The Need for Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Margolis, Jane; Goode, Joanna; Bernier, David

2011-01-01

Broadening computer science learning to include more students is a crucial item on the United States' education agenda, these authors say. Although policymakers advocate more computer science expertise, computer science offerings in high schools are few--and actually shrinking. In addition, poorly resourced schools with a high percentage of…

On teaching computer ethics within a computer science department.

PubMed

Quinn, Michael J

2006-04-01

The author has surveyed a quarter of the accredited undergraduate computer science programs in the United States. More than half of these programs offer a 'social and ethical implications of computing' course taught by a computer science faculty member, and there appears to be a trend toward teaching ethics classes within computer science departments. Although the decision to create an 'in house' computer ethics course may sometimes be a pragmatic response to pressure from the accreditation agency, this paper argues that teaching ethics within a computer science department can provide students and faculty members with numerous benefits. The paper lists topics that can be covered in a computer ethics course and offers some practical suggestions for making the course successful.

Molecular science for drug development and biomedicine.

PubMed

Zhong, Wei-Zhu; Zhou, Shu-Feng

2014-11-04

With the avalanche of biological sequences generated in the postgenomic age, molecular science is facing an unprecedented challenge, i.e., how to timely utilize the huge amount of data to benefit human beings. Stimulated by such a challenge, a rapid development has taken place in molecular science, particularly in the areas associated with drug development and biomedicine, both experimental and theoretical. The current thematic issue was launched with the focus on the topic of "Molecular Science for Drug Development and Biomedicine", in hopes to further stimulate more useful techniques and findings from various approaches of molecular science for drug development and biomedicine.[...].

Computational Science and Innovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dean, D. J.

2011-09-01

Simulations - utilizing computers to solve complicated science and engineering problems - are a key ingredient of modern science. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a world leader in the development of high-performance computing (HPC), the development of applied math and algorithms that utilize the full potential of HPC platforms, and the application of computing to science and engineering problems. An interesting general question is whether the DOE can strategically utilize its capability in simulations to advance innovation more broadly. In this article, I will argue that this is certainly possible.

Workflow Management Systems for Molecular Dynamics on Leadership Computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, Jack; Panitkin, Sergey; Oleynik, Danila; Jha, Shantenu

Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations play an important role in a range of disciplines from Material Science to Biophysical systems and account for a large fraction of cycles consumed on computing resources. Increasingly science problems require the successful execution of ''many'' MD simulations as opposed to a single MD simulation. There is a need to provide scalable and flexible approaches to the execution of the workload. We present preliminary results on the Titan computer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility that demonstrate a general capability to manage workload execution agnostic of a specific MD simulation kernel or execution pattern, and in a manner that integrates disparate grid-based and supercomputing resources. Our results build upon our extensive experience of distributed workload management in the high-energy physics ATLAS project using PanDA (Production and Distributed Analysis System), coupled with recent conceptual advances in our understanding of workload management on heterogeneous resources. We will discuss how we will generalize these initial capabilities towards a more production level service on DOE leadership resources. This research is sponsored by US DOE/ASCR and used resources of the OLCF computing facility.

Central Computer Science Concepts to Research-Based Teacher Training in Computer Science: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zendler, Andreas; Klaudt, Dieter

2012-01-01

The significance of computer science for economics and society is undisputed. In particular, computer science is acknowledged to play a key role in schools (e.g., by opening multiple career paths). The provision of effective computer science education in schools is dependent on teachers who are able to properly represent the discipline and whose…

Theoretical computer science and the natural sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchal, Bruno

2005-12-01

I present some fundamental theorems in computer science and illustrate their relevance in Biology and Physics. I do not assume prerequisites in mathematics or computer science beyond the set N of natural numbers, functions from N to N, the use of some notational conveniences to describe functions, and at some point, a minimal amount of linear algebra and logic. I start with Cantor's transcendental proof by diagonalization of the non enumerability of the collection of functions from natural numbers to the natural numbers. I explain why this proof is not entirely convincing and show how, by restricting the notion of function in terms of discrete well defined processes, we are led to the non algorithmic enumerability of the computable functions, but also-through Church's thesis-to the algorithmic enumerability of partial computable functions. Such a notion of function constitutes, with respect to our purpose, a crucial generalization of that concept. This will make easy to justify deep and astonishing (counter-intuitive) incompleteness results about computers and similar machines. The modified Cantor diagonalization will provide a theory of concrete self-reference and I illustrate it by pointing toward an elementary theory of self-reproduction-in the Amoeba's way-and cellular self-regeneration-in the flatworm Planaria's way. To make it easier, I introduce a very simple and powerful formal system known as the Schoenfinkel-Curry combinators. I will use the combinators to illustrate in a more concrete way the notion introduced above. The combinators, thanks to their low-level fine grained design, will also make it possible to make a rough but hopefully illuminating description of the main lessons gained by the careful observation of nature, and to describe some new relations, which should exist between computer science, the science of life and the science of inert matter, once some philosophical, if not theological, hypotheses are made in the cognitive sciences. In the

Computer-Game Construction: A Gender-Neutral Attractor to Computing Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbonaro, Mike; Szafron, Duane; Cutumisu, Maria; Schaeffer, Jonathan

2010-01-01

Enrollment in Computing Science university programs is at a dangerously low level. A major reason for this is the general lack of interest in Computing Science by females. In this paper, we discuss our experience with using a computer game construction environment as a vehicle to encourage female participation in Computing Science. Experiments…

NASA's computer science research program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, R. L.

1983-01-01

Following a major assessment of NASA's computing technology needs, a new program of computer science research has been initiated by the Agency. The program includes work in concurrent processing, management of large scale scientific databases, software engineering, reliable computing, and artificial intelligence. The program is driven by applications requirements in computational fluid dynamics, image processing, sensor data management, real-time mission control and autonomous systems. It consists of university research, in-house NASA research, and NASA's Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) and Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE). The overall goal is to provide the technical foundation within NASA to exploit advancing computing technology in aerospace applications.

Computation Directorate and Science& Technology Review Computational Science and Research Featured in 2002

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alchorn, A L

we won't improve another 10 orders of magnitude in the next 50 years. For years I have heard talk of hitting the physical limits of Moore's Law, but new technologies will take us into the next phase of computer processing power such as 3-D chips, molecular computing, quantum computing, and more. Big computers are icons or symbols of the culture and larger infrastructure that exists at LLNL to guide scientific discovery and engineering development. We have dealt with balance issues for 50 years and will continue to do so in our quest for a digital proxy of the properties of matter at extremely high temperatures and pressures. I believe that the next big computational win will be the merger of high-performance computing with information management. We already create terabytes--soon to be petabytes--of data. Efficiently storing, finding, visualizing and extracting data and turning that into knowledge which aids decision-making and scientific discovery is an exciting challenge. In the meantime, please enjoy this retrospective on computational physics, computer science, advanced software technologies, and applied mathematics performed by programs and researchers at LLNL during 2002. It offers a glimpse into the stimulating world of computational science in support of the national missions and homeland defense.« less

Bringing computational science to the public.

PubMed

McDonagh, James L; Barker, Daniel; Alderson, Rosanna G

2016-01-01

The increasing use of computers in science allows for the scientific analyses of large datasets at an increasing pace. We provided examples and interactive demonstrations at Dundee Science Centre as part of the 2015 Women in Science festival, to present aspects of computational science to the general public. We used low-cost Raspberry Pi computers to provide hands on experience in computer programming and demonstrated the application of computers to biology. Computer games were used as a means to introduce computers to younger visitors. The success of the event was evaluated by voluntary feedback forms completed by visitors, in conjunction with our own self-evaluation. This work builds on the original work of the 4273π bioinformatics education program of Barker et al. (2013, BMC Bioinform. 14:243). 4273π provides open source education materials in bioinformatics. This work looks at the potential to adapt similar materials for public engagement events. It appears, at least in our small sample of visitors (n = 13), that basic computational science can be conveyed to people of all ages by means of interactive demonstrations. Children as young as five were able to successfully edit simple computer programs with supervision. This was, in many cases, their first experience of computer programming. The feedback is predominantly positive, showing strong support for improving computational science education, but also included suggestions for improvement. Our conclusions are necessarily preliminary. However, feedback forms suggest methods were generally well received among the participants; "Easy to follow. Clear explanation" and "Very easy. Demonstrators were very informative." Our event, held at a local Science Centre in Dundee, demonstrates that computer games and programming activities suitable for young children can be performed alongside a more specialised and applied introduction to computational science for older visitors.

Preparing Future Secondary Computer Science Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajwa, Iyad

2007-01-01

Although nearly every college offers a major in computer science, many computer science teachers at the secondary level have received little formal training. This paper presents details of a project that could make a significant contribution to national efforts to improve computer science education by combining teacher education and professional…

Computational Design of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subrahmanyam, Sreenath; Piletsky, Sergey A.

Artificial receptors have been in use for several decades as sensor elements, in affinity separation, and as models for investigation of molecular recognition. Although there have been numerous publications on the use of molecular modeling in characterization of their affinity and selectivity, very few attempts have been made on the application of molecular modeling in computational design of synthetic receptors. This chapter discusses recent successes in the use of computational design for the development of one particular branch of synthetic receptors - molecularly imprinted polymers.

Conceptual Considerations in Molecular Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, Donald T.

2005-01-01

There are significant misconceptions within the chemical community and molecular science, particularly in the undergraduate curriculum and the associated textbooks. Some of the misconceptions are described, which give poor basis to understand molecular bonding and structure, and reaction mechanisms.

Computer Science and the Liberal Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, Christine

2010-01-01

Computer science and the liberal arts have much to offer each other. Yet liberal arts colleges, in particular, have been slow to recognize the opportunity that the study of computer science provides for achieving the goals of a liberal education. After the precipitous drop in computer science enrollments during the first decade of this century,…

Molecular Imprinting Applications in Forensic Science

PubMed Central

Yılmaz, Erkut; Garipcan, Bora; Patra, Hirak K.; Uzun, Lokman

2017-01-01

Producing molecular imprinting-based materials has received increasing attention due to recognition selectivity, stability, cast effectiveness, and ease of production in various forms for a wide range of applications. The molecular imprinting technique has a variety of applications in the areas of the food industry, environmental monitoring, and medicine for diverse purposes like sample pretreatment, sensing, and separation/purification. A versatile usage, stability and recognition capabilities also make them perfect candidates for use in forensic sciences. Forensic science is a demanding area and there is a growing interest in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in this field. In this review, recent molecular imprinting applications in the related areas of forensic sciences are discussed while considering the literature of last two decades. Not only direct forensic applications but also studies of possible forensic value were taken into account like illicit drugs, banned sport drugs, effective toxins and chemical warfare agents in a review of over 100 articles. The literature was classified according to targets, material shapes, production strategies, detection method, and instrumentation. We aimed to summarize the current applications of MIPs in forensic science and put forth a projection of their potential uses as promising alternatives for benchmark competitors. PMID:28350333

Molecular Imprinting Applications in Forensic Science.

PubMed

Yılmaz, Erkut; Garipcan, Bora; Patra, Hirak K; Uzun, Lokman

2017-03-28

Producing molecular imprinting-based materials has received increasing attention due to recognition selectivity, stability, cast effectiveness, and ease of production in various forms for a wide range of applications. The molecular imprinting technique has a variety of applications in the areas of the food industry, environmental monitoring, and medicine for diverse purposes like sample pretreatment, sensing, and separation/purification. A versatile usage, stability and recognition capabilities also make them perfect candidates for use in forensic sciences. Forensic science is a demanding area and there is a growing interest in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in this field. In this review, recent molecular imprinting applications in the related areas of forensic sciences are discussed while considering the literature of last two decades. Not only direct forensic applications but also studies of possible forensic value were taken into account like illicit drugs, banned sport drugs, effective toxins and chemical warfare agents in a review of over 100 articles. The literature was classified according to targets, material shapes, production strategies, detection method, and instrumentation. We aimed to summarize the current applications of MIPs in forensic science and put forth a projection of their potential uses as promising alternatives for benchmark competitors.

