About this day
Do your students wonder what computer scientists do?
This inspirational day of computer science will take them to the cutting edge in fields from Artificial Intelligence, software development and algorithms to pure programming. Five renowned speakers from universities, industries and the media will reveal computer science at its very best and your students will have a whole lot of fun along the way. This day also features a special session with hints and tips for examination success.
Programme & speakers
Artificial Intelligence: Time to Welcome Our New Robot Overlords? Emma Byrne, Science Writer and Communicator
Thinkers like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have recently voiced their fears that AI could be about to make a great and dangerous leap forward. Dr Emma Byrne will explain why AI is already more advanced than most people realise and where it might be going next.
About Emma Byrne
Dr Emma Byrne has a PhD in AI from University College London. Her research has involved creating robotic systems to carry out experiments in genetics and simulations of the human visual system.
Mobile Autonomy is a Pervasive Technology: From Self Driving Cars to Mars. Why Robotics Matters Paul Newman, University of Oxford
The machines are coming and it’s going to be good! If we choose to the coming years will see machines doing more for us and doing it better. In this talk Paul will pull apart some of the competencies needed to build “intelligent” self driving vehicles. He’ll explain what makes it hard and what makes it exciting.
About Paul Newman
Paul Newman is the BP Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Oxford. He heads up the Mobile Robotics Group which enjoys a world leading reputation in mobile autonomy – developing machines and robots which map. He is a cofounder of Oxbotica.
Functional Programming Conor McBride, University of Strathclyde
The inimitable Dr Conor McBride, a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, will persuade you that Functional Programming is the future of computer science and tell you why you must be involved.
About Conor McBride
Conor McBride completed his PhD in ‘Dependently Typed Functional Programs and their Proofs’ in 1999. Since then he’s worked at Durham University and Royal Holloway before joining the University of Strathclyde.
Algorithm Complexity and P versus NP Leslie Goldberg, University of Oxford
There are thousands of important problems for which we don’t know whether there exists a fast algorithmic solution. Leslie will introduce the “P vs NP problem”, which seeks to answer this question. Oh.. and there’s a million-dollar prize for a solution to this problem!
About Leslie Goldberg
Leslie’s main research interest is computational complexity, where the aim is to discover which computational problems are feasible, which are inherently infeasible, and why.
Computer Security in Action Graham Cluley, Security Consultant
Graham Cluley, a veteran of the computer security business, describes the lies he was told and the lessons he learnt while working in the anti-virus industry for over two decades.
About Graham Cluley
Graham wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Subsequently he had senior roles in Sophos and McAfee. In 2011 Graham was inducted into the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame.