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I think that, though computer science has permeated a number of different fields, its core study remains more relevant than ever. There are important theoretica
by leothekim 14y ago
I think that, though computer science has permeated a number of different fields, its core study remains more relevant than ever. There are important theoretical problems in CS and so much more potential to be unlocked in other fields s.t. the core study remains necessary to understand how it can be better applied.
Also, there are areas in computer science that wouldn't be 100% applicable to, say, bioinformatics (e.g. cryptography) but may be very applicable in a much more generalized sense. I don't think we've delved into computer science for long enough that its study can be relegated and subjugated within other fields. That it is taught alongside courses in other fields speaks more to its practicality than its diminishing relevance as a standalone field.
- coliveira 14y agoI think there is a danger in Computer Science departments trying to become more theory oriented in order to survive. If applications are moving to their own departments in Business and Bioinformatics, CS may decide to become more theoretical. If this happens, though, growth in terms of research money will become even harder to find.
- _delirium 14y agoI've heard that discussed at some CS conferences as the "mathematics trajectory", which a lot of computer scientists think is best avoided. Essentially, becoming a pure discipline with little funding (because the applications work has gone elsewhere), and with a position in the university that's largely internally funded by your professors teaching intro-level "service" courses for other departments, the way math departments get a lot of their teaching credits by teaching Calc 101 and similar.