Student Handbook for the Computer Science Program

August, 1994

Preface
What is Computer Science?
Academic Programs
Student Activities
Miscellaneous Information
Courses
Program Staff

Preface

This handbook has been prepared for the use of Oberlin College students interested in computer science. While we have tried to present our advice as clearly and as fully as is possible within a short document, this handbook is not a substitute for direct contact with the faculty. Each student's needs and interests are unique. One of the advantages of a school such as Oberlin is that its faculty is interested in working with undergraduates, and students are encouraged to make full use of this opportunity. All members of the Computer Science Program faculty are happy to talk with any students, not just those assigned to them as advisees, about our Program.

What is Computer Science?

A task force of the Association for Computing Machinery, the professional society for academic computer science, has recently issued a report on the core of the discipline. This report provides the following short definition:

"The discipline of computing is the systematic study of algorithmic processes that describe and transform information, their theory, analysis, design, efficiency, implementation, and application. The fundamental question underlying all of computing is, "What can be (efficiently) automated?" (Report of the ACM Task Force on the Core of Computer Science, New York, The Association for Computing Machinery, 1989.)

Computer science is not programming! Of course, most computer scientists are adept programmers. Most of our courses teach programming techniques along with other material. Our courses emphasize concepts, not programs. The main focus of Computer Science is the study of problem solving. In computer science courses we discuss all aspects of problem solving, from carefully stating problems so that they have well-defined solutions, to design strategies that will lead one step by step to solutions, to analytical techniques that allow one to evaluate and compare solutions. Along the way our students become skilled programmers, because programming is the medium that we use to discuss these concepts. Computer science is an attractive discipline for anyone interested in learning techniques for stating, solving, and analyzing problems.

Academic Programs

Major and Minor Requirements

Requirements for the Minor in Computing in the Liberal Arts

The Minor in Computing in the Liberal Arts consists of at least 15 hours of courses selected from the list below. Three of these courses are required: CS 102, CS 235, and CS 339. In special cases a student can transfer up to three credit hours, not listed below, from another department or program to this minor if the instruction involved is computer intensive and relevant to the student's area of expertise, and if the Computer Science Program approves the transfer. Advanced Placement credit may be applied to this minor in appropriate situations.

Courses for the Minor in Computing in the Liberal Arts:

CS 101

Introduction to Computers and Computer Usage

CS 102

Computer Concepts and Applications

CS 110

Fifth Generation Computing

CS 115

Cryptology

CS 135

Object-Oriented Programming

CS 157

Introduction to Graphics

CS 185

Colloquium: The Limits of Computation

CS 235

Computer Application Development

CS 299

Seminar: Mind and Machine

CS 339

Projects in Computer Application Development

For a more complete description of this minor, see the special document The Minor in Computing in the Liberal Arts available from the Computer Science and Mathematics department offices.

Requirements for the Minor in Computer Science

Computer Science courses that are applicable to the minor are listed below in section 6 as Courses in Computer Science. The minor consists of five such courses, including at least one course numbered 300 or above.

A typical minor includes CS 150, CS 151, CS 275, either CS 210 or CS 280, and an additional 300-level course that reflects the interests of the student. Although they are not explicitly required, Mathematics 133 and 220 are taken by most students to satisfy the prerequisites for CS 275.

Requirements for the B.A. in Computer Science

Courses that are applicable to the major are listed below in section 6 as Courses in Computer Science. The major consists of 10 such courses, including Computer Science 210, 275, 280, and 383, and at least three other computer science courses numbered 300 or above. Private Reading courses for fewer than three hours do not normally count towards the major. In addition, majors are required to successfully complete Mathematics 133, 220, and 232. Students may substitute Mathematics 331 for one of the elective 300-level computer science courses.