Know Your Discipline: Teaching the Philosophy of Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tedre, Matti

2007-01-01

The diversity and interdisciplinarity of computer science and the multiplicity of its uses in other sciences make it hard to define computer science and to prescribe how computer science should be carried out. The diversity of computer science also causes friction between computer scientists from different branches. Computer science curricula, as…

Computational Science at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, Nichols

2014-03-01

The goal of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) is to extend the frontiers of science by solving problems that require innovative approaches and the largest-scale computing systems. ALCF's most powerful computer - Mira, an IBM Blue Gene/Q system - has nearly one million cores. How does one program such systems? What software tools are available? Which scientific and engineering applications are able to utilize such levels of parallelism? This talk will address these questions and describe a sampling of projects that are using ALCF systems in their research, including ones in nanoscience, materials science, and chemistry. Finally, the ways to gain access to ALCF resources will be presented. This research used resources of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility at Argonne National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Computer Science | Classification | College of Engineering & Applied

Science.gov Websites

EMS 1011 profile photo Adrian Dumitrescu, Ph.D.ProfessorComputer Science(414) 229-4265Eng & Math @uwm.eduEng & Math Sciences 919 profile photo Hossein Hosseini, Ph.D.ProfessorComputer Science(414) 229 -5184hosseini@uwm.eduEng & Math Sciences 1091 profile photo Amol Mali, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorComputer

Toward integration of in vivo molecular computing devices: successes and challenges

PubMed Central

Hayat, Sikander; Hinze, Thomas

2008-01-01

The computing power unleashed by biomolecule based massively parallel computational units has been the focus of many interdisciplinary studies that couple state of the art ideas from mathematical logic, theoretical computer science, bioengineering, and nanotechnology to fulfill some computational task. The output can influence, for instance, release of a drug at a specific target, gene expression, cell population, or be a purely mathematical entity. Analysis of the results of several studies has led to the emergence of a general set of rules concerning the implementation and optimization of in vivo computational units. Taking two recent studies on in vivo computing as examples, we discuss the impact of mathematical modeling and simulation in the field of synthetic biology and on in vivo computing. The impact of the emergence of gene regulatory networks and the potential of proteins acting as “circuit wires” on the problem of interconnecting molecular computing device subunits is also highlighted. PMID:19404433

Enabling Earth Science Through Cloud Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardman, Sean; Riofrio, Andres; Shams, Khawaja; Freeborn, Dana; Springer, Paul; Chafin, Brian

2012-01-01

Cloud Computing holds tremendous potential for missions across the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Several flight missions are already benefiting from an investment in cloud computing for mission critical pipelines and services through faster processing time, higher availability, and drastically lower costs available on cloud systems. However, these processes do not currently extend to general scientific algorithms relevant to earth science missions. The members of the Airborne Cloud Computing Environment task at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have worked closely with the Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) mission to integrate cloud computing into their science data processing pipeline. This paper details the efforts involved in deploying a science data system for the CARVE mission, evaluating and integrating cloud computing solutions with the system and porting their science algorithms for execution in a cloud environment.

Computers in Science Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurland, Michael

1984-01-01

Science fiction writers' perceptions of the "thinking machine" are examined through a review of Baum's Oz books, Heinlein's "Beyond This Horizon," science fiction magazine articles, and works about robots including Asimov's "I, Robot." The future of computers in science fiction is discussed and suggested readings are listed. (MBR)

The NASA computer science research program plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A taxonomy of computer science is included, one state of the art of each of the major computer science categories is summarized. A functional breakdown of NASA programs under Aeronautics R and D, space R and T, and institutional support is also included. These areas were assessed against the computer science categories. Concurrent processing, highly reliable computing, and information management are identified.

Advanced Computing for Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hut, Piet; Sussman, Gerald Jay

1987-01-01

Discusses some of the contributions that high-speed computing is making to the study of science. Emphasizes the use of computers in exploring complicated systems without the simplification required in traditional methods of observation and experimentation. Provides examples of computer assisted investigations in astronomy and physics. (TW)

Factors influencing exemplary science teachers' levels of computer use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakverdi, Meral

This study examines exemplary science teachers' use of technology in science instruction, factors influencing their level of computer use, their level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction, their use of computer-related applications/tools during their instruction, and their students' use of computer applications/tools in or for their science class. After a relevant review of the literature certain variables were selected for analysis. These variables included personal self-efficacy in teaching with computers, outcome expectancy, pupil-control ideology, level of computer use, age, gender, teaching experience, personal computer use, professional computer use and science teachers' level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction. The sample for this study includes middle and high school science teachers who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching Award (sponsored by the White House and the National Science Foundation) between the years 1997 and 2003 from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Award-winning science teachers were contacted about the survey via e-mail or letter with an enclosed return envelope. Of the 334 award-winning science teachers, usable responses were received from 92 science teachers, which made a response rate of 27.5%. Analysis of the survey responses indicated that exemplary science teachers have a variety of knowledge/skills in using computer related applications/tools. The most commonly used computer applications/tools are information retrieval via the Internet, presentation tools, online communication, digital cameras, and data collection probes. Results of the study revealed that students' use of technology in their science classroom is highly correlated with the frequency of their science teachers' use of computer applications/tools. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that personal self-efficacy related to

Computer Programs in Marine Science

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-04-01

AD-A279 795 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Technical Information Service PB-258 082 Computer Programs in Marine Science National Ocearncgraphic...NO. 5 fo r- Computer nPrograms in ’StlrSO " Marine Science U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and AtmosPheric AdmInistration Environmental...N0,AA?76062212 I I 4. TITLE A?.’D.UBTITLE S. REPORT DATE Comnuter Progrims in Marine Science April 1976 Koy tc Oceanographic Records Documentation No

Approaches to Classroom-Based Computational Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzdial, Mark

Computational science includes the use of computer-based modeling and simulation to define and test theories about scientific phenomena. The challenge for educators is to develop techniques for implementing computational science in the classroom. This paper reviews some previous work on the use of simulation alone (without modeling), modeling…

Computer Analogies: Teaching Molecular Biology and Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Stanley; McArthur, John

2002-01-01

Suggests that computer science analogies can aid the understanding of gene expression, including the storage of genetic information on chromosomes. Presents a matrix of biology and computer science concepts. (DDR)

International Journal of Molecular Science 2017 Best Paper Award.

PubMed

2017-11-02

The Editors of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences have established the Best Paper Award to recognize the most outstanding articles published in the areas of molecular biology, molecular physics and chemistry that have been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The prizes have been awarded annually since 2012 [...].

Women in Computer Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Clare; Menninger, Sally Ann

The keynote address of a conference that focused on the future of women in science and engineering fields and the opportunities available to them in the computer sciences is presented. Women's education in the sciences and education and entry into the job market in these fields has steadily been increasing. Excellent employment opportunities are…

Computer Science Research at Langley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voigt, S. J. (Editor)

1982-01-01

A workshop was held at Langley Research Center, November 2-5, 1981, to highlight ongoing computer science research at Langley and to identify additional areas of research based upon the computer user requirements. A panel discussion was held in each of nine application areas, and these are summarized in the proceedings. Slides presented by the invited speakers are also included. A survey of scientific, business, data reduction, and microprocessor computer users helped identify areas of focus for the workshop. Several areas of computer science which are of most concern to the Langley computer users were identified during the workshop discussions. These include graphics, distributed processing, programmer support systems and tools, database management, and numerical methods.

Defining Computational Thinking for Mathematics and Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weintrop, David; Beheshti, Elham; Horn, Michael; Orton, Kai; Jona, Kemi; Trouille, Laura; Wilensky, Uri

2016-02-01

Science and mathematics are becoming computational endeavors. This fact is reflected in the recently released Next Generation Science Standards and the decision to include "computational thinking" as a core scientific practice. With this addition, and the increased presence of computation in mathematics and scientific contexts, a new urgency has come to the challenge of defining computational thinking and providing a theoretical grounding for what form it should take in school science and mathematics classrooms. This paper presents a response to this challenge by proposing a definition of computational thinking for mathematics and science in the form of a taxonomy consisting of four main categories: data practices, modeling and simulation practices, computational problem solving practices, and systems thinking practices. In formulating this taxonomy, we draw on the existing computational thinking literature, interviews with mathematicians and scientists, and exemplary computational thinking instructional materials. This work was undertaken as part of a larger effort to infuse computational thinking into high school science and mathematics curricular materials. In this paper, we argue for the approach of embedding computational thinking in mathematics and science contexts, present the taxonomy, and discuss how we envision the taxonomy being used to bring current educational efforts in line with the increasingly computational nature of modern science and mathematics.

Towards the simulation of molecular collisions with a superconducting quantum computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geller, Michael

2013-05-01

I will discuss the prospects for the use of large-scale, error-corrected quantum computers to simulate complex quantum dynamics such as molecular collisions. This will likely require millions qubits. I will also discuss an alternative approach [M. R. Geller et al., arXiv:1210.5260] that is ideally suited for today's superconducting circuits, which uses the single-excitation subspace (SES) of a system of n tunably coupled qubits. The SES method allows many operations in the unitary group SU(n) to be implemented in a single step, bypassing the need for elementary gates, thereby making large computations possible without error correction. The method enables universal quantum simulation, including simulation of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation, and we argue that a 1000-qubit SES processor should be capable of achieving quantum speedup relative to a petaflop supercomputer. We speculate on the utility and practicality of such a simulator for atomic and molecular collision physics. Work supported by the US National Science Foundation CDI program.

Girls Save the World through Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murakami, Christine

2011-01-01

It's no secret that fewer and fewer women are entering computer science fields. Attracting high school girls to computer science is only part of the solution. Retaining them while they are in higher education or the workforce is also a challenge. To solve this, there is a need to show girls that computer science is a wide-open field that offers…

Methodical Approaches to Teaching of Computer Modeling in Computer Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rakhimzhanova, B. Lyazzat; Issabayeva, N. Darazha; Khakimova, Tiyshtik; Bolyskhanova, J. Madina

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to justify of the formation technique of representation of modeling methodology at computer science lessons. The necessity of studying computer modeling is that the current trends of strengthening of general education and worldview functions of computer science define the necessity of additional research of the…

ASCR Workshop on Quantum Computing for Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aspuru-Guzik, Alan; Van Dam, Wim; Farhi, Edward

This report details the findings of the DOE ASCR Workshop on Quantum Computing for Science that was organized to assess the viability of quantum computing technologies to meet the computational requirements of the DOE’s science and energy mission, and to identify the potential impact of quantum technologies. The workshop was held on February 17-18, 2015, in Bethesda, MD, to solicit input from members of the quantum computing community. The workshop considered models of quantum computation and programming environments, physical science applications relevant to DOE's science mission as well as quantum simulation, and applied mathematics topics including potential quantum algorithms formore » linear algebra, graph theory, and machine learning. This report summarizes these perspectives into an outlook on the opportunities for quantum computing to impact problems relevant to the DOE’s mission as well as the additional research required to bring quantum computing to the point where it can have such impact.« less

Gender differences in the use of computers, programming, and peer interactions in computer science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoilescu, Dorian; Egodawatte, Gunawardena

2010-12-01

Research shows that female and male students in undergraduate computer science programs view computer culture differently. Female students are interested more in the use of computers than in doing programming, whereas male students see computer science mainly as a programming activity. The overall purpose of our research was not to find new definitions for computer science culture but to see how male and female students see themselves involved in computer science practices, how they see computer science as a successful career, and what they like and dislike about current computer science practices. The study took place in a mid-sized university in Ontario. Sixteen students and two instructors were interviewed to get their views. We found that male and female views are different on computer use, programming, and the pattern of student interactions. Female and male students did not have any major issues in using computers. In computing programming, female students were not so involved in computing activities whereas male students were heavily involved. As for the opinions about successful computer science professionals, both female and male students emphasized hard working, detailed oriented approaches, and enjoying playing with computers. The myth of the geek as a typical profile of successful computer science students was not found to be true.

A Web of Resources for Introductory Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rebelsky, Samuel A.

As the field of Computer Science has grown, the syllabus of the introductory Computer Science course has changed significantly. No longer is it a simple introduction to programming or a tutorial on computer concepts and applications. Rather, it has become a survey of the field of Computer Science, touching on a wide variety of topics from digital…

Implementing an Affordable High-Performance Computing for Teaching-Oriented Computer Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abuzaghleh, Omar; Goldschmidt, Kathleen; Elleithy, Yasser; Lee, Jeongkyu

2013-01-01

With the advances in computing power, high-performance computing (HPC) platforms have had an impact on not only scientific research in advanced organizations but also computer science curriculum in the educational community. For example, multicore programming and parallel systems are highly desired courses in the computer science major. However,…

78 FR 10180 - Annual Computational Science Symposium; Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

...] Annual Computational Science Symposium; Conference AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... Computational Science Symposium.'' The purpose of the conference is to help the broader community align and share experiences to advance computational science. At the conference, which will bring together FDA...

