Conversations (oral history interviews) with members of North Carolina State University Computer Science Department by Carol Lee and Carolyn Miller

Abstract

This is a compilation of 16 individual interviews gathered between November 2016 and February 2017 and published in August 2017 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Computer Science at N.C. State University. Interviewees ranged from undergraduate students to the Department Head. The interviewees included three students, eleven faculty, and two staff members. Their interviewees provide a broad view of the department in the decade ending in 2017. Two standard questions were asked of each interviewee: what computing devices do you use and what is computer science today? The answers reflect the personal computing technology in use at the time, as well as the definition of Computer Science from various points of view and experience. The ubiquity of computers in every facet of contemporary life is a recurring response. The primary themes are: the abundance of opportunity within computer science education and the importance of seizing it; the multi-disciplinary nature of the department, which includes the presence of the Center for the Education and Informatics; the benefit of being located in the Research Triangle Park with all its opportunities for collaboration and future employment; the cutting-edge program for undergraduate research; and the innovative capstone class combining writing and presentation skills with computer science knowledge. There is emphasis on the Professional Teaching Faculty, which includes computer science faculty members who are dedicated exclusively to teaching, with no research or grant-writing responsibilities.

Also featured is the Interdisciplinary Faculty Cluster program in which faculty from many disciplines are hired in a cluster to work on a specific theme or research topic.