Beyond the Requirements: How to prepare for the hereafter

Many of our students eventually attend graduate school in computer science. A Bachelor's degree in computer science is essentially a programming degree; it gets one jobs in programming and system administration. A Master's degree is a design degree; with it one can get jobs as a software designer or as a project leader. A doctorate is a research degree; it is necessary for those who want to develop new techniques and new hardware. Note that in computer science many, if not most, of the researchers are employed outside of academia. A Ph.D. in computer science will not lock you into a job as a college professor, though that is an option as well.

Even if you choose not to attend a graduate program, as a professional computer scientist you will be expected to keep up with the changes in your field. Computer science is possibly the most rapidly evolving of all the professional disciplines. Today's research will be mainstream information in a few years. To remain current you must be well-grounded in the discipline. This suggests three principles for planning a major:

Develop as broad a background in the field as possible. Take courses in many different areas of computing.
Take as much theory and mathematics as possible.
Concentrate on the basic principles and not on the details. The details are sure to change every few years, the principles will remain more or less constant.

If you plan to look for a job in the computing profession, there are a few classes you should be sure to take. Most entry level jobs in the profession involve heavy programming responsibilities, so you should concentrate on courses that will help to prepare you for this work as you will see in an industrial setting. CS 268: Software Development and CS 341: Operating Systems, are particularly helpful. Among our other offerings CS 331: Compilers, CS 357: Computer Graphics, and CS 364: Artificial Intelligence all present material that will be useful in the software industry.

Those planning to attend graduate school immediately after Oberlin should try to gain as much experience as possible. The Honors program is particularly useful for applicants to graduate schools, and entrance to this program requires completing a substantial number of advanced courses by the end of the junior year. Graduate programs are placing an increasing emphasis on research experience for their applicants. The Honors program is one way to acquire significant research experience. Another way is through summer internships and research programs, such as the NSF-sponsored REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs. Those students who are considering graduate work in computer science should begin discussions with the faculty on how to best prepare themselves early in their Oberlin careers.

The Honors Program

Each spring the Program invites juniors to apply for the Honors program by proposing a research project to be conducted under the direction of a member of the faculty. Honors candidates spend their senior years working on these projects. A thesis describing the honors project is expected of each student. An informal presentation on the project is given to the Program faculty in January, and a public lecture on the project is given at the end of the spring term. At the end of the year an examiner from outside the College is invited to give the Honors candidates both a written examination and an oral examination over undergraduate computer science. After consulting with this examiner, the Program faculty assign degrees of Honors, High Honors and Highest Honors to those candidates found worthy.

The Honors project is expected to be an intense, demanding project -- a focal point of the student's career at Oberlin. Most projects combine theory, design, implementation and analysis; they are not just large programming projects. Many factors are considered in the Program's decision of who to invite into the Honors program; among these factors are grades in computer science courses, overall grade point average, and a general evaluation of each student's ability to sustain interest in a difficult project for nine months or more. Of course, we evaluate the proposed project in terms of both its feasibility and its inherent interest. Those interested in Honors should arrange to complete most of the requirements for the major, including at least two or three advanced courses, by the end of the junior year.

The following is a list of topics of some recent honors theses:

Student Activities

Majors' Committee

Each fall the computer science students elect a majors' committee. This committee presents student concerns to the faculty, oversees the course evaluation process at the end of each semester, and participates in the interviews of prospective faculty members. The committee also organizes social events for both students and faculty.

The Student ACM Chapter

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the dominant professional organization for computer scientists. Oberlin has a student ACM chapter, which all of our majors are encouraged to join. The chapter organizes talks through the ACM's Lectureship Program, disseminates technical information, and provides discounts on subscriptions to ACM journals and conference registrations. For more information, talk to any of the chapter members, or to Rhys Price Jones, the faculty advisor to the chapter.

Student Groups

There are two groups of students that manage software on the computer science systems. The ``gnusoft'' group supervises, updates, and installs the products of the Free Software Foundation, such as gnu-emacs, our main text editor. The ``public'' group installs and maintains software of interest to students, such as our games directory. Advanced students (sophomores and up) can join these groups by sending mail to gnusoft and public.