Opportunities for Computational Discovery in Basic Energy Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pederson, Mark

2011-03-01

An overview of the broad-ranging support of computational physics and computational science within the Department of Energy Office of Science will be provided. Computation as the third branch of physics is supported by all six offices (Advanced Scientific Computing, Basic Energy, Biological and Environmental, Fusion Energy, High-Energy Physics, and Nuclear Physics). Support focuses on hardware, software and applications. Most opportunities within the fields of~condensed-matter physics, chemical-physics and materials sciences are supported by the Officeof Basic Energy Science (BES) or through partnerships between BES and the Office for Advanced Scientific Computing. Activities include radiation sciences, catalysis, combustion, materials in extreme environments, energy-storage materials, light-harvesting and photovoltaics, solid-state lighting and superconductivity.~ A summary of two recent reports by the computational materials and chemical communities on the role of computation during the next decade will be provided. ~In addition to materials and chemistry challenges specific to energy sciences, issues identified~include a focus on the role of the domain scientist in integrating, expanding and sustaining applications-oriented capabilities on evolving high-performance computing platforms and on the role of computation in accelerating the development of innovative technologies. ~~

Science-Driven Computing: NERSC's Plan for 2006-2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simon, Horst D.; Kramer, William T.C.; Bailey, David H.

NERSC has developed a five-year strategic plan focusing on three components: Science-Driven Systems, Science-Driven Services, and Science-Driven Analytics. (1) Science-Driven Systems: Balanced introduction of the best new technologies for complete computational systems--computing, storage, networking, visualization and analysis--coupled with the activities necessary to engage vendors in addressing the DOE computational science requirements in their future roadmaps. (2) Science-Driven Services: The entire range of support activities, from high-quality operations and user services to direct scientific support, that enable a broad range of scientists to effectively use NERSC systems in their research. NERSC will concentrate on resources needed to realize the promise ofmore » the new highly scalable architectures for scientific discovery in multidisciplinary computational science projects. (3) Science-Driven Analytics: The architectural and systems enhancements and services required to integrate NERSC's powerful computational and storage resources to provide scientists with new tools to effectively manipulate, visualize, and analyze the huge data sets derived from simulations and experiments.« less

Computers in Science: Thinking Outside the Discipline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Todd M.

2003-01-01

Describes the Computers in Science course which integrates computer-related techniques into the science disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, and Earth science. Uses a team teaching approach and teaches students how to solve chemistry problems with spreadsheets, identify minerals with X-rays, and chemical and force analysis. (Contains 14…

Theory-Guided Technology in Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Ari, Mordechai

2001-01-01

Examines the history of major achievements in computer science as portrayed by winners of the prestigious Turing award and identifies a possibly unique activity called Theory-Guided Technology (TGT). Researchers develop TGT by using theoretical results to create practical technology. Discusses reasons why TGT is practical in computer science and…

Magnetic polyoxometalates: from molecular magnetism to molecular spintronics and quantum computing.

PubMed

Clemente-Juan, Juan M; Coronado, Eugenio; Gaita-Ariño, Alejandro

2012-11-21

In this review we discuss the relevance of polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry to provide model objects in molecular magnetism. We present several potential applications in nanomagnetism, in particular, in molecular spintronics and quantum computing.

Research in computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, J. M.

1986-01-01

Various graduate research activities in the field of computer science are reported. Among the topics discussed are: (1) failure probabilities in multi-version software; (2) Gaussian Elimination on parallel computers; (3) three dimensional Poisson solvers on parallel/vector computers; (4) automated task decomposition for multiple robot arms; (5) multi-color incomplete cholesky conjugate gradient methods on the Cyber 205; and (6) parallel implementation of iterative methods for solving linear equations.

Marrying Content and Process in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zendler, A.; Spannagel, C.; Klaudt, D.

2011-01-01

Constructivist approaches to computer science education emphasize that as well as knowledge, thinking skills and processes are involved in active knowledge construction. K-12 computer science curricula must not be based on fashions and trends, but on contents and processes that are observable in various domains of computer science, that can be…

Computer Science and Telecommunications Board summary of activities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blumenthal, M.S.

1992-03-27

The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) considers technical and policy issues pertaining to computer science, telecommunications, and associated technologies. CSTB actively disseminates the results of its completed projects to those in a position to help implement their recommendations or otherwise use their insights. It provides a forum for the exchange of information on computer science, computing technology, and telecommunications. This report discusses the major accomplishments of CSTB.

Computationally Efficient Multiconfigurational Reactive Molecular Dynamics

PubMed Central

Yamashita, Takefumi; Peng, Yuxing; Knight, Chris; Voth, Gregory A.

2012-01-01

It is a computationally demanding task to explicitly simulate the electronic degrees of freedom in a system to observe the chemical transformations of interest, while at the same time sampling the time and length scales required to converge statistical properties and thus reduce artifacts due to initial conditions, finite-size effects, and limited sampling. One solution that significantly reduces the computational expense consists of molecular models in which effective interactions between particles govern the dynamics of the system. If the interaction potentials in these models are developed to reproduce calculated properties from electronic structure calculations and/or ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, then one can calculate accurate properties at a fraction of the computational cost. Multiconfigurational algorithms model the system as a linear combination of several chemical bonding topologies to simulate chemical reactions, also sometimes referred to as “multistate”. These algorithms typically utilize energy and force calculations already found in popular molecular dynamics software packages, thus facilitating their implementation without significant changes to the structure of the code. However, the evaluation of energies and forces for several bonding topologies per simulation step can lead to poor computational efficiency if redundancy is not efficiently removed, particularly with respect to the calculation of long-ranged Coulombic interactions. This paper presents accurate approximations (effective long-range interaction and resulting hybrid methods) and multiple-program parallelization strategies for the efficient calculation of electrostatic interactions in reactive molecular simulations. PMID:25100924

A Financial Technology Entrepreneurship Program for Computer Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawler, James P.; Joseph, Anthony

2011-01-01

Education in entrepreneurship is becoming a critical area of curricula for computer science students. Few schools of computer science have a concentration in entrepreneurship in the computing curricula. The paper presents Technology Entrepreneurship in the curricula at a leading school of computer science and information systems, in which students…

Science-Technology Coupling: The Case of Mathematical Logic and Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner-Dobler, Roland

1997-01-01

In the history of science, there have often been periods of sudden rapprochements between pure science and technology-oriented branches of science. Mathematical logic as pure science and computer science as technology-oriented science have experienced such a rapprochement, which is studied in this article in a bibliometric manner. (Author)

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period April, 1986 through September 30, 1986 is summarized.

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period October 1, 1986 through March 31, 1987 is summarized.

Recent science and its exploration: the case of molecular biology.

PubMed

Rheinberger, Hans-Jörg

2009-03-01

This paper is about the interaction and the intertwinement between history of science as a historical process and history of science as the historiography of this process, taking molecular biology as an example. In the first part, two historical shifts are briefly characterized that appear to have punctuated the emergence of molecular biology between the 1930s and the 1980s, one connected to a new generation of analytical apparatus, the other to properly molecular tools. The second part concentrates on the historiography of this development. Basically, it distinguishes three phases. The first phase was largely dominated by accounts of the actors themselves. The second coincided with the general 'practical turn' in history of science at large, and today's historical appropriations of the molecularization of the life sciences appear to be marked by the changing disciplinary status of the science under review. In a closing remark, an argument is made for differentiating between long-range, middle-range and short-range perspectives in dealing with the history of the sciences.

Marine molecular biology: an emerging field of biological sciences.

PubMed

Thakur, Narsinh L; Jain, Roopesh; Natalio, Filipe; Hamer, Bojan; Thakur, Archana N; Müller, Werner E G

2008-01-01

An appreciation of the potential applications of molecular biology is of growing importance in many areas of life sciences, including marine biology. During the past two decades, the development of sophisticated molecular technologies and instruments for biomedical research has resulted in significant advances in the biological sciences. However, the value of molecular techniques for addressing problems in marine biology has only recently begun to be cherished. It has been proven that the exploitation of molecular biological techniques will allow difficult research questions about marine organisms and ocean processes to be addressed. Marine molecular biology is a discipline, which strives to define and solve the problems regarding the sustainable exploration of marine life for human health and welfare, through the cooperation between scientists working in marine biology, molecular biology, microbiology and chemistry disciplines. Several success stories of the applications of molecular techniques in the field of marine biology are guiding further research in this area. In this review different molecular techniques are discussed, which have application in marine microbiology, marine invertebrate biology, marine ecology, marine natural products, material sciences, fisheries, conservation and bio-invasion etc. In summary, if marine biologists and molecular biologists continue to work towards strong partnership during the next decade and recognize intellectual and technological advantages and benefits of such partnership, an exciting new frontier of marine molecular biology will emerge in the future.

Creating Science Simulations through Computational Thinking Patterns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basawapatna, Ashok Ram

2012-01-01

Computational thinking aims to outline fundamental skills from computer science that everyone should learn. As currently defined, with help from the National Science Foundation (NSF), these skills include problem formulation, logically organizing data, automating solutions through algorithmic thinking, and representing data through abstraction.…

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period April l, 1988 through September 30, 1988.

Computing Your Way through Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Denise

1994-01-01

Reviews three computer software programs focusing on teaching science to middle school students: (1) Encarta, a multimedia encyclopedia; (2) Gizmos and Gadgets, which allows students to explore physical science principles; and (3) BodyScope, which allows students to examine the systems of the human body. (BB)

Empirical Determination of Competence Areas to Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zendler, Andreas; Klaudt, Dieter; Seitz, Cornelia

2014-01-01

The authors discuss empirically determined competence areas to K-12 computer science education, emphasizing the cognitive level of competence. The results of a questionnaire with 120 professors of computer science serve as a database. By using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis, four competence areas to computer science education…

Factors Influencing Exemplary Science Teachers' Levels of Computer Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakverdi, Meral; Dana, Thomas M.; Swain, Colleen

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine exemplary science teachers' use of technology in science instruction, factors influencing their level of computer use, their level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction, their use of computer-related applications/tools during their instruction, and their…

Defining Computational Thinking for Mathematics and Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weintrop, David; Beheshti, Elham; Horn, Michael; Orton, Kai; Jona, Kemi; Trouille, Laura; Wilensky, Uri

2016-01-01

Science and mathematics are becoming computational endeavors. This fact is reflected in the recently released Next Generation Science Standards and the decision to include "computational thinking" as a core scientific practice. With this addition, and the increased presence of computation in mathematics and scientific contexts, a new…

Reconfigurable Computing for Computational Science: A New Focus in High Performance Computing

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

in the past decade. Researchers are regularly employing the power of large computing systems and parallel processing to tackle larger and more...complex problems in all of the physical sciences. For the past decade or so, most of this growth in computing power has been “free” with increased...the scientific computing community as a means to continued growth in computing capability. This paper offers a glimpse of the hardware and

Computational Exposure Science: An Emerging Discipline to ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Background: Computational exposure science represents a frontier of environmental science that is emerging and quickly evolving.Objectives: In this commentary, we define this burgeoning discipline, describe a framework for implementation, and review some key ongoing research elements that are advancing the science with respect to exposure to chemicals in consumer products.Discussion: The fundamental elements of computational exposure science include the development of reliable, computationally efficient predictive exposure models; the identification, acquisition, and application of data to support and evaluate these models; and generation of improved methods for extrapolating across chemicals. We describe our efforts in each of these areas and provide examples that demonstrate both progress and potential.Conclusions: Computational exposure science, linked with comparable efforts in toxicology, is ushering in a new era of risk assessment that greatly expands our ability to evaluate chemical safety and sustainability and to protect public health. The National Exposure Research Laboratory’s (NERL’s) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD’s research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA’s strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source

Ada in Introductory Computer Science Courses

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-01

Ada by Daniel F. Stubbs and Neil W. Webre Course Objective: To introduce the students to the basic classical data structures of computer science...Introduction to Ada, Chapman & Hall, 1993, London Dale/Weems/McCormick, Programming and Problem Solving with Ada, D. C. Heath and Company, 1994, MA Feldman...Daniel F. Stubbs and Neil W. Webre - Course Objective: To introduce the students to the basic classical data structures of computer science

Fundamental approaches in molecular biology for communication sciences and disorders.

