by this work every day, says Wu. We set out to answer a question about self-driving cars, and it turns out you can pull apart the insights, apply them in other ways, and then this leads to new exciting questions to answer.
Wu is happy to have found her intellectual home at LIDS. Her experience of it is as a very deep, intellectual, friendly, and welcoming place. And she counts among her research inspirations MIT course 6.003 (Signals and Systems) a class she encourages everyone to take taught in the tradition of professors Alan Oppenheim (Research Laboratory of Electronics) and Alan Willsky (LIDS). The course taught me that so much in this world could be fruitfully examined through the lens of signals and systems, be it electronics or institutions or society, she says. I am just realizing as Im saying this, that I've been empowered by LIDS thinking all along!
Research and teaching through a pandemic havent been easy, but Wu is making the best of a challenging first year as faculty. (Ive been working from home in Cambridge my short walking commute is irrelevant at this point, she says wryly.) To unwind, she enjoys running, listening to podcasts covering topics ranging from science to history, and reverse-engineering her favorite Trader Joes frozen foods.
Shes also been working on two Covid-related projects born at MIT: One explores how data from the environment, such as data collected by internet-of-things-connected thermometers, can help identify emerging community outbreaks. Another project asks if its possible to ascertain how contagious the virus is on public transport, and how different factors might decrease the transmission risk.
Both are in their early stages, Wu says. We hope to contribute a bit to the pool of knowledge that can help decision-makers somewhere. Its been very enlightening and rewarding to do this and see all the other efforts going on around MIT.
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She was named one of the 100 most brilliant women in AI ethics – News@Northeastern
Computer science professor Tina Eliassi-Rad says shes proud to be named on an industry list of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, which identifies her as one of the top thinkers in the male-dominated field of artificial intelligence. But shes even prouder of what the carefully-curated list represents.
Part of the issue in a field such as computer science is that women and other under-represented minorities arent always seen. Initiatives like this one show that there are a lot of women who are qualified to do this work, says Eliassi-Rad.
Mia Shah-Dand, the CEO of the Oakland, California-based research firm Lighthouse3, created the annual list in 2018. Shah-Dand says she wanted to provide a rebuttal to technology leaders who complained that they couldnt find accomplished, diverse women to hire.
I was a little frustrated with all the times I would hear, There just arent enough qualified women, says Shah-Dand. Its the same old excuse. Well, we have an entire directory of qualified women now. There is no excuse. At this point in 2021, if you have only men on your staff, its intentional.
According to recent research by the World Economic Forum, women hold only 26% of data and artificial intelligence jobs across the globe, and even fewer have senior roles.
Shah-Dand says she included Eliassi-Rad on her 2021 list because of the professors extensive research on racial, gender and other baked-in biases in artificial intelligence algorithms.
Her emphasis on algorithmic accountability and fairness was particularly interesting, says Shah-Dand.
Algorithms, which scan large amounts of data and find whatever information its creators want, are increasingly part of our everyday lives. For example, credit card fraud departments use algorithms to detect abnormal spending, while social media algorithms use viewer interests to determine which ads to run.
Eliassi-Rads research at Northeastern focuses on the unseen but overwhelming influence that artificial intelligence algorithms can make in peoples lives, especially in social media.
Part of the problem with algorithms is that they can impact life-altering decisions if theyre used in criminal justice or even your credit score, says Eliassi-Rad. Microlenders, or individuals who issue small loans, will often check a candidates Facebook and Twitter feeds when deciding whether to grant a loan. A chance connection with someone who has defaulted on a loan could trigger a denial, says Eliassi-Rad.
Sometimes if you dont get the right loan in life, you cant better yourself, she says.
Eliassi-Rads career in computer science was sparked by her fathers early work with autonomous vehicles. She avidly read the many magazines he brought home and decided computer science was the perfect balance between math and electrical engineering. Her focus recently sharpened as she learned about the different class, race, and gender biases in machine learning.
She likens the data used in algorithms to an iconic photo of a police officers German shepherd attacking a Black high school student during a 1963 civil rights event in Birmingham, Alabama.
The German shepherd isnt racist, its the people teaching the dog, Eliassi-Rad says. Even if the data used in an algorithm isnt biased, the algorithm may still produce biased findings.
As you are developing an algorithm you are making choices, and those choices have consequences, Eliassi-Rad says.
Eliassi-Rad and Shah-Dand say the list of top women in AI ethics does more than provide a roster of qualified computer science professionals who also happen to be female, LGTBQ, or women of color. It creates a community to foster networking and support while providing role models for future generations.
Its sort of like a sisterhood, says Eliassi-Rad, who received an Outstanding Mentor Award from the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy in 2010. I hope young women see this and think, I can be somebody like this person.
For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.
