Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science

History

On July 1965, a group of faculty, including Allen Newell, Herbert A. Simon, and Alan J. Perlis, as well as the faculty from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (now called the Tepper School of Business), staff from the newly formed Computation Center, and key administrators created The Department of Computer Science, one of the first such departments in the nation. Their mission statement was "to cultivate a course of study leading to the PhD degree in computer science, a program that would exploit the new technology and assist in establishing a discipline of computer science." The educational program, formally accepted in October 1965, drew its first graduate students from several existing academic disciplines: mathematics, electrical engineering, psychology, and the interdisciplinary Systems and Communications Sciences program in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration. The department was housed within the Mellon College of Science.

With support from Newell, Simon, Nico Haberman, Provost Angel Jordan and President Richard Cyert, the department of computer science began a two-year status as a "floating" department in the early months of 1986. Then, the Department began to grow, both academically and financially. In 1988, the Department was officially elevated to the status of a School of Computer Science, among the first such schools in the country.

Structure in the 1980s

During the 1980s, the department offered only a PhD study program, with no master's degree as an intermediate step. The PhD program required a minimum of six years of residency. It was called the "do or die" program among the graduate students, because a student could not drop a PhD and receive a master's degree. It had quickly focused on computer networking, operating systems (Mach), and robotics.

Organizational units

Computer Science Department (CSD)

Computational Biology Department (CBD)

Robotics Institute (RI)

Institute for Software Research (ISR): Its research and education focus is on software systems, which spans not only classical software engineering but also topics such as economics, social and organizational issues, public policy, and privacy. ISR is a distinct entity from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). SEI is a FFRDC, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and does not offer educational programs.

Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII)

Language Technologies Institute (LTI)

Machine Learning Department (MLD)

Doctoral programs

PhD in Computational Biology (joint with University of Pittsburgh)

PhD in Computer Science

PhD in Computer Science/Dual Degree Portugal

PhD in Computer Science/Neural Basis of Cognition

PhD in Human-Computer Interaction

PhD in Language and Information Technologies

PhD in Language and Information Technologies/Dual Degree Portugal

PhD in Machine Learning

PhD in Machine Learning/Neural Basis of Cognition

PhD in Robotics

PhD in Robotics/Neural Basis of Cognition

M.D./PhD in Robotics

PhD in Societal Computing

PhD in Software Engineering

Joint PhD in Statistics & Machine Learning

Academic masters

Masters in Computational Biology

Masters in Computer Science

Masters in Language Technologies

Masters in Machine Learning

Masters in Robotics

Masters in Robotic Systems Development

Professional masters

Masters of Science in Computational Data Science (MCDS)

Master of Science in Music and Technology

Masters in Biotechnology Innovation and Computation

Masters in Entertainment Technology

Masters in Human-Computer Interaction

Masters in Educational Technology and Applied Learning Science (METALS)

Masters of Information Technology in Ebusiness Technology

Masters in Software Engineering

Masters in Software Engineering Management

MBA Track in Technology Leadership (joint SCS/Tepper program)

Master of Science in Information Technology in Robotics Technology (MSIT/RT)

Master of Science in Information Technology—Privacy Engineering (MSIT-PE)

Masters of Science in Information Technology—Embedded Software Engineering

Masters of Science in Information Technology—Software Engineering

Master in Business Administration/Master of Software Engineering

Master in Intelligent Information Systems (MIIS)

Undergraduate programs

Bachelor of Science in Computational Biology

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Minor in Computer Science

Minor in Language Technologies

Minor in Robotics

Minor in Software Engineering

Minor in Neural Computation

Minor in Human-Computer Interaction

Minor in Machine Learning

Minor in Computational Biology

Additional Major in Computer Science

Additional Major in Robotics

Additional Major in Human-Computer Interaction

Fifth Year Masters in Computer Science (Carnegie Mellon, CS undergrads only)

MBA – Computer Science 3-2 Program (Carnegie Mellon, CS undergrads only)

Student organizations

Women@SCS is an educational program at Carnegie Mellon whose mission is to create, encourage, and support women's academic, social and professional opportunities in the computer sciences and to promote the breadth of the field and its diverse community. Women@SCS has initiated programs, such as the Big/Little Sister program for undergraduates, the invited Speaker Series for graduates, as well as dinners and other social and academic events. Women@SCS also sponsors outreach projects such as "Is there a robot in your future?" workshop for middle school girls. In general, the committee strives to promote a healthy and supportive community atmosphere.

SCS4ALL is an umbrella organization at Carnegie Mellon that promotes diversity in the School of Computer Science and coordinates outreach programs to broaden interest, understanding, and diversity in computing. SCS4ALL shares many of the core goals of Women@SCS and has expanded to develop more inclusive programs. Within SCS, the organization works to develop social and professional activities and leadership opportunities, such as the social trivia night, the "Develop Your Elevator Pitch" event, panel discussions with industry leaders, and the annual celebration of diversity SCS Day. In outreach, the organization organizes interactive presentations about computer science at local elementary, middle, and high schools. SCS4ALL is open to all students in the SCS and seeks to involve all communities in SCS in shaping the organization and its events.

Gates and Hillman Centers

The Gates Center for Computer Science and the Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies are home to much of the School of Computer Science. The $98 million complex was opened in 2009. It has 217,000-square-foot (20,200 m²) of floor space, including about 310 offices, 11 conference rooms, 32 labs, 8,000 square feet (740 m²) of project space and the Planetary Robotics Center. It also houses 12 classrooms, including a 250-seat auditorium.