PubMed

Bartlett, Rebecca S; Jetté, Marie E; King, Suzanne N; Schaser, Allison; Thibeault, Susan L

2012-08-01

This contemporary tutorial will introduce general principles of molecular biology, common deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein assays and their relevance in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Over the past 2 decades, knowledge of the molecular pathophysiology of human disease has increased at a remarkable pace. Most of this progress can be attributed to concomitant advances in basic molecular biology and, specifically, the development of an ever-expanding armamentarium of technologies for analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein structure and function. Details of these methodologies, their limitations, and examples from the communication sciences and disorders literature are presented. Results/Conclusions The use of molecular biology techniques in the fields of speech, language, and hearing sciences is increasing, facilitating the need for an understanding of molecular biology fundamentals and common experimental assays.

The emerging role of cloud computing in molecular modelling.

PubMed

Ebejer, Jean-Paul; Fulle, Simone; Morris, Garrett M; Finn, Paul W

2013-07-01

There is a growing recognition of the importance of cloud computing for large-scale and data-intensive applications. The distinguishing features of cloud computing and their relationship to other distributed computing paradigms are described, as are the strengths and weaknesses of the approach. We review the use made to date of cloud computing for molecular modelling projects and the availability of front ends for molecular modelling applications. Although the use of cloud computing technologies for molecular modelling is still in its infancy, we demonstrate its potential by presenting several case studies. Rapid growth can be expected as more applications become available and costs continue to fall; cloud computing can make a major contribution not just in terms of the availability of on-demand computing power, but could also spur innovation in the development of novel approaches that utilize that capacity in more effective ways. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Committee on Atomic, Molecular and Optical Sciences

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lancaster, James

The Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences (CAMOS) is a standing activity of the National Research Council (NRC) that operates under the auspices of the Board on Physics and Astronomy. CAMOS is one of five standing committees of the BPA that are charged with assisting it in achieving its goals—monitoring the health of physics and astronomy, identifying important new developments at the scientific forefronts, fostering interactions with other fields, strengthening connections to technology, facilitating effective service to the nation, and enhancing education in physics. CAMOS provides these capabilities for the atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) sciences.

Computer/Information Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birman, Ken; Roughgarden, Tim; Seltzer, Margo; Spohrer, Jim; Stolterman, Erik; Kearsley, Greg; Koszalka, Tiffany; de Jong, Ton

2013-01-01

Scholars representing the field of computer/information science were asked to identify what they considered to be the most exciting and imaginative work currently being done in their field, as well as how that work might change our understanding. The scholars included Ken Birman, Jennifer Rexford, Tim Roughgarden, Margo Seltzer, Jim Spohrer, and…

Computer Simulation in Social Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garson, G. David

From a base in military models, computer simulation has evolved to provide a wide variety of applications in social science. General purpose simulation packages and languages such as FIRM, DYNAMO, and others have made significant contributions toward policy discussion in the social sciences and have well-documented efficacy in instructional…

Informing Mechanistic Toxicology with Computational Molecular Models

EPA Science Inventory

Computational molecular models of chemicals interacting with biomolecular targets provides toxicologists a valuable, affordable, and sustainable source of in silico molecular level information that augments, enriches, and complements in vitro and in vivo effo...

NASA Center for Computational Sciences: History and Resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Nasa Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) has been a leading capacity computing facility, providing a production environment and support resources to address the challenges facing the Earth and space sciences research community.

Research in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science is summarized and abstracts of published reports are presented. The major categories of the ICASE research program are: (1) numerical methods, with particular emphasis on the development and analysis of basic numerical algorithms; (2) control and parameter identification; (3) computational problems in engineering and the physical sciences, particularly fluid dynamics, acoustics, and structural analysis; and (4) computer systems and software, especially vector and parallel computers.

Hispanic women overcoming deterrents to computer science: A phenomenological study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herling, Lourdes

The products of computer science are important to all aspects of society and are tools in the solution of the world's problems. It is, therefore, troubling that the United States faces a shortage in qualified graduates in computer science. The number of women and minorities in computer science is significantly lower than the percentage of the U.S. population which they represent. The overall enrollment in computer science programs has continued to decline with the enrollment of women declining at a higher rate than that of men. This study addressed three aspects of underrepresentation about which there has been little previous research: addressing computing disciplines specifically rather than embedding them within the STEM disciplines, what attracts women and minorities to computer science, and addressing the issues of race/ethnicity and gender in conjunction rather than in isolation. Since women of underrepresented ethnicities are more severely underrepresented than women in general, it is important to consider whether race and ethnicity play a role in addition to gender as has been suggested by previous research. Therefore, this study examined what attracted Hispanic women to computer science specifically. The study determines whether being subjected to multiple marginalizations---female and Hispanic---played a role in the experiences of Hispanic women currently in computer science. The study found five emergent themes within the experiences of Hispanic women in computer science. Encouragement and role models strongly influenced not only the participants' choice to major in the field, but to persist as well. Most of the participants experienced a negative atmosphere and feelings of not fitting in while in college and industry. The interdisciplinary nature of computer science was the most common aspect that attracted the participants to computer science. The aptitudes participants commonly believed are needed for success in computer science are the Twenty

Molecular electronics: The technology of sixth generation computers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarvis, M.T.; Miller, R.K.

1987-01-01

In February 1986, Japan began the 6th Generation project. At the 1987 Economic Summit in Venice, Prime Minister Yashuhiro Makasone opened the project to world collaboration. A project director suggests that the 6th Generation ''may just be a turning point for human society.'' The major rationale for building molecular electronic devices is to achieve advances in computational densities and speeds. Proposed chromophore chains for molecular-scale chips, for example, could be spaced closer than today's silicone elements by a factor of almost 100. This book describes the research and proposed designs for molecular electronic devices and computers. It examines specific potentialmore » applications and the relationship to molecular electronics to silicon technology and presents the first published survey of experts on research issues, applications, and forecast of future developments and also includes market forecast. An interesting suggestion of the survey is that the chemical industry may become a significant factor in the computer industry as the sixth generation unfolds.« less

Summary of research in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science during the period October 1, 1983 through March 31, 1984 is summarized.

Semiotics, Information Science, Documents and Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Julian

1990-01-01

Discusses the relationship and value of semiotics to the established domains of information science. Highlights include documentation; computer operations; the language of computing; automata theory; linguistics; speech and writing; and the written language as a unifying principle for the document and the computer. (93 references) (LRW)

Computational Materials Science and Chemistry: Accelerating Discovery and Innovation through Simulation-Based Engineering and Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crabtree, George; Glotzer, Sharon; McCurdy, Bill

This report is based on a SC Workshop on Computational Materials Science and Chemistry for Innovation on July 26-27, 2010, to assess the potential of state-of-the-art computer simulations to accelerate understanding and discovery in materials science and chemistry, with a focus on potential impacts in energy technologies and innovation. The urgent demand for new energy technologies has greatly exceeded the capabilities of today's materials and chemical processes. To convert sunlight to fuel, efficiently store energy, or enable a new generation of energy production and utilization technologies requires the development of new materials and processes of unprecedented functionality and performance. Newmore » materials and processes are critical pacing elements for progress in advanced energy systems and virtually all industrial technologies. Over the past two decades, the United States has developed and deployed the world's most powerful collection of tools for the synthesis, processing, characterization, and simulation and modeling of materials and chemical systems at the nanoscale, dimensions of a few atoms to a few hundred atoms across. These tools, which include world-leading x-ray and neutron sources, nanoscale science facilities, and high-performance computers, provide an unprecedented view of the atomic-scale structure and dynamics of materials and the molecular-scale basis of chemical processes. For the first time in history, we are able to synthesize, characterize, and model materials and chemical behavior at the length scale where this behavior is controlled. This ability is transformational for the discovery process and, as a result, confers a significant competitive advantage. Perhaps the most spectacular increase in capability has been demonstrated in high performance computing. Over the past decade, computational power has increased by a factor of a million due to advances in hardware and software. This rate of improvement, which shows no sign of

Photochromic molecular implementations of universal computation.

PubMed

Chaplin, Jack C; Krasnogor, Natalio; Russell, Noah A

2014-12-01

Unconventional computing is an area of research in which novel materials and paradigms are utilised to implement computation. Previously we have demonstrated how registers, logic gates and logic circuits can be implemented, unconventionally, with a biocompatible molecular switch, NitroBIPS, embedded in a polymer matrix. NitroBIPS and related molecules have been shown elsewhere to be capable of modifying many biological processes in a manner that is dependent on its molecular form. Thus, one possible application of this type of unconventional computing is to embed computational processes into biological systems. Here we expand on our earlier proof-of-principle work and demonstrate that universal computation can be implemented using NitroBIPS. We have previously shown that spatially localised computational elements, including registers and logic gates, can be produced. We explain how parallel registers can be implemented, then demonstrate an application of parallel registers in the form of Turing machine tapes, and demonstrate both parallel registers and logic circuits in the form of elementary cellular automata. The Turing machines and elementary cellular automata utilise the same samples and same hardware to implement their registers, logic gates and logic circuits; and both represent examples of universal computing paradigms. This shows that homogenous photochromic computational devices can be dynamically repurposed without invasive reconfiguration. The result represents an important, necessary step towards demonstrating the general feasibility of interfacial computation embedded in biological systems or other unconventional materials and environments. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Computational thinking in life science education.

PubMed

Rubinstein, Amir; Chor, Benny

2014-11-01

We join the increasing call to take computational education of life science students a step further, beyond teaching mere programming and employing existing software tools. We describe a new course, focusing on enriching the curriculum of life science students with abstract, algorithmic, and logical thinking, and exposing them to the computational "culture." The design, structure, and content of our course are influenced by recent efforts in this area, collaborations with life scientists, and our own instructional experience. Specifically, we suggest that an effective course of this nature should: (1) devote time to explicitly reflect upon computational thinking processes, resisting the temptation to drift to purely practical instruction, (2) focus on discrete notions, rather than on continuous ones, and (3) have basic programming as a prerequisite, so students need not be preoccupied with elementary programming issues. We strongly recommend that the mere use of existing bioinformatics tools and packages should not replace hands-on programming. Yet, we suggest that programming will mostly serve as a means to practice computational thinking processes. This paper deals with the challenges and considerations of such computational education for life science students. It also describes a concrete implementation of the course and encourages its use by others.

Impacts | Computational Science | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Impacts Impacts Read about the impacts of NREL's innovations in computational science. Awards community. Photo of the Peregrine supercomputer 2014 R&D 100 Award and R&D Magazine Editor's Choice

Non-Determinism: An Abstract Concept in Computer Science Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armoni, Michal; Gal-Ezer, Judith

2007-01-01

Non-determinism is one of the most important, yet abstract, recurring concepts of Computer Science. It plays an important role in Computer Science areas such as formal language theory, computability theory, distributed computing, and operating systems. We conducted a series of studies on the perception of non-determinism. In the current research,…

Phase computations and phase models for discrete molecular oscillators.

PubMed

Suvak, Onder; Demir, Alper

2012-06-11

Biochemical oscillators perform crucial functions in cells, e.g., they set up circadian clocks. The dynamical behavior of oscillators is best described and analyzed in terms of the scalar quantity, phase. A rigorous and useful definition for phase is based on the so-called isochrons of oscillators. Phase computation techniques for continuous oscillators that are based on isochrons have been used for characterizing the behavior of various types of oscillators under the influence of perturbations such as noise. In this article, we extend the applicability of these phase computation methods to biochemical oscillators as discrete molecular systems, upon the information obtained from a continuous-state approximation of such oscillators. In particular, we describe techniques for computing the instantaneous phase of discrete, molecular oscillators for stochastic simulation algorithm generated sample paths. We comment on the accuracies and derive certain measures for assessing the feasibilities of the proposed phase computation methods. Phase computation experiments on the sample paths of well-known biological oscillators validate our analyses. The impact of noise that arises from the discrete and random nature of the mechanisms that make up molecular oscillators can be characterized based on the phase computation techniques proposed in this article. The concept of isochrons is the natural choice upon which the phase notion of oscillators can be founded. The isochron-theoretic phase computation methods that we propose can be applied to discrete molecular oscillators of any dimension, provided that the oscillatory behavior observed in discrete-state does not vanish in a continuous-state approximation. Analysis of the full versatility of phase noise phenomena in molecular oscillators will be possible if a proper phase model theory is developed, without resorting to such approximations.

