University of Maryland Department of Computer Science

Department of Computer Science
Established 1973
Type Public
Parent institution College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Academic affiliation University of Maryland, College Park
Location College Park, Maryland, United States
Chair Samir Khuller
Undergraduates over 2,000[1]
Postgraduates 230[2]
Website http://cs.umd.edu/

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park is a computer science department established in 1973. It is part of the University's College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.

History

The University of Maryland Department of Computer Science was established in 1973. Jack Minker served as the first Chair from 1974 to 1979,[3] and the department's first doctoral degrees were granted December 22, 1973.[2] Successive Department Chairs were Raymond Yeh (1979-1981) and Richard Austing (1981-1982), leading to the longer tenure of Victor Basili (1982-1988), Satish K Tripathi (1988-1995), John Gannon (1995-1999), and Larry S. Davis (1999-2012). The current Chair, Samir Khuller began his term in 2012.

The Department became an early pioneer in computer image analysis by way of the work of Azriel Rosenfeld, who wrote the first textbook in the field, founded the first journal, and co-chaired the first conference. He launched and directed the Center for Automation Research, whose computer vision lab produced key algorithms and strategies for accurate measure of statistical features in digital images.

Hanan Samet's work on quadtree and other multidimensional spatial data structures led to widely read books and influential algorithms that are implemented in many geo-spatial data systems.

Software Engineering was also a leading topic in the Department, especially because of Victor Basili’s research, including the empirical evaluation methods for the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM). His work with Marvin Zelkowitz on the Experience Factory with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center developed strategies for continuous quality improvement that laid the foundation for learning health systems.

Ben Shneiderman’s early work on software engineering, such as the Nassi-Shneiderman diagram expanded to cover human-computer interaction. His contributions included development of direct manipulation to guide interface designers, the highlighted clickable hyperlink that makes the web so easy to use, and small touchscreen keyboards that are part of most smartphones. His later work on information visualization brought treemaps, the Spotfire commercial success, and network visualization tools such as NodeXL.

In September 2014, it was announced that Oculus VR co-founder and former student Brendan Iribe would donate $31 million to build the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation and to establish a Computer Science scholarship in honor of Oculus co-founder and former student Andrew Reisse. Iribe's mother Elizabeth Stevinson Iribe also announced a donation of $3 million to establish two endowed chairs in the department, and Oculus co-founder and University of Maryland alumnus Michael Antonov announced a donation of $3.5 million to the Iribe Center and $500,000 for scholarships.[4][5]

In May 2016, the Maryland Max Planck Ph.D. Program in Computer Science was launched. It offers students a unique opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. degree under the supervision of faculty from the University of Maryland, USA, and one of the Institutes in the Max Planck Society in Germany. Students are co-advised, perform collaborative research, take advantage of the expertise, resources, and culture at both institutions, and spend time in both countries.

Academics

The department grants bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in Computer Science. In 2014, US News and World Report ranked the department 15th in the country and 9th among public universities.[6]

Undergraduate

Completion of the undergraduate program grants the student a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science. A specialization in cybersecurity is offered to students who complete a certain set of upper-level courses.[7] Students who complete an Honors project may graduate with Honors or High Honors.[8] Since 2008, the department has offered a five-year joint B.S./M.S. program to qualified students.[9]

Additionally, a minor in Computer Science is available to all students in the University not majoring in Computer Science or Computer Engineering.[10]

Graduate

Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees are granted by the department. Graduate students usually receive financial aid through a variety of sources, including teaching and research assistantships,[11] fellowships, and grants.[12]

Research

The department's over 50 full-time faculty members[2] conduct research in a number of fields within Computer Science. Research areas include Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Bioinformatics and Computational biology, Computer Systems, Computer Vision, Data Science, Databases, Graphics, High Performance Computing, Human Computer Interaction (in conjunction with the Human – Computer Interaction Lab), Numerical Analysis, Programming Languages, Scientific Computing, Security, Software Engineering, and Theoretical Computer Science.[13]

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "CS Undergraduate Program". Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "About The Department". UMD Department of Computer Science. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Minker, Jack. "Beginning of Computing and Computer Science at the University of Maryland" (PDF). UMD Department of Computer Science. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Constine, Josh (11 September 2014). "Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe Donates $31M To Build VR Lab At His Alma Mater University Of Maryland". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "In Memoriam: Andrew Reisse". The Brendan Iribe Center. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Best Computer Science Programs". U.S. News and World Report. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Degree Requirements for CS Major". Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Departmental Honors Requirements". Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Combined BS/MS Program". Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Requirements for the Minor". University of Maryland Undergraduate Catalog 2015-2016. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Assistantships". The University of Maryland Graduate School. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Information for Prospective Students". UMD Department of Computer Science. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Research Areas". UMD Department of Computer Science. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  14. ↑ Tweedie, Steven. "Oculus CEO Donates $31 Million To UMD". Business Insider. Business Insider Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
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