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She was named one of the 100 most brilliant women in AI ethics - News@Northeastern
New Queens scholarship opportunities will explore impact of AI on science and society – Newswise
Newswise Thirty funded postdoctoral scholarships announced by Queens University Belfast are set to provide a unique opportunity to explore the challenges of Artificial intelligence (AI) for every area of science and society.
The researchers who secure places on the programme will work at the cutting edge of AI algorithms while considering the societal implications of allowing machines to make decisions about our futures.
Queenshas been awarded aLeverhulme Doctoral Scholarship grant of 1.35m over six years for the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Algorithmic Solutions (LINAS) Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) to fund 15 doctoral scholarships and has matched the funding to sponsor another 15 positions over the next three years.
The interdisciplinary research programme will be supervised by academic experts from theFaculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. The programme will be led by Professor John Morison from the School of Law, along with Dr Sandra Scott-Hayward from the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor Stephen Smartt from theSchool of Maths and Physics at Queens.
AI technologies have made rapid advances in the last decade, opening up huge possibilities for all parts of society but there are increasing fears that humans will begin to lose control of the process where machines interpret the world on our behalf.
Professor John Morisonexplained: As AI becomes more sophisticated, we will witness algorithms and machines making use of huge datasets, including personal data, in decisions relating to medicine, healthcare, law and government, finance, city planning and even within military areas. The ethical, legal, political and sociological aspects of living with machines that have AI algorithms that are allowed to operate independently requires careful investigation.
Previous interdisciplinary programmes at Queens have given us different perspectives on these issues and the new researchers we recruit will be building on this in an exciting cutting-edge project. The LINAS project will identify and address scientific and engineering questions through the lens of law, humanities and the social sciences. Researchers will scrutinise the implications of algorithmic solutions on crucial aspects of human life.
Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) will engage directly with humanities, social science and law researchers from theSenator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice to support the doctoral scholars.
Professor Stephen Smarttsaid: As well as adhering to traditional scientific governance, scientists and engineers working in the field of AI face many challenges around the introduction of trust and governance of data issues. Tackling these challenges in isolation could lead to effective discipline specific solutions but no advance in sustainable, societal algorithmic solutions.
Dr Sandra Scott-Haywardexplained: By collaborating with colleagues in humanities, social science and law, we can support the development of integrated, effective, scientifically rigorous and socially responsible algorithmic solutions. We have seen the benefits of this interdisciplinary approach applied to the field of cyber security and we are excited to further this for the challenges of AI with LINAS.
LINAS will also complement the Belfast Region City Deal and link with the Queens University Global Innovation Institute to address a range of issues around AI, in the context of secure connected intelligence.
Applications for the doctoral scholarships open on Friday 5 February 2021.
For more information on the application criteria and to apply, please visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/Study/linas/
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New Queens scholarship opportunities will explore impact of AI on science and society - Newswise
Terry McAuliffe Announces Plan to Make Virginia the Best State in the Nation for STEM-H & Computer Science Education – Blue Virginia
MCLEAN, VA Terry McAuliffe today released his bold plan to make Virginia the best state in the nation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Healthcare (STEM-H), and computer science and computation thinking (CS & CT) education. By tackling the digital equity gap, integrating STEM-H and computer science literacy across all subjects and K-12 grade levels, and engaging the private sector to make opportunities available to students from all backgrounds and corners of the Commonwealth, TerrysPath to A Brighter Futureplanseeks to level the playing field and give every Virginia child the chance to get a good paying job in these critical growing sectors.Virginia is one of the top five states in the nation forSTEM jobs, however research shows that only nine percent of young women age 13-17 are interested in STEM careers and only sixteen percent of STEM workers are Black or Hispanic. As Virginias next Governor, Terry will take direct aim at these inequities by funding supplemental STEM-H and computer science programs in underserved communities, working with local school divisions to connect students with the technologies they need to succeed, and strengthening professional development and skills training for educators to better engage and support students in these critical areas.
STEM-H and computer science industries are in dire need of highly-skilled workers to fill increasingly technical jobs. As Governor, Terry will work with the private sector to create opportunities for Virginia students from all backgrounds and regions of the Commonwealth to access these high-paying careers. Through a comprehensive STEM-H, CS & CT Workforce Development Plan, Terrys administration will partner with K-12 leaders, institutions of higher education, and private sector partners to develop regional Technology Innovation Labs, offer career-oriented regional workshops, and create internships and apprenticeships to foster both in-person and virtual learning and experience.
Im excited to see Terrys new STEM-H education plan is rooted in tackling the lack of diversity in many STEM-H fields and focuses on increasing access for those who have been systematically left out. For far too long, there have been equity and access gaps that have prevented young women and students of color from entering STEM-H and computer science careers, saidHouse Education Committee Chair Roslyn Tyler (Brunswick, Greensville, Lunenburg, Southampton, Sussex, Emporia, and Franklin). As we recover from this pandemic, we have the opportunity to close economic disparities but only if we give Virginians the educational tools to succeed. Terrys bold plan will expand diversity in the STEM-H fields, close economic disparities, and ultimately end the workforce and teacher shortage Virginia is facing.