Additionally, the Gates Center connects to the Purnell Center, which houses the School of Drama, via the Randy Pausch Memorial Footbridge. The bridge represents Professor Pausch's own devotion to linking computer science and entertainment, as he was a co-founder of Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center.

Mack Scogin Merril Elam Architects of Atlanta, Georgia were the lead architects. The centers were designed to achieve at least a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating.

Traditions

Carnegie Mellon's Mobot Races, now in their 14th year, are hosted by the School of Computer Science during every Spring Carnival celebration. The Mobots (short for mobile robots) follow a slalom course painted in the sidewalk outside of Wean Hall. The Mobot Races used to include a MoboJoust competition, but it has not been held since 2002 to avoid damaging the Mobots.

SCS Day is a yearly celebration of computer science that started in 2003. The event features a variety of activities, including exhibits, workshops and games, in addition to an evening talent show.

Smiley face

SCS research professor Scott Fahlman is credited with the invention of the smiley face emoticon. He suggested the emoticon on an electronic board in 1982 as a way for board readers to know when an author was joking. The text of Fahlman's original post was lost for nearly 20 years but was later recovered from backup tapes:

Tartan Racing

Tartan Racing is a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon and General Motors Corporation that competes in the DARPA Grand Challenge. The Grand Challenge is a competition for driverless cars sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Tartan Racing is led by Carnegie Mellon roboticist William L. "Red" Whittaker.

In 2007, Tartan Racing won the DARPA Urban Challenge, in which 11 autonomous ground vehicles raced over urban roadways. In the challenge, team vehicles were required to obey all California driving laws, share the road with other drivers and robotic cars, and complete the course in under six hours. Tartan Racing won the $2 million cash prize with Boss, a reworked 2007 Chevy Tahoe. Averaging about 14 miles (23 km) an hour for a 55-mile (89 km) trip, Boss beat the second-place team, Stanford Racing, by just under 20 minutes.

SCS honors and awards

The School established a number of honors and awards.

SCS Endowed Chairs

Finmeccanica Chair

A. Nico Habermann Chair in the School of Computer Science

Litton Faculty Fellows

Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence

Herbert A. Simon Award for Teaching Excellence in Computer Science

The Robert Doherty Prize for Excellence in Education

Carnegie Mellon University Undergraduate Academic Advising Award

Faculty

Faculty members from the School of Computer Science have received international recognition for achievements within their fields. These honors include memberships and fellowships in the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Twelve SCS faculty and alumni have won the A. M. Turing Award, the Association for Computing Machinery's most prestigious award, often called the "Nobel Prize of computing." These include Raj Reddy, Manuel Blum and Edmund M. Clarke of the active faculty, in addition to Emeritus Faculty Dana Scott.

Notable faculty

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design. Pausch was also a best-selling author, who became known around the world after he gave "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch was instrumental in the development of Alice, a computer teaching tool. He also co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center. Randy Pausch died on July 25, 2008.

Mary Shaw is the Alan J. Perlis Professor of Computer Science in the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Shaw published seminal work on software engineering, and has lately become well known for her work on computer science education. Shaw was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation on Nov. 21, 2014.

Luis von Ahn is an associate professor in the Computer Science Department, where he also received his PhD in 2005. Von Ahn was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2006 (called the "genius" grant). He also created Games With a Purpose, a website where users can play games to help train computers to solve complicated problems.

William L. "Red" Whittaker is a roboticist and research professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon who led the Tartan Racing team to victory in the 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge. He is also leading a team of Carnegie Mellon students to win the Google Lunar X Prize. Whittaker is the Fredkin Professor of Robotics at the Robotics Institute and the director of the Robotics Institute's Field Robotics Center since its creation in 1983. Whittaker earned his master's and doctoral degrees in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon in the late 1970s.

Raj Reddy is the Mozah bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science and concentrates in the fields of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. He won the Okawa Prize in 2004, the Honda Prize in 2005, and the Vannevar Bush Award in 2006. Reddy was the first head of the Robotics Institute when it opened in 1978.

Takeo Kanade is a U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics. He is the director of the Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center at Carnegie Mellon. His main areas of interest include computer vision, multi-media, manipulators, autonomous mobile robots, and sensors.

Hans Moravec is a research professor at the Robotics Institute with interests in mobile robots and artificial intelligence. He worked in the RI's Mobile Robot Lab, a research space designed to produce robots able to move through intricate indoor and outdoor areas. He also helped develop Moravec's paradox in the 1980s, which states that it is more difficult for computers to learn basic human instincts than human reason.

Manuela M. Veloso is the Herbert A. Simon Professor at the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. She is the President of the International RoboCup Federation that she co-founded and the President Elect of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. She is a fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of IEEE. Her research focus on the scientific and engineering challenges of creating teams of intelligent agents in complex, dynamic, and uncertain environments, in particular adversarial environments, such as robot soccer, that Cooperate, Observe the world, Reason, Act, and Learn. She currently researches and develops effective indoor mobile service robots aiming at contributing to a multi-robot, multi-human symbiotic relationship, in which robots and humans coordinate and cooperate as a function of their limitations and strengths.

Manuel Blum is the Bruce Nelson Professor of Computer Science and a Turing Award winner. His wife Lenore Blum and son Avrim Blum are also professors in the School of Computer Science.