The ACM Programming Context

Each year the ACM and AT&T sponsor regional and international programming contests. In these contests teams of student programmers attempt to solve a series of problems; the results are graded on both speed and accuracy. Oberlin usually has a local contest to determine the team which is sent to the regional meet. In 1982 and 1990 Oberlin won the East Central Regional contest; we have had three teams go on to the international contests. In 1993, having placed second in the East Central regional contest, Oberlin went on to earn sixth place in the International Contest.

Miscellaneous Information

Computation Facilities

The Computer Science Program makes a wide range of equipment and software available to students. We currently have DECsystem 5000/200 and 5000/260 file servers supporting over 10 Gigabytes of disk space. We have an Omron Luna 88K parallel machine with 4 Motorola 88100 RISC processors. Our student laboratory has over 20 workstations by vendors such as DEC, Sun, Hewlett-Packard/Apollo, and Silicon Graphics. We have inkjet and laser printers, and a Polaroid CI5000 film recorder. All of our equipment is connected to our campus network, from which you can reach the Internet and the universe beyond.

All of this equipment is available to all of our students. We view the computing environment as supporting our educational program, and try to put as few restrictions as possible on student use of the system. However, with over 250 users it is necessary to have a few rules. These are the major ones:

All accounts must be protected by a password. One may not give his or her password to anyone else. One may not attempt to learn the passwords of others, or run any software designed to defeat the system security measures.
One may not use the system to harrass others. One may not use the system as a base for illegal or unethical activity, or for attempts to break into other systems.
In a large multiuser environment such as ours one must take into consideration the effect of one's actions on the other users. For example, if you have a program to run that is likely to use considerable system resources for an extended time, you should consult with the system manager to find a time when your program can be executed with minimal disturbance to the user population.
Educational uses of the system take precedence over recreational uses of the system. Anyone using one of our machines to play games, for example, must yield his or her place to someone needing that machine for academic work.
We do not censor user activities on our system. However, we expect those students using our laboratory to have consideration for those sitting around them. For example, images and sound clips that may cause others to be uncomfortable or that are likely to be offensive to others should not be displayed in a public laboratory.

Serious violations of these rules will be sent to the campus Judicial Board for disciplinary actions. Punishment may include loss of computing privledges, and in extreme cases banishment from our system.

Research Opportunities

There are a number of opportunities for students to participate in research projects in computer science. Successful experience with such projects is attractive to both graduates schools and employers; students are encourage to explore these possibilities.

Oberlin has received grants from both the National Science Foundation and private foundations to support student-faculty research. Most of this involves summer work, but some support for research during the academic year also exists.
Oberlin belongs to COSEN, the Carolina-Ohio Science Education Network. This is a consortium of schools that share research facilities. It is possible to receive support from this consortium to spend a summer working on research with a faculty member from another school in the consortium.
The National Science Foundation sponsors summer research programs for undergraduates at various universities. Admission to these programs is quite competitive, but it gives a reasonable stipend and the opportunity to work with some of the leading researchers in the United States.
Some private research laboratories, such as Bell Labs, and many public laboratories, such as Argonne, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge Laboratories and Goddard Space Flight Center, have summer internship programs for undergraduates. Some of these programs are restricted to women or to certain minorities; some are restricted to students who have completed their junior years; some are open to all students.

No research opportunity will come to find you without any effort on your part. The best way to start looking for possibilities is to discuss this with the Program faculty. The Office of Career Development and Placement may have some information. Both the bulletin board inside the Computer Science office and the bulletin board near the Mathematics office occasionally have announcements of research opportunities for undergraduates.

Non-Local Jobs

Computer science students are fortunate in having programming skills that are in demand in the workplace. Finding any job takes time and effort, but with persistence many of our students have found summer jobs that make use of their skills, pay well, and provide good experience. Our graduates have had similar experiences in looking for professional employment. There are three offices on campus that may be of help to those looking for either summer or long-term jobs. The first place to visit is obviously the Office of Career Development and Placement. Perry Boyle, who directs the College's Business Initiatives Program, has many contacts in industry and has been of great help to our students. The Alumni Office is sometimes able to put students into contact with Oberlin alumni who have positions to fill. This can be especially useful to those looking for summer internships.