This COVID crisis has only worsened the inequities Virginia already faced in education and equipping the next generation to succeed. Now is the time to go big and be bold to ensure that every Virginia child has the education and opportunities they need to access good paying jobs in these fast-growing industries. saidTerry McAuliffe. By integrating STEM-H and computer science education across curricula, partnering with the private sector to create valuable learning opportunities, and addressing the inequities that keep young women and people of color out of these fields, we can level the playing field and give students from all backgrounds and corners of the Commonwealth the chance to succeed.
As Virginias 72nd governor, Terry made big strides in fostering education and training in these fast-growing, highly-technical fields. He signed the first law in the U.S. mandating computer science education for all K-12 students, created grant programs for cybersecurity camps for students and cyber boot camps for teachers, and led the nation in participation in the NSA Day of Cyber school challenge in 2016, where nearly 7,000 students gained firsthand experience in cyber careers, skills and tools. Terry also set an aggressive goal to graduate more than 50,000 Virginians each year from training programs in STEM-H fields a goal that Virginia exceeded. His new plan builds on these efforts and seeks to ensure that every Virginia student will be STEM-H, CS & CT literate upon graduation.
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Department name change signals broad impact on computer and information technologies – Princeton University
In a change highlighting Princeton's broad investment in computer and information technologies, the former Department of Electrical Engineering has become the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The new name won unanimous support at the Feb. 1 monthly meeting of the University Faculty.
Leaders from across disciplines agreed that the change better captures the department's range of strengths and impact.
"Acknowledging computer engineeringin our name makes our core work more visible to the department's constituents, including prospective students, faculty members and industry partners," said department chair Sharad Malik, the George Van Ness Lothrop Professor in Engineering. "In many respects, this formal change reflects what's long been true in our classrooms and in our labs."
Roughly half of the department's research efforts and seven of its 10 undergraduate sub-concentrations investigate aspects of computing and information systems.
Malik said the department takes a "full-stack" view of computing that connects an array of academic pursuits all geared toward technology in the service of humanity. An applied science approach to materials and devices enables the advanced processors and sensors in smart systems. An applied math-driven analysis of data and information guides how machines make decisions and inferences. And the engineering of the computing systems that integrate it all creates systems that address societys most pressing challenges.
Professor Naveen Verma, for example, designs in-memory-computing chips with specialized devices and machine learning algorithms to build low-power, intelligent computing platforms. Associate Professor Prateek Mittal draws on a range of techniques from data and information science to secure communication networks. And a cluster of faculty members, including Professor Andrew Houck and Assistant Professor Nathalie de Leon, have taken lead roles in a major national initiative on quantum science and engineering, with an emphasis on devices and networks that will power new classes of future computing applications.
"The discipline of electrical engineering is exceptionally broadand has always been the nexus of innovation in new generations of computer and information technologies, said Andrea Goldsmith, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Arthur Legrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering. Goldsmith said the name change will convey that breadth more clearly to graduate and undergraduate students. It will convey to potential employers the fact that graduates from the department have deep knowledge of computer engineering.It will also allow us to compete more effectively for top students by articulating more effectively the breadth of research and education in the department.
Historically, the growth of information science that led to modern computing applications arose from within electrical engineering. Princetons electrical engineering department was founded in 1889, one of the first in the country. In the second half of the 20th century, as the theoretical underpinnings of computer science developed in parallel to advances in materials, hardware and architectures, the department expanded to become the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Computer science has since grown into its own large and robust field, forming a separate department in 1985. But the boundary between the two disciplines has always been porous, according to Jennifer Rexford, the Gordon Y. S. Wu Professor in Engineering and chair of computer science. Rexford pointed to areas of data science, machine learning and wireless communication where electrical engineers have played key roles in the mathematical foundations of modern applications.
"Computing also increasingly connects to the physical world through sensors, medical devices and so on," said Rexford, who received her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Princeton. "This welcome change signals the critical importance of computing across engineering and the entire campus."
Over the past decade, Princeton engineering has invested heavily in those cross-disciplinary connections. The Metropolis Project integrates engineering advances in sensing, data processing and device networking with architecture, social science and the humanities to make 21st century cities more sustainable, equitable and livable for their residents.
The engineering school's focus on Robotics and Cyberphysical Systems has led to the development of a new robotics lab that will bring together researchers from at least three departments to work on real-world problems in sectors such as transportation, energy and environment, and urban planning.
And researchers in the newly announced Princeton Bioengineering Initiative will include ECE faculty who work on bio-imaging and machine learning applications to improve health and treat disease.
"Ultimately, this shift lets Princeton cast a larger external shadow in computing," Malik said. "It expands opportunities for our students entering the workforce and makes a statement to our external partners about Princetons strengths in transformative technological innovation."
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