CSE 142

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Exploration Sessions

Thursdays, 4:30-5:20pm, in GWN 301

Each week we will offer a different opportunity to explore extra topics in computer science. 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. You can get fractions of a point (e.g., getting two-thirds of a point for attending 2 sessions).

Please come prepared to listen to and ask questions of the guest speaker. We have a strict no-laptop policy in these sessions. If you are using a laptop, you will be asked to put it away or leave.

This schedule is subject to change. We will send an announcement email the day before each session with information about the topic for that session.

Week 1: No session

Week 2: Cellular Automata, Alex Miller - Thursday, April 7th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • Some label the field of cellular automata as "recreational science". A cellular automaton is a strange sort of game. However, these games turn out to have 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.
  • Panopto Recording
  • Golly - free Game of Life simulator
  • A New Kind of Science - Free book on cellular automata by Stephen Wolfram
  • MathWorld article on elementary cellular automata
  • LifeWiki - A wiki dedicated to the Game of Life
  • Life in Life - YouTube video of Game of Life simulation within the Game of Life

Week 3: Web Programming Pt. 1, Alex Miller - Thursday, April 14th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

Week 4: Algorithmic Art, Alex Miller - Thursday, April 21st from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • Using algorithms to create art is not a new idea. Islamic geometric patterns from the 10th century were constructed using "girih tiles" -- a strict set of shapes that allowed artists to generate intricate tessellations. These days, we can leverage computer automation to generate art. In this session, we'll cover a little of the history of algorithmic art, and then take a look at how to make art with the Processing programming language.
  • Panopto Recording
  • Girih Designer - online tool for creating Girih tile patterns
  • Processing.org - download Processing to make your own algorithmic art

Week 5: Cybersecurity, Alex Miller - Thursday, April 28th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • We've all seen hackers in movies break into computer systems—but what does hacking look like in real life? What techniques do malicious parties use to gain entry into systems or steal information? How can information be protected and kept private? In this session, we'll cover the basics of cybersecurity, and I'll show examples of techniques that actual hackers use.
  • Panopto Recording

Week 6: Week of midterm, no exploration session.

Week 7: Computing in the developing world, Ruth Anderson - Thursday, May 12th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • Computer science has fueled countless innovations appreciated by first-world countries (the personal computer, then the internet, then smartphones). But the power of computer science can also be leveraged to impact the developing world in unique ways. What is it like to design software and hardware for use in the developing world? Professor Anderson will talk about several projects from UW CSE applying technology to solve problems in low income regions around the globe.
  • Panopto Recording

Week 8: Human Centered Design & Engineering, Melissa Medsker-Galloway - Thursday, May 19th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • Computers would be useless if there weren't humans around to use them. The interface between a human and a computer is part of what makes a computer useful in the first place! UW's department of Human-Cenetered Design & Engineering studies this "soicotechnical" intersection of humans and technology. This week, Melissa Medsker-Galloway will be sharing her experience as a double-major in CS and Human-Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE). Find out about what it's like to be a student in each of these majors, and how to get involved in research in this fascinating field!

Week 9: Artificial Intelligence, Max Forbes - Thursday, May 26th from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301

  • What is intelligence? How would you go about making an artificial intelligence (AI)? Join us as we build a small artificial intelligence and let it loose on a game world. Along the way, we'll take a leisurely tour across the diverse and expanding field of artificial intelligence.

Week 10: Accessibility, Kyle Rector - Thursday, June 2nd from 4:30-5:20 in GWN 301