One item that students often overlook is getting recommendations from summer employers. The Career Development Office has forms for this purpose, and will keep letters on file for you. If you have a summer job that uses your skills in computing, and if you have reason to believe that your supervisor is happy with your job performance, you should ask that supervisor to write a letter of reference for you at the end of your period of employment. You may decide later to not use the reference; the important thing is having the option. It is virtually impossible to obtain a meaningful letter of recommendation from a former supervisor who has not seen you in six months or more.

Local Jobs

During the academic year the Computer Science Program hires students to act as graders, tutors, system administrators, and consultants. The pay for these jobs is comparable to that for most student jobs; the work is educational and a good experience. In addition to being a source of income, assisting with a course can be a valuable learning experience. One way to make yourself known to the faculty is to do a reliable, conscientious job as a grader or assistant.

Graduate Programs

Many of our majors go on to graduate school in computer science, sometimes immediately upon graduation, and sometimes after several years of work experience. There are a few things you should know about graduate programs in computer science.

Almost all graduate programs offer either teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships to their graduate students. All Oberlin graduates that we know of who are enrolled full-time in graduate computer science programs are being supported by assistantships or fellowships. Generally this support includes all tuition and fees and a small living stipend. You won't get rich on it, but an assistantship will probably be enough to live without other income.
Probably any Oberlin computer science major with a B average or better can get accepted into a decent graduate program with financial support. Some students have gone on to graduate school without completing the major. If you want to continue your education in computer science, you should be able to do so.
Entrance to the top graduate programs is very competitive. These schools see many applications from people with straight-A grades and glowing recommendations. To get into the best programs, you have to stand out.
The best time to start thinking about graduate schools is the spring prior to your final year at Oberlin. Talk with your advisor about appropriate programs at this time. Over the summer you should write to a long list of schools asking for information about the graduate program and an application. An address such as
```
	Computer Science Department
	Foobar University
	Wherever, USA 7FF4358A
```
should get to the appropriate person. This can be a form letter; it will probably be read only by a secretary. Early in the fall you should start narrowing your list of schools; by November you and your advisor should have settled on the list of schools to which you will apply. Do not make this list too short. If you can afford it (application fees are in the $25 to $30 range), apply to 5 or 6 schools, or even more. This will allow you to apply to a few schools that you do not expect to get into, as well as your main choices and a safety school.
Most applications want three letters of recommendation. Your advisor should be able to help you select references, if the choice is not obvious. You should ask for references early. Few things irritate faculty members more than the question "Will you write a letter of recommendation for me? It has to be in Boston by Friday...." Do not worry about asking your references to write letters for many schools. The first letter is the hard one; after that, any number can be produced fairly quickly.
Most schools have application deadlines in January or early February. Some are even later, but you should be aware that a few have December deadlines. It is up to you to keep track of the deadlines; we have had good students turned down by programs because of late applications.

Courses

This section contains brief listings of the courses offered by the Computer Science Program. For more information, see the course catalog.

Courses in Computing in the Liberal Arts
Courses in Computer Science

Program Staff

Faculty

Rhys Price Jones 223C King, x8697
Principles of programming languages, genetic algorithms, strategies for game playing, conflict resolution, parallel processing, implementation of functional and declarative languages.

Christian Koch 223D King, x8831
Computing and cognitive science in the context of the liberal arts, natural language computing, artificial intelligence.

Fritz Ruehr 120B King, x8539
Type systems, lambda calculus, functional programming, language design, user interfaces.

Richard Salter 223B King, x8095
Artificial intelligence, functional and logic programming, semantics and types, programming languages.

Technician

Administrative Assistants

Last Modified Apr 20, 1995 by webmaster@cs.oberlin.edu