A Heterogeneous High-Performance System for Computational and Computer Science

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-15

Patents Submitted Patents Awarded Awards Graduate Students Names of Post Doctorates Names of Faculty Supported Names of Under Graduate students supported...team of research faculty from the departments of computer science and natural science at Bowie State University. The supercomputer is not only to...accelerated HPC systems. The supercomputer is also ideal for the research conducted in the Department of Natural Science, as research faculty work on

Non-parallel processing: Gendered attrition in academic computer science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohoon, Joanne Louise Mcgrath

2000-10-01

This dissertation addresses the issue of disproportionate female attrition from computer science as an instance of gender segregation in higher education. By adopting a theoretical framework from organizational sociology, it demonstrates that the characteristics and processes of computer science departments strongly influence female retention. The empirical data identifies conditions under which women are retained in the computer science major at comparable rates to men. The research for this dissertation began with interviews of students, faculty, and chairpersons from five computer science departments. These exploratory interviews led to a survey of faculty and chairpersons at computer science and biology departments in Virginia. The data from these surveys are used in comparisons of the computer science and biology disciplines, and for statistical analyses that identify which departmental characteristics promote equal attrition for male and female undergraduates in computer science. This three-pronged methodological approach of interviews, discipline comparisons, and statistical analyses shows that departmental variation in gendered attrition rates can be explained largely by access to opportunity, relative numbers, and other characteristics of the learning environment. Using these concepts, this research identifies nine factors that affect the differential attrition of women from CS departments. These factors are: (1) The gender composition of enrolled students and faculty; (2) Faculty turnover; (3) Institutional support for the department; (4) Preferential attitudes toward female students; (5) Mentoring and supervising by faculty; (6) The local job market, starting salaries, and competitiveness of graduates; (7) Emphasis on teaching; and (8) Joint efforts for student success. This work contributes to our understanding of the gender segregation process in higher education. In addition, it contributes information that can lead to effective solutions for an

Increasing Diversity in Computer Science: Acknowledging, yet Moving Beyond, Gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Elizabeth A.; Stubbs, Margaret L.

Lack of diversity within the computer science field has, thus far, been examined most fully through the lens of gender. This article is based on a follow-on to Margolis and Fisher's (2002) study and includes interviews with 33 Carnegie Mellon University students from the undergraduate senior class of 2002 in the School of Computer Science. We found evidence of similarities among the perceptions of these women and men on definitions of computer science, explanations for the notoriously low proportion of women in the field, characterizations of a typical computer science student, impressions of recent curricular changes, a sense of the atmosphere/culture in the program, views of the Women@SCS campus organization, and suggestions for attracting and retaining well-rounded students in computer science. We conclude that efforts to increase diversity in the computer science field will benefit from a more broad-based approach that considers, but is not limited to, notions of gender difference.

Computational Nanotechnology Molecular Electronics, Materials and Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak; Biegel, Bryan A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This presentation covers research being performed on computational nanotechnology, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes at the NASA Ames Research Center. Topics cover include: nanomechanics of nanomaterials, nanotubes and composite materials, molecular electronics with nanotube junctions, kinky chemistry, and nanotechnology for solid-state quantum computers using fullerenes.

Summary of research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period October 1, 1988 through March 31, 1989 is summarized.

Gender Differences in the Use of Computers, Programming, and Peer Interactions in Computer Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoilescu, Dorian; Egodawatte, Gunawardena

2010-01-01

Research shows that female and male students in undergraduate computer science programs view computer culture differently. Female students are interested more in the use of computers than in doing programming, whereas male students see computer science mainly as a programming activity. The overall purpose of our research was not to find new…

The Metamorphosis of an Introduction to Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Jacob, Marion G.

1997-01-01

Introductory courses in computer science at colleges and universities have undergone significant changes in 20 years. This article provides an overview of the history of introductory computer science (FORTRAN, ANSI flowchart symbols, BASIC, data processing concepts, and PASCAL) and its future (robotics and C++). (PEN)

A Microcomputer-Based Computer Science Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compeau, Larry D.

1984-01-01

Examines the use of the microcomputer in computer science programs as an alternative to time-sharing computers at North Country Community College. Discusses factors contributing to the program's success, security problems, outside application possibilities, and program implementation concerns. (DMM)

Research in computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, J. M.

1985-01-01

Synopses are given for NASA supported work in computer science at the University of Virginia. Some areas of research include: error seeding as a testing method; knowledge representation for engineering design; analysis of faults in a multi-version software experiment; implementation of a parallel programming environment; two computer graphics systems for visualization of pressure distribution and convective density particles; task decomposition for multiple robot arms; vectorized incomplete conjugate gradient; and iterative methods for solving linear equations on the Flex/32.

Partnership in Computational Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huray, Paul G.

1999-02-24

This is the final report for the "Partnership in Computational Science" (PICS) award in an amount of $500,000 for the period January 1, 1993 through December 31, 1993. A copy of the proposal with its budget is attached as Appendix A. This report first describes the consequent significance of the DOE award in building infrastructure of high performance computing in the Southeast and then describes the work accomplished under this grant and a list of publications resulting from it.

CMSC-130 Introductory Computer Science, Lecture Notes

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-01

Introductory Computer Science lecture notes are used in the classroom for teaching CMSC 130, an introductory computer science course , using the ...Unit Testing 2. The Syntax Of Subunits Will Be Studied In The Subsequent Course CMSC130 -5- Lecture 11 TOP-DOWN TESTING Data Processor Procedure...used in the preparation of these lecture notes: Reference Manual For The Ada Prosramming Language, ANSI/MIL-STD

Some Hail 'Computational Science' as Biggest Advance Since Newton, Galileo.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Judith Axler

1987-01-01

Computational science is defined as science done on a computer. A computer can serve as a laboratory for researchers who cannot experiment with their subjects, and as a calculator for those who otherwise might need centuries to solve some problems mathematically. The National Science Foundation's support of supercomputers is discussed. (MLW)

A Cognitive Model for Problem Solving in Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parham, Jennifer R.

2009-01-01

According to industry representatives, computer science education needs to emphasize the processes involved in solving computing problems rather than their solutions. Most of the current assessment tools used by universities and computer science departments analyze student answers to problems rather than investigating the processes involved in…

Issues in undergraduate education in computational science and high performance computing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marchioro, T.L. II; Martin, D.

1994-12-31

The ever increasing need for mathematical and computational literacy within their society and among members of the work force has generated enormous pressure to revise and improve the teaching of related subjects throughout the curriculum, particularly at the undergraduate level. The Calculus Reform movement is perhaps the best known example of an organized initiative in this regard. The UCES (Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Science) project, an effort funded by the Department of Energy and administered through the Ames Laboratory, is sponsoring an informal and open discussion of the salient issues confronting efforts to improve and expand the teaching of computationalmore » science as a problem oriented, interdisciplinary approach to scientific investigation. Although the format is open, the authors hope to consider pertinent questions such as: (1) How can faculty and research scientists obtain the recognition necessary to further excellence in teaching the mathematical and computational sciences? (2) What sort of educational resources--both hardware and software--are needed to teach computational science at the undergraduate level? Are traditional procedural languages sufficient? Are PCs enough? Are massively parallel platforms needed? (3) How can electronic educational materials be distributed in an efficient way? Can they be made interactive in nature? How should such materials be tied to the World Wide Web and the growing ``Information Superhighway``?« less

Phase computations and phase models for discrete molecular oscillators

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Biochemical oscillators perform crucial functions in cells, e.g., they set up circadian clocks. The dynamical behavior of oscillators is best described and analyzed in terms of the scalar quantity, phase. A rigorous and useful definition for phase is based on the so-called isochrons of oscillators. Phase computation techniques for continuous oscillators that are based on isochrons have been used for characterizing the behavior of various types of oscillators under the influence of perturbations such as noise. Results In this article, we extend the applicability of these phase computation methods to biochemical oscillators as discrete molecular systems, upon the information obtained from a continuous-state approximation of such oscillators. In particular, we describe techniques for computing the instantaneous phase of discrete, molecular oscillators for stochastic simulation algorithm generated sample paths. We comment on the accuracies and derive certain measures for assessing the feasibilities of the proposed phase computation methods. Phase computation experiments on the sample paths of well-known biological oscillators validate our analyses. Conclusions The impact of noise that arises from the discrete and random nature of the mechanisms that make up molecular oscillators can be characterized based on the phase computation techniques proposed in this article. The concept of isochrons is the natural choice upon which the phase notion of oscillators can be founded. The isochron-theoretic phase computation methods that we propose can be applied to discrete molecular oscillators of any dimension, provided that the oscillatory behavior observed in discrete-state does not vanish in a continuous-state approximation. Analysis of the full versatility of phase noise phenomena in molecular oscillators will be possible if a proper phase model theory is developed, without resorting to such approximations. PMID:22687330

Assessment of Examinations in Computer Science Doctoral Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straub, Jeremy

2014-01-01

This article surveys the examination requirements for attaining degree candidate (candidacy) status in computer science doctoral programs at all of the computer science doctoral granting institutions in the United States. It presents a framework for program examination requirement categorization, and categorizes these programs by the type or types…

Computer Science Professionals and Greek Library Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dendrinos, Markos N.

2008-01-01

This paper attempts to present the current state of computer science penetration into librarianship in terms of both workplace and education issues. The shift from material libraries into digital libraries is mirrored in the corresponding shift from librarians into information scientists. New library data and metadata, as well as new automated…

Computing Whether She Belongs: Stereotypes Undermine Girls' Interest and Sense of Belonging in Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Master, Allison; Cheryan, Sapna; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

2016-01-01

Computer science has one of the largest gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. An important reason for this disparity is that girls are less likely than boys to enroll in necessary "pipeline courses," such as introductory computer science. Two experiments investigated whether high-school girls' lower…

Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science during the period April 1, 1983 through September 30, 1983 is summarized.

Hispanic Women Overcoming Deterrents to Computer Science: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herling, Lourdes

2011-01-01

The products of computer science are important to all aspects of society and are tools in the solution of the world's problems. It is, therefore, troubling that the United States faces a shortage in qualified graduates in computer science. The number of women and minorities in computer science is significantly lower than the percentage of the…

All Roads Lead to Computing: Making, Participatory Simulations, and Social Computing as Pathways to Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Corey; Orton, Kai; Weintrop, David; Anton, Gabriella; Rodriguez, Sebastian; Wilensky, Uri

2017-01-01

Computer science (CS) is becoming an increasingly diverse domain. This paper reports on an initiative designed to introduce underrepresented populations to computing using an eclectic, multifaceted approach. As part of a yearlong computing course, students engage in Maker activities, participatory simulations, and computing projects that…

New Pedagogies on Teaching Science with Computer Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Samia

2011-01-01

Teaching science with computer simulations is a complex undertaking. This case study examines how an experienced science teacher taught chemistry using computer simulations and the impact of his teaching on his students. Classroom observations over 3 semesters, teacher interviews, and student surveys were collected. The data was analyzed for (1)…

Case Studies of Liberal Arts Computer Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, D.; Brady, A.; Danyluk, A.; Adams, J.; Lawrence, A.

2010-01-01

Many undergraduate liberal arts institutions offer computer science majors. This article illustrates how quality computer science programs can be realized in a wide variety of liberal arts settings by describing and contrasting the actual programs at five liberal arts colleges: Williams College, Kalamazoo College, the State University of New York…

Collaboration, Collusion and Plagiarism in Computer Science Coursework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Robert

2014-01-01

We present an overview of the nature of academic dishonesty with respect to computer science coursework. We discuss the efficacy of various policies for collaboration with regard to student education, and we consider a number of strategies for mitigating dishonest behaviour on computer science coursework by addressing some common causes. Computer…

"Computer Science Can Feed a Lot of Dreams"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Horizons, 2014

2014-01-01

Pat Yongpradit is the director of education at Code.org. He leads all education efforts, including professional development and curriculum creation, and he builds relationships with school districts. Pat joined "Educational Horizons" to talk about why it is important to teach computer science--even for non-computer science teachers. This…

Research in Applied Mathematics, Fluid Mechanics and Computer Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period October 1, 1998 through March 31, 1999.

Symplectic molecular dynamics simulations on specially designed parallel computers.

PubMed

Borstnik, Urban; Janezic, Dusanka

2005-01-01

We have developed a computer program for molecular dynamics (MD) simulation that implements the Split Integration Symplectic Method (SISM) and is designed to run on specialized parallel computers. The MD integration is performed by the SISM, which analytically treats high-frequency vibrational motion and thus enables the use of longer simulation time steps. The low-frequency motion is treated numerically on specially designed parallel computers, which decreases the computational time of each simulation time step. The combination of these approaches means that less time is required and fewer steps are needed and so enables fast MD simulations. We study the computational performance of MD simulation of molecular systems on specialized computers and provide a comparison to standard personal computers. The combination of the SISM with two specialized parallel computers is an effective way to increase the speed of MD simulations up to 16-fold over a single PC processor.

