CSE 142: Computer Programming I, Autumn 2015
Instructor: Stuart Reges (reges@cs.washington.edu)
CSE 142
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Honors SectionsExploration Sessions
Thursdays, 4:30-5:30.
Each week we will offer a different opportunity to explore extra topics in computer science with one of our TAs. You will accumulate one "exploration point" for each week that you attend the lecture. At the end of the quarter, your total exploration points will be divided by 3 and will be added to your homework points. There will be approximately 150 homework points total, so this isn't adding a lot to your potential score. As an example, if you were to participate in 3 exploration sessions, you would have 1 point added to your homework points, which is like getting one more point on a weekly programming assignment. The idea is to give people a small reward, but not something that is so large that people feel obligated to participate in these optional sessions.
Please come prepared to listen to and ask questions of the guest speaker. Also, please bring your Husky ID card so that we can verify your attendance.
Week 6: Natural Language Processing - Thursday, December 3 from 4:30-5:30 in GUG220
- Ever wonder how Siri knows the answer to all your questions? Or how Google translate can help you out in Paris when you never bothered to learn French? Welcome to the wonderful world of Natural Language Processing! In this exploration session, we'll look at some of the problems in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.
Week 5: Industry Panel - Thursday, November 19 from 4:30-5:30 in GUG220
- Job opportunities in the technology sector are vast and varied. But what is it really like to work in a tech company? Did The Internship get it right? Join our industry panel today, where we will get to meet and hear from representatives of Facebook, Tableau, Microsoft, and the UW CSE Graduate Program.
Week 4: Algorithmic Art - Thursday, November 12 from 4:30-5:30 in JHN102
- It's no secret that computers can be used to create digital art (see any recent Hollywood blockbuster filled with CGI). But what happens if you let the computer generate art for you? In this exploration session, we'll learn about how algorithms can be used to create unique visual art.
Week 3: Binary - Thursday, October 29 from 4:30-5:30 in JHN102
- Computers can only understand binary, but we write in Java, a programming language that looks a lot like English. This week we'll talk about how computers represent different types of data, complex information, and instructions with just 1s and 0s.
Week 2: Cellular Automata - Thursday, October 22 from 4:30-5:30 in JHN102
- Some label the field of cellular automata as "recreational science". As Alex will discuss, a cellular automaton is no more than a strange sort of game. However, these games turn out to have extraordinary implications in many fields, and some think they can explain the nature of the universe! You will take a close look at some interesting cellular automata and discover why mathematicians and computer scientists are so obsessed with them.