Computer Science at Duke

Computer science as a field has emerged in its relatively brief existence as a strong, viable discipline. The impact of information technology will be critical to every aspect of society in the future, as well as to the many facets of the University. The Department of Computer Science at Duke prides itself on its rigorous approach to the fundamental problems that arise in the field and on the practical applications that result. From this grounding emerge the four strategic themes that define the focus of our efforts:

1.

Research. The Department encompasses five active areas of expertise: systems & architecture, algorithms, scientific computing, artificial intelligence, and computer science education. We seek to continue our successes in novel research and to identify and develop the key new frontiers that will shape tomorrow's world.

2.

Education. Our curricular innovations have been extremely successful in almost doubling undergraduate enrollments in the last four years and in getting our graduate students more quickly immersed in research. We seek to more effectively involve our students in the teaching process, to bring our research expertise more directly into the classroom, and to ensure high standards of teaching quality.

3.

Partnership. Sophisticated computation issues are becoming increasingly important components of research in all the sciences. We seek to forge strong links among the various departments represented at Duke and to develop novel interdisciplinary applications. We intend to develop another important set of partnerships and opportunities with industry, especially via our Industry Partners Program.

4.

Service. We as a Department have much expertise to offer the various communities we serve. Through our fundamental educational function we provide the world with computer scientists well-prepared to tackle tomorrow's challenges. We also offer non-majors the computer background to help prepare them to succeed in their chosen careers. We have considerable expertise in computer infrastructure development and the use of technology in education which we share with the University community and beyond.