African-American males in computer science---Examining the pipeline for clogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Daryl Bryant

The literature on African-American males (AAM) begins with a statement to the effect that "Today young Black men are more likely to be killed or sent to prison than to graduate from college." Why are the numbers of African-American male college graduates decreasing? Why are those enrolled in college not majoring in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines? This research explored why African-American males are not filling the well-recognized industry need for Computer Scientist/Technologists by choosing college tracks to these careers. The literature on STEM disciplines focuses largely on women in STEM, as opposed to minorities, and within minorities, there is a noticeable research gap in addressing the needs and opportunities available to African-American males. The primary goal of this study was therefore to examine the computer science "pipeline" from the African-American male perspective. The method included a "Computer Science Degree Self-Efficacy Scale" be distributed to five groups of African-American male students, to include: (1) fourth graders, (2) eighth graders, (3) eleventh graders, (4) underclass undergraduate computer science majors, and (5) upperclass undergraduate computer science majors. In addition to a 30-question self-efficacy test, subjects from each group were asked to participate in a group discussion about "African-American males in computer science." The audio record of each group meeting provides qualitative data for the study. The hypotheses include the following: (1) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between fourth and eighth graders. (2) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eighth and eleventh graders. (3) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eleventh graders and lower-level computer science majors. (4) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree

International Developments in Computer Science.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

background on 52 53 China’s scientific research and on their computer science before 1978. A useful companion to the directory is another publication of the...bimonthly publication in Portuguese; occasional translation of foreign articles into Portuguese. Data News: A bimonthly industry newsletter. Sistemas ...computer-related topics; Spanish. Delta: Publication of local users group; Spanish. Sistemas : Publication of System Engineers of Colombia; Spanish. CUBA

Enabling Wide-Scale Computer Science Education through Improved Automated Assessment Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boe, Bryce A.

There is a proliferating demand for newly trained computer scientists as the number of computer science related jobs continues to increase. University programs will only be able to train enough new computer scientists to meet this demand when two things happen: when there are more primary and secondary school students interested in computer science, and when university departments have the resources to handle the resulting increase in enrollment. To meet these goals, significant effort is being made to both incorporate computational thinking into existing primary school education, and to support larger university computer science class sizes. We contribute to this effort through the creation and use of improved automated assessment tools. To enable wide-scale computer science education we do two things. First, we create a framework called Hairball to support the static analysis of Scratch programs targeted for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Scratch is a popular building-block language utilized to pique interest in and teach the basics of computer science. We observe that Hairball allows for rapid curriculum alterations and thus contributes to wide-scale deployment of computer science curriculum. Second, we create a real-time feedback and assessment system utilized in university computer science classes to provide better feedback to students while reducing assessment time. Insights from our analysis of student submission data show that modifications to the system configuration support the way students learn and progress through course material, making it possible for instructors to tailor assignments to optimize learning in growing computer science classes.

Arguing for Computer Science in the School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fluck, Andrew; Webb, Mary; Cox, Margaret; Angeli, Charoula; Malyn-Smith, Joyce; Voogt, Joke; Zagami, Jason

2016-01-01

Computer science has been a discipline for some years, and its position in the school curriculum has been contested differently in several countries. This paper looks at its role in three countries to illustrate these differences. A reconsideration of computer science as a separate subject both in primary and secondary education is suggested. At…

Computer-Based Molecular Modelling: Finnish School Teachers' Experiences and Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksela, Maija; Lundell, Jan

2008-01-01

Modern computer-based molecular modelling opens up new possibilities for chemistry teaching at different levels. This article presents a case study seeking insight into Finnish school teachers' use of computer-based molecular modelling in teaching chemistry, into the different working and teaching methods used, and their opinions about necessary…

Women in computer science: An interpretative phenomenological analysis exploring common factors contributing to women's selection and persistence in computer science as an academic major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thackeray, Lynn Roy

The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning that women make of the social and cultural factors that influence their reasons for entering and remaining in study of computer science. The twenty-first century presents many new challenges in career development and workforce choices for both men and women. Information technology has become the driving force behind many areas of the economy. As this trend continues, it has become essential that U.S. citizens need to pursue a career in technologies, including the computing sciences. Although computer science is a very lucrative profession, many Americans, especially women, are not choosing it as a profession. Recent studies have shown no significant differences in math, technical and science competency between men and women. Therefore, other factors, such as social, cultural, and environmental influences seem to affect women's decisions in choosing an area of study and career choices. A phenomenological method of qualitative research was used in this study, based on interviews of seven female students who are currently enrolled in a post-secondary computer science program. Their narratives provided meaning into the social and cultural environments that contribute to their persistence in their technical studies, as well as identifying barriers and challenges that are faced by female students who choose to study computer science. It is hoped that the data collected from this study may provide recommendations for the recruiting, retention and support for women in computer science departments of U.S. colleges and universities, and thereby increase the numbers of women computer scientists in industry. Keywords: gender access, self-efficacy, culture, stereotypes, computer education, diversity.

Programmers, professors, and parasites: credit and co-authorship in computer science.

PubMed

Solomon, Justin

2009-12-01

This article presents an in-depth analysis of past and present publishing practices in academic computer science to suggest the establishment of a more consistent publishing standard. Historical precedent for academic publishing in computer science is established through the study of anecdotes as well as statistics collected from databases of published computer science papers. After examining these facts alongside information about analogous publishing situations and standards in other scientific fields, the article concludes with a list of basic principles that should be adopted in any computer science publishing standard. These principles would contribute to the reliability and scientific nature of academic publications in computer science and would allow for more straightforward discourse in future publications.

Boolean logic tree of graphene-based chemical system for molecular computation and intelligent molecular search query.

PubMed

Huang, Wei Tao; Luo, Hong Qun; Li, Nian Bing

2014-05-06

The most serious, and yet unsolved, problem of constructing molecular computing devices consists in connecting all of these molecular events into a usable device. This report demonstrates the use of Boolean logic tree for analyzing the chemical event network based on graphene, organic dye, thrombin aptamer, and Fenton reaction, organizing and connecting these basic chemical events. And this chemical event network can be utilized to implement fluorescent combinatorial logic (including basic logic gates and complex integrated logic circuits) and fuzzy logic computing. On the basis of the Boolean logic tree analysis and logic computing, these basic chemical events can be considered as programmable "words" and chemical interactions as "syntax" logic rules to construct molecular search engine for performing intelligent molecular search query. Our approach is helpful in developing the advanced logic program based on molecules for application in biosensing, nanotechnology, and drug delivery.

Mastering cognitive development theory in computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gluga, Richard; Kay, Judy; Lister, Raymond; Simon; Kleitman, Sabina

2013-03-01

To design an effective computer science curriculum, educators require a systematic method of classifying the difficulty level of learning activities and assessment tasks. This is important for curriculum design and implementation and for communication between educators. Different educators must be able to use the method consistently, so that classified activities and assessments are comparable across the subjects of a degree, and, ideally, comparable across institutions. One widespread approach to supporting this is to write learning objects in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy. This, or other such classifications, is likely to be more effective if educators can use them consistently, in the way experts would use them. To this end, we present the design and evaluation of our online interactive web-based tutorial system, which can be configured and used to offer training in different classification schemes. We report on results from three evaluations. First, 17 computer science educators complete a tutorial on using Bloom's Taxonomy to classify programming examination questions. Second, 20 computer science educators complete a Neo-Piagetian tutorial. Third evaluation was a comparison of inter-rater reliability scores of computer science educators classifying programming questions using Bloom's Taxonomy, before and after taking our tutorial. Based on the results from these evaluations, we discuss the effectiveness of our tutorial system design for teaching computer science educators how to systematically and consistently classify programming examination questions. We also discuss the suitability of Bloom's Taxonomy and Neo-Piagetian theory for achieving this goal. The Bloom's and Neo-Piagetian tutorials are made available as a community resource. The contributions of this paper are the following: the tutorial system for learning classification schemes for the purpose of coding the difficulty of computing learning materials; its evaluation; new insights into the consistency

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, USSR: Computers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-08

Computers DISTRIBUTION STAfpiEFTX Approved !CJ- public vekrase; Distribution Unla;u;ed DTIC QUALITY INSPECTED S REPRODUCED BY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF...COMMERCE National Technical Information Service SPRINGFIELD, VA. 22161 /O o f\\H JPRS-UCC-88-002 8 JULY 1988 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY USSR: COMPUTERS ...CONTENTS GENERAL Computers : Steps to the World Level ,nm^VA „ 17Q (V. Kovalenko; SOTSIAL1STICIIESKAYA INDUSTRIYA, No 178, 4 Aug 87

Computer Science 205. Interim Guide, 1983.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education, Winnipeg.

This guide to a 4-unit, required high school computer science course emphasizes problem solving and computer programming and is designed for use with a variety of hardware configurations and programming languages. An overview covers the program rationale, goals and objectives, program design and description, program implementation, time allotment,…

Using a Computer Animation to Teach High School Molecular Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotbain, Yosi; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Stavy, Ruth

2008-01-01

We present an active way to use a computer animation in secondary molecular genetics class. For this purpose we developed an activity booklet that helps students to work interactively with a computer animation which deals with abstract concepts and processes in molecular biology. The achievements of the experimental group were compared with those…

Approaching Gender Parity: Women in Computer Science at Afghanistan's Kabul University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plane, Jandelyn

2010-01-01

This study explores the representation of women in computer science at the tertiary level through data collected about undergraduate computer science education at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Previous studies have theorized reasons for underrepresentation of women in computer science, and while many of these reasons are indeed present in…

Need Assessment of Computer Science and Engineering Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surakka, Sami; Malmi, Lauri

2005-01-01

This case study considered the syllabus of the first and second year studies in computer science. The aim of the study was to reveal which topics covered in the syllabi were really needed during the following years of study or in working life. The program that was assessed in the study was a Masters program in computer science and engineering at a…

Report on Computing and Networking in the Space Science Laboratory by the SSL Computer Committee

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, D. L. (Editor)

1993-01-01

The Space Science Laboratory (SSL) at Marshall Space Flight Center is a multiprogram facility. Scientific research is conducted in four discipline areas: earth science and applications, solar-terrestrial physics, astrophysics, and microgravity science and applications. Representatives from each of these discipline areas participate in a Laboratory computer requirements committee, which developed this document. The purpose is to establish and discuss Laboratory objectives for computing and networking in support of science. The purpose is also to lay the foundation for a collective, multiprogram approach to providing these services. Special recognition is given to the importance of the national and international efforts of our research communities toward the development of interoperable, network-based computer applications.

The Information Science Experiment System - The computer for science experiments in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, Edwin C.; Husson, Charles

1989-01-01

The concept of the Information Science Experiment System (ISES), potential experiments, and system requirements are reviewed. The ISES is conceived as a computer resource in space whose aim is to assist computer, earth, and space science experiments, to develop and demonstrate new information processing concepts, and to provide an experiment base for developing new information technology for use in space systems. The discussion covers system hardware and architecture, operating system software, the user interface, and the ground communication link.

Simulated quantum computation of molecular energies.

PubMed

Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Dutoi, Anthony D; Love, Peter J; Head-Gordon, Martin

2005-09-09

The calculation time for the energy of atoms and molecules scales exponentially with system size on a classical computer but polynomially using quantum algorithms. We demonstrate that such algorithms can be applied to problems of chemical interest using modest numbers of quantum bits. Calculations of the water and lithium hydride molecular ground-state energies have been carried out on a quantum computer simulator using a recursive phase-estimation algorithm. The recursive algorithm reduces the number of quantum bits required for the readout register from about 20 to 4. Mappings of the molecular wave function to the quantum bits are described. An adiabatic method for the preparation of a good approximate ground-state wave function is described and demonstrated for a stretched hydrogen molecule. The number of quantum bits required scales linearly with the number of basis functions, and the number of gates required grows polynomially with the number of quantum bits.

Scientific Visualization and Computational Science: Natural Partners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uselton, Samuel P.; Lasinski, T. A. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Scientific visualization is developing rapidly, stimulated by computational science, which is gaining acceptance as a third alternative to theory and experiment. Computational science is based on numerical simulations of mathematical models derived from theory. But each individual simulation is like a hypothetical experiment; initial conditions are specified, and the result is a record of the observed conditions. Experiments can be simulated for situations that can not really be created or controlled. Results impossible to measure can be computed.. Even for observable values, computed samples are typically much denser. Numerical simulations also extend scientific exploration where the mathematics is analytically intractable. Numerical simulations are used to study phenomena from subatomic to intergalactic scales and from abstract mathematical structures to pragmatic engineering of everyday objects. But computational science methods would be almost useless without visualization. The obvious reason is that the huge amounts of data produced require the high bandwidth of the human visual system, and interactivity adds to the power. Visualization systems also provide a single context for all the activities involved from debugging the simulations, to exploring the data, to communicating the results. Most of the presentations today have their roots in image processing, where the fundamental task is: Given an image, extract information about the scene. Visualization has developed from computer graphics, and the inverse task: Given a scene description, make an image. Visualization extends the graphics paradigm by expanding the possible input. The goal is still to produce images; the difficulty is that the input is not a scene description displayable by standard graphics methods. Visualization techniques must either transform the data into a scene description or extend graphics techniques to display this odd input. Computational science is a fertile field for visualization

Brains--Computers--Machines: Neural Engineering in Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chudler, Eric H.; Bergsman, Kristen Clapper

2016-01-01

Neural engineering is an emerging field of high relevance to students, teachers, and the general public. This feature presents online resources that educators and scientists can use to introduce students to neural engineering and to integrate core ideas from the life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, computer science, and engineering…

Computer Instrumentation and the New Tools of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, H. David

1990-01-01

The impact and uses of new technologies in science teaching are discussed. Included are computers, software, sensors, integrated circuits, computer signal access, and computer interfaces. Uses and advantages of these new technologies are suggested. (CW)

Making Advanced Computer Science Topics More Accessible through Interactive Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shao, Kun; Maher, Peter

2012-01-01

Purpose: Teaching advanced technical concepts in a computer science program to students of different technical backgrounds presents many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed experimental pedagogy in teaching advanced computer science topics, such as computer networking, telecommunications and data structures using…

Need Assessment of Computer Science and Engineering Graduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surakka, Sami; Malmi, Lauri

2005-06-01

This case study considered the syllabus of the first and second year studies in computer science. The aim of the study was to reveal which topics covered in the syllabi were really needed during the following years of study or in working life. The program that was assessed in the study was a Masters program in computer science and engineering at a university of technology in Finland. The necessity of different subjects for the advanced studies (years 3? ?5) and for working life was assessed using four content analyses: (a) the course catalog of the institution where this study was carried out, (b) employment reports that were attached to the applications for internship credits, (c) masters theses, and (d) job advertisements in a newspaper. The results of the study imply that the necessity of physics for the advanced study and work was very low compared to the extent to which it was studied. On the other hand, the necessity for mathematics was moderate, and it had remained quite steady during the period 1989? ?2002. The most necessary computer science topic was programming. Also telecommunications and networking was needed often, whereas theoretical computer science was needed quite rarely.

An autonomous molecular computer for logical control of gene expression.

PubMed

Benenson, Yaakov; Gil, Binyamin; Ben-Dor, Uri; Adar, Rivka; Shapiro, Ehud

2004-05-27

Early biomolecular computer research focused on laboratory-scale, human-operated computers for complex computational problems. Recently, simple molecular-scale autonomous programmable computers were demonstrated allowing both input and output information to be in molecular form. Such computers, using biological molecules as input data and biologically active molecules as outputs, could produce a system for 'logical' control of biological processes. Here we describe an autonomous biomolecular computer that, at least in vitro, logically analyses the levels of messenger RNA species, and in response produces a molecule capable of affecting levels of gene expression. The computer operates at a concentration of close to a trillion computers per microlitre and consists of three programmable modules: a computation module, that is, a stochastic molecular automaton; an input module, by which specific mRNA levels or point mutations regulate software molecule concentrations, and hence automaton transition probabilities; and an output module, capable of controlled release of a short single-stranded DNA molecule. This approach might be applied in vivo to biochemical sensing, genetic engineering and even medical diagnosis and treatment. As a proof of principle we programmed the computer to identify and analyse mRNA of disease-related genes associated with models of small-cell lung cancer and prostate cancer, and to produce a single-stranded DNA molecule modelled after an anticancer drug.

Educational challenges of molecular life science: Characteristics and implications for education and research.

PubMed

Tibell, Lena A E; Rundgren, Carl-Johan

2010-01-01

Molecular life science is one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific and technical innovation, and biotechnology has profound effects on many aspects of daily life-often with deep, ethical dimensions. At the same time, the content is inherently complex, highly abstract, and deeply rooted in diverse disciplines ranging from "pure sciences," such as math, chemistry, and physics, through "applied sciences," such as medicine and agriculture, to subjects that are traditionally within the remit of humanities, notably philosophy and ethics. Together, these features pose diverse, important, and exciting challenges for tomorrow's teachers and educational establishments. With backgrounds in molecular life science research and secondary life science teaching, we (Tibell and Rundgren, respectively) bring different experiences, perspectives, concerns, and awareness of these issues. Taking the nature of the discipline as a starting point, we highlight important facets of molecular life science that are both characteristic of the domain and challenging for learning and education. Of these challenges, we focus most detail on content, reasoning difficulties, and communication issues. We also discuss implications for education research and teaching in the molecular life sciences.

Academic computer science and gender: A naturalistic study investigating the causes of attrition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Declue, Timothy Hall

Far fewer women than men take computer science classes in high school, enroll in computer science programs in college, or complete advanced degrees in computer science. The computer science pipeline begins to shrink for women even before entering college, but it is at the college level that the "brain drain" is the most evident numerically, especially in the first class taken by most computer science majors called "Computer Science 1" or CS-I. The result, for both academia and industry, is a pronounced technological gender disparity in academic and industrial computer science. The study revealed the existence of several factors influencing success in CS-I. First, and most clearly, the effect of attribution processes seemed to be quite strong. These processes tend to work against success for females and in favor of success for males. Likewise, evidence was discovered which strengthens theories related to prior experience and the perception that computer science has a culture which is hostile to females. Two unanticipated themes related to the motivation and persistence of successful computer science majors. The findings did not support the belief that females have greater logistical problems in computer science than males, or that females tend to have a different programming style than males which adversely affects the females' ability to succeed in CS-I.

Physical Computing and Its Scope--Towards a Constructionist Computer Science Curriculum with Physical Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Przybylla, Mareen; Romeike, Ralf

2014-01-01

Physical computing covers the design and realization of interactive objects and installations and allows students to develop concrete, tangible products of the real world, which arise from the learners' imagination. This can be used in computer science education to provide students with interesting and motivating access to the different topic…

Computation of Dielectric Response in Molecular Solids for High Capacitance Organic Dielectrics.

PubMed

Heitzer, Henry M; Marks, Tobin J; Ratner, Mark A

2016-09-20

The dielectric response of a material is central to numerous processes spanning the fields of chemistry, materials science, biology, and physics. Despite this broad importance across these disciplines, describing the dielectric environment of a molecular system at the level of first-principles theory and computation remains a great challenge and is of importance to understand the behavior of existing systems as well as to guide the design and synthetic realization of new ones. Furthermore, with recent advances in molecular electronics, nanotechnology, and molecular biology, it has become necessary to predict the dielectric properties of molecular systems that are often difficult or impossible to measure experimentally. In these scenarios, it is would be highly desirable to be able to determine dielectric response through efficient, accurate, and chemically informative calculations. A good example of where theoretical modeling of dielectric response would be valuable is in the development of high-capacitance organic gate dielectrics for unconventional electronics such as those that could be fabricated by high-throughput printing techniques. Gate dielectrics are fundamental components of all transistor-based logic circuitry, and the combination high dielectric constant and nanoscopic thickness (i.e., high capacitance) is essential to achieving high switching speeds and low power consumption. Molecule-based dielectrics offer the promise of cheap, flexible, and mass producible electronics when used in conjunction with unconventional organic or inorganic semiconducting materials to fabricate organic field effect transistors (OFETs). The molecular dielectrics developed to date typically have limited dielectric response, which results in low capacitances, translating into poor performance of the resulting OFETs. Furthermore, the development of better performing dielectric materials has been hindered by the current highly empirical and labor-intensive pace of synthetic

Studies in Mathematics, Volume 22. Studies in Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollack, Seymour V., Ed.

The nine articles in this collection were selected because they represent concerns central to computer science, emphasize topics of particular interest to mathematicians, and underscore the wide range of areas deeply and continually affected by computer science. The contents consist of: "Introduction" (S. V. Pollack), "The…

Selected papers in the applied computer sciences 1992

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiltshire, Denise A.

1992-01-01

This compilation of short papers reports on technical advances in the applied computer sciences. The papers describe computer applications in support of earth science investigations and research. This is the third volume in the series "Selected Papers in the Applied Computer Sciences." Listed below are the topics addressed in the compilation:Integration of geographic information systems and expert systems for resource management,Visualization of topography using digital image processing,Development of a ground-water data base for the southeastern Uited States using a geographic information system,Integration and aggregation of stream-drainage data using a geographic information system,Procedures used in production of digital geologic coverage using compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) technology, andAutomated methods for producing a technical publication on estimated water use in the United States.

Curricular Influences on Female Afterschool Facilitators' Computer Science Interests and Career Choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Melissa; Gorges, Torie

2016-10-01

Underrepresented populations such as women, African-Americans, and Latinos/as often come to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers by less traditional paths than White and Asian males. To better understand how and why women might shift toward STEM, particularly computer science, careers, we investigated the education and career direction of afterschool facilitators, primarily women of color in their twenties and thirties, who taught Build IT, an afterschool computer science curriculum for middle school girls. Many of these women indicated that implementing Build IT had influenced their own interest in technology and computer science and in some cases had resulted in their intent to pursue technology and computer science education. We wanted to explore the role that teaching Build IT may have played in activating or reactivating interest in careers in computer science and to see whether in the years following implementation of Build IT, these women pursued STEM education and/or careers. We reached nine facilitators who implemented the program in 2011-12 or shortly after. Many indicated that while facilitating Build IT, they learned along with the participants, increasing their interest in and confidence with technology and computer science. Seven of the nine participants pursued further STEM or computer science learning or modified their career paths to include more of a STEM or computer science focus. Through interviews, we explored what aspects of Build IT influenced these facilitators' interest and confidence in STEM and when relevant their pursuit of technology and computer science education and careers.

Approaching gender parity: Women in computer science at Afghanistan's Kabul University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plane, Jandelyn

This study explores the representation of women in computer science at the tertiary level through data collected about undergraduate computer science education at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Previous studies have theorized reasons for underrepresentation of women in computer science, and while many of these reasons are indeed present in Afghanistan, they appear to hinder advancement to degree to a lesser extent. Women comprise at least 36% of each graduating class from KU's Computer Science Department; however, in 2007 women were 25% of the university population. In the US, women comprise over 50% of university populations while only graduating on average 25% women in undergraduate computer science programs. Representation of women in computer science in the US is 50% below the university rate, but at KU, it is 50% above the university rate. This mixed methods study of KU was conducted in the following three stages: setting up focus groups with women computer science students, distributing surveys to all students in the CS department, and conducting a series of 22 individual interviews with fourth year CS students. The analysis of the data collected and its comparison to literature on university/department retention in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics gender representation and on women's education in underdeveloped Islamic countries illuminates KU's uncharacteristic representation of women in its Computer Science Department. The retention of women in STEM through the education pipeline has several characteristics in Afghanistan that differ from countries often studied in available literature. Few Afghan students have computers in their home and few have training beyond secretarial applications before considering studying CS at university. University students in Afghanistan are selected based on placement exams and are then assigned to an area of study, and financially supported throughout their academic career, resulting in a low attrition rate

[Research activities in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period April 1, 1995 through September 30, 1995.

Using spatial principles to optimize distributed computing for enabling the physical science discoveries

PubMed Central

Yang, Chaowei; Wu, Huayi; Huang, Qunying; Li, Zhenlong; Li, Jing

2011-01-01

Contemporary physical science studies rely on the effective analyses of geographically dispersed spatial data and simulations of physical phenomena. Single computers and generic high-end computing are not sufficient to process the data for complex physical science analysis and simulations, which can be successfully supported only through distributed computing, best optimized through the application of spatial principles. Spatial computing, the computing aspect of a spatial cyberinfrastructure, refers to a computing paradigm that utilizes spatial principles to optimize distributed computers to catalyze advancements in the physical sciences. Spatial principles govern the interactions between scientific parameters across space and time by providing the spatial connections and constraints to drive the progression of the phenomena. Therefore, spatial computing studies could better position us to leverage spatial principles in simulating physical phenomena and, by extension, advance the physical sciences. Using geospatial science as an example, this paper illustrates through three research examples how spatial computing could (i) enable data intensive science with efficient data/services search, access, and utilization, (ii) facilitate physical science studies with enabling high-performance computing capabilities, and (iii) empower scientists with multidimensional visualization tools to understand observations and simulations. The research examples demonstrate that spatial computing is of critical importance to design computing methods to catalyze physical science studies with better data access, phenomena simulation, and analytical visualization. We envision that spatial computing will become a core technology that drives fundamental physical science advancements in the 21st century. PMID:21444779

Using spatial principles to optimize distributed computing for enabling the physical science discoveries.

PubMed

Yang, Chaowei; Wu, Huayi; Huang, Qunying; Li, Zhenlong; Li, Jing

2011-04-05

Contemporary physical science studies rely on the effective analyses of geographically dispersed spatial data and simulations of physical phenomena. Single computers and generic high-end computing are not sufficient to process the data for complex physical science analysis and simulations, which can be successfully supported only through distributed computing, best optimized through the application of spatial principles. Spatial computing, the computing aspect of a spatial cyberinfrastructure, refers to a computing paradigm that utilizes spatial principles to optimize distributed computers to catalyze advancements in the physical sciences. Spatial principles govern the interactions between scientific parameters across space and time by providing the spatial connections and constraints to drive the progression of the phenomena. Therefore, spatial computing studies could better position us to leverage spatial principles in simulating physical phenomena and, by extension, advance the physical sciences. Using geospatial science as an example, this paper illustrates through three research examples how spatial computing could (i) enable data intensive science with efficient data/services search, access, and utilization, (ii) facilitate physical science studies with enabling high-performance computing capabilities, and (iii) empower scientists with multidimensional visualization tools to understand observations and simulations. The research examples demonstrate that spatial computing is of critical importance to design computing methods to catalyze physical science studies with better data access, phenomena simulation, and analytical visualization. We envision that spatial computing will become a core technology that drives fundamental physical science advancements in the 21st century.

Enduring Influence of Stereotypical Computer Science Role Models on Women's Academic Aspirations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheryan, Sapna; Drury, Benjamin J.; Vichayapai, Marissa

2013-01-01

The current work examines whether a brief exposure to a computer science role model who fits stereotypes of computer scientists has a lasting influence on women's interest in the field. One-hundred undergraduate women who were not computer science majors met a female or male peer role model who embodied computer science stereotypes in appearance…

Teaching Computer Science: A Problem Solving Approach that Works.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allan, V. H.; Kolesar, M. V.

The typical introductory programming course is not an appropriate first computer science course for many students. Initial experiences with programming are often frustrating, resulting in a low rate of successful completion, and focus on syntax rather than providing a representative picture of computer science as a discipline. The paper discusses…

Computer Science and the Liberal Arts: A Philosophical Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Henry M.; Kelemen, Charles

2010-01-01

This article explores the philosophy and position of the discipline of computer science within the liberal arts, based upon a discussion of the nature of computer science and a review of the characteristics of the liberal arts. A liberal arts environment provides important opportunities for undergraduate programs, but also presents important…

What Do Computer Science Students Think about Software Piracy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konstantakis, Nikos I.; Palaigeorgiou, George E.; Siozos, Panos D.; Tsoukalas, Ioannis A.

2010-01-01

Today, software piracy is an issue of global importance. Computer science students are the future information and communication technologies professionals and it is important to study the way they approach this issue. In this article, we attempt to study attitudes, behaviours and the corresponding reasoning of computer science students in Greece…

An autonomous molecular computer for logical control of gene expression

PubMed Central

Benenson, Yaakov; Gil, Binyamin; Ben-Dor, Uri; Adar, Rivka; Shapiro, Ehud

2013-01-01

Early biomolecular computer research focused on laboratory-scale, human-operated computers for complex computational problems1–7. Recently, simple molecular-scale autonomous programmable computers were demonstrated8–15 allowing both input and output information to be in molecular form. Such computers, using biological molecules as input data and biologically active molecules as outputs, could produce a system for ‘logical’ control of biological processes. Here we describe an autonomous biomolecular computer that, at least in vitro, logically analyses the levels of messenger RNA species, and in response produces a molecule capable of affecting levels of gene expression. The computer operates at a concentration of close to a trillion computers per microlitre and consists of three programmable modules: a computation module, that is, a stochastic molecular automaton12–17; an input module, by which specific mRNA levels or point mutations regulate software molecule concentrations, and hence automaton transition probabilities; and an output module, capable of controlled release of a short single-stranded DNA molecule. This approach might be applied in vivo to biochemical sensing, genetic engineering and even medical diagnosis and treatment. As a proof of principle we programmed the computer to identify and analyse mRNA of disease-related genes18–22 associated with models of small-cell lung cancer and prostate cancer, and to produce a single-stranded DNA molecule modelled after an anticancer drug. PMID:15116117

An Investigation of Primary School Science Teachers' Use of Computer Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ocak, Mehmet Akif; Akdemir, Omur

2008-01-01

This study investigated the level and frequency of science teachers' use of computer applications as an instructional tool in the classroom. The manner and frequency of science teachers' use of computer, their perceptions about integration of computer applications, and other factors contributed to changes in their computer literacy are…

Computational Nanotechnology of Molecular Materials, Electronics, and Actuators with Carbon Nanotubes and Fullerenes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak; Menon, Madhu; Cho, Kyeongjae; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The role of computational nanotechnology in developing next generation of multifunctional materials, molecular scale electronic and computing devices, sensors, actuators, and machines is described through a brief review of enabling computational techniques and few recent examples derived from computer simulations of carbon nanotube based molecular nanotechnology.

Is Computer Science Compatible with Technological Literacy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckler, Chris; Koperski, Kevin; Loveland, Thomas R.

2018-01-01

Although technology education evolved over time, and pressure increased to infuse more engineering principles and increase links to STEM (science technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiatives, there has never been an official alignment between technology and engineering education and computer science. There is movement at the federal level…

Molecular genetics at the Fort Collins Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oyler-McCance, S.J.; Stevens, P.D.

2011-01-01

The Fort Collins Science Center operates a molecular genetic and systematics research facility (FORT Molecular Ecology Laboratory) that uses molecular genetic tools to provide genetic information needed to inform natural resource management decisions. For many wildlife species, the data generated have become increasingly important in the development of their long-term management strategies, leading to a better understanding of species diversity, population dynamics and ecology, and future conservation and management needs. The Molecular Ecology Lab serves Federal research and resource management agencies by developing scientifically rigorous research programs using nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA to help address many of today's conservation biology and natural resource management issues.

Cognitive computing and eScience in health and life science research: artificial intelligence and obesity intervention programs.

PubMed

Marshall, Thomas; Champagne-Langabeer, Tiffiany; Castelli, Darla; Hoelscher, Deanna

2017-12-01

To present research models based on artificial intelligence and discuss the concept of cognitive computing and eScience as disruptive factors in health and life science research methodologies. The paper identifies big data as a catalyst to innovation and the development of artificial intelligence, presents a framework for computer-supported human problem solving and describes a transformation of research support models. This framework includes traditional computer support; federated cognition using machine learning and cognitive agents to augment human intelligence; and a semi-autonomous/autonomous cognitive model, based on deep machine learning, which supports eScience. The paper provides a forward view of the impact of artificial intelligence on our human-computer support and research methods in health and life science research. By augmenting or amplifying human task performance with artificial intelligence, cognitive computing and eScience research models are discussed as novel and innovative systems for developing more effective adaptive obesity intervention programs.

Educational Challenges of Molecular Life Science: Characteristics and Implications for Education and Research

PubMed Central

Rundgren, Carl-Johan

2010-01-01

Molecular life science is one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific and technical innovation, and biotechnology has profound effects on many aspects of daily life—often with deep, ethical dimensions. At the same time, the content is inherently complex, highly abstract, and deeply rooted in diverse disciplines ranging from “pure sciences,” such as math, chemistry, and physics, through “applied sciences,” such as medicine and agriculture, to subjects that are traditionally within the remit of humanities, notably philosophy and ethics. Together, these features pose diverse, important, and exciting challenges for tomorrow's teachers and educational establishments. With backgrounds in molecular life science research and secondary life science teaching, we (Tibell and Rundgren, respectively) bring different experiences, perspectives, concerns, and awareness of these issues. Taking the nature of the discipline as a starting point, we highlight important facets of molecular life science that are both characteristic of the domain and challenging for learning and education. Of these challenges, we focus most detail on content, reasoning difficulties, and communication issues. We also discuss implications for education research and teaching in the molecular life sciences. PMID:20194805

The Case for Improving U.S. Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nager, Adams; Atkinson, Robert

2016-01-01

Despite the growing use of computers and software in every facet of our economy, not until recently has computer science education begun to gain traction in American school systems. The current focus on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. School system has disregarded differences within STEM…

Stateless Programming as a Motif for Teaching Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Avi

2004-01-01

With the development of XML Web Services, the Internet could become an integral part of and the basis for teaching computer science and software engineering. The approach has been applied to a university course for students studying introduction to computer science from the point of view of software development in a stateless, Internet…

Girls in computer science: A female only introduction class in high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drobnis, Ann W.

This study examined the impact of an all girls' classroom environment in a high school introductory computer science class on the student's attitudes towards computer science and their thoughts on future involvement with computer science. It was determined that an all girls' introductory class could impact the declining female enrollment and female students' efficacy towards computer science. This research was conducted in a summer school program through a regional magnet school for science and technology which these students attend during the school year. Three different groupings of students were examined for the research: female students in an all girls' class, female students in mixed-gender classes and male students in mixed-gender classes. A survey, Attitudes about Computers and Computer Science (ACCS), was designed to obtain an understanding of the students' thoughts, preconceptions, attitude, knowledge of computer science, and future intentions around computer science, both in education and career. Students in all three groups were administered the ACCS prior to taking the class and upon completion of the class. In addition, students in the all girls' class wrote in a journal throughout the course, and some of those students were also interviewed upon completion of the course. The data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. While there were no major differences found in the quantitative data, it was determined that girls in the all girls' class were truly excited by what they had learned and were more open to the idea of computer science being a part of their future.

EDITORIAL: Computational materials science Computational materials science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahl, Gerhard; Kresse, Georg

2011-10-01

Special issue in honour of Jürgen Hafner On 30 September 2010, Jürgen Hafner, one of the most prominent and influential members within the solid state community, retired. His remarkably broad scientific oeuvre has made him one of the founding fathers of modern computational materials science: more than 600 scientific publications, numerous contributions to books, and a highly cited monograph, which has become a standard reference in the theory of metals, witness not only the remarkable productivity of Jürgen Hafner but also his impact in theoretical solid state physics. In an effort to duly acknowledge Jürgen Hafner's lasting impact in this field, a Festsymposium was held on 27-29 September 2010 at the Universität Wien. The organizers of this symposium (and authors of this editorial) are proud to say that a large number of highly renowned scientists in theoretical condensed matter theory—co-workers, friends and students—accepted the invitation to this celebration of Hafner's jubilee. Some of these speakers also followed our invitation to submit their contribution to this Festschrift, published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, a journal which Jürgen Hafner served in 2000-2003 and 2003-2006 as a member of the Advisory Editorial Board and member of the Executive Board, respectively. In the subsequent article, Volker Heine, friend and co-worker of Jürgen Hafner over many decades, gives an account of Hafner's impact in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics. Computational materials science contents Theoretical study of structural, mechanical and spectroscopic properties of boehmite (γ-AlOOH) D Tunega, H Pašalić, M H Gerzabek and H Lischka Ethylene epoxidation catalyzed by chlorine-promoted silver oxide M O Ozbek, I Onal and R A Van Santen First-principles study of Cu2ZnSnS4 and the related band offsets for photovoltaic applicationsA Nagoya, R Asahi and G Kresse Renormalization group study of random quantum magnetsIstván A Kovács and

A DDC Bibliography on Computers in Information Sciences. Volume II. Information Sciences Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Documentation Center, Alexandria, VA.

The unclassified and unlimited bibliography compiles references dealing specifically with the role of computers in information sciences. The volume contains 239 annotated references grouped under three major headings: Artificial and Programming Languages, Computer Processing of Analog Data, and Computer Processing of Digital Data. The references…

Closing the race and gender gaps in computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, John Henry

Life in a technological society brