Learning the Wires

Robert J. Lowe Jr. '87 know in high school that he would study computer science when he went to college, but decided to come to Harvard anyway.

"I figured that even though Harvard did not have a particularly strong Computer Science department when I considered applying--in fact is didn't even exist--a school with its academic reputation would have to fix that icon," he explains.

University officials are trying. For then supressed an independent "computer, Science" concentration for fear that students only learn an evanescent trade. But after carefully studying other schools progress, Harvard last year spilit Computer Sciences from Applied Mathematics and 43 students took the opportunity.

Many praise the new development. "For a lot of people, the Computer Science concentration makes a lot more sense than Applied Mark from the standpoint of that the title is more closely related to what they're doing," says Steven J. Sistare '86. He adds. "The department is shopping up a lot more quickly than you'd think."

But along with the burgeoning interest has (.....) a growing strain on resources. The most common complaint is about the availability of computer space. The school just added computers and terminals over vacation in response to these concerns. Yet the worry persists.

"Terminal hacks" say they often must wait up to an hour for a terminal, and then have to wait an additional 30 to 40 minutes to access one of the system's six computers.

"We need to supply more computing power--that's definitely one area in which we could do much better," says Alan B. Langeman '85. "The system as such right now just can't accomodate that many people."

Several students also claim that the department's four tenured professors are not enough to teach the number of concentrators.

Harry R. Lewis '68, McKay Professor of Computer Science acknowledges the need for more manpower, and says. "We've been in search mode for the past two or three years. There've been three tenure appointments in the past three years, going from one to four, and we'd certainly like to see more in the near future."

Lewis blames the low number of tenured professors on the lack of qualified Ph.D.s in the field. He explains that because the computer science industry offers such challenging and lucrative jobs to those with just Bachelor's degrees--starting salaries are often as high as $30,000--that few go to graduate school.

"The number of annual Ph.D.'s is almost the same as it was 10 years ago. There are about 225 per year, and at any given time, the job listings are about twice that," Lewis explains.

Harvard is not the only school to suffer from such constraints. Brown University boasts 60 to 70 graduating computer scientist per year and Katrina H. Avery '61 manager of the school's computer science department, says the 13 professors (five tenured) and 35 course in not enough. With the growing interest in specializing just learning a little bit about computers. "It's a zoo around here ," she says. "We have 800 students pre-registered for a course that will admit 150. Every undergraduate wants in take Computer Science."

But even in the face many students decide come to Harvard to concentrate in Computer Science, realizing that schools like MIT are far ahead in computer education.

Most Computer Science concentrators eite the broad range of course offered and the diverse student body at the College as a primary motivation Jay A. Mednikow '86 says. "I wanted to be able to get liberal arts education in a college with a varied student population. I wanted to study English with English majors who could bring more insight to the subject at hand than could an engineer."

That too has been the goal of the College. The primary obstacle to the concentration's creation was the Faculty's concern for overemphasizing "state-of-the-art education." To combat the tendency to teach students only current and soon-to-become obsolete computer technique, the Faculty designed a less specific curriculum using broader theoretical categories of approach, and added the so-called breatdth requirement, forcing budding computer scientist to take courses that are not computer-oriented.

"We did an exhausive comparative study last year of the programs at several other schools, including Standford. Carnegie. Metlors and MIT," says Lewis. "Our program is unique it's more theoretical than the others although the business about requiring courses outside of Computer Science is similar to the program at MIT," he continues.

"Neither Harvard nor MIT turn out computer scientists with immediately marketable skills" agrees Peter Elias, visiting professor of Computer Science Elias served a two-year stint as acting associate chairman of the Computer Science sub-department at MIT before taking his sabbatical here this year.

For concentrators, the combination means the field requires total commitment. Says one. "I have to eat, sleep, and breathe Computer Science. Sistare agrees, "The terminal room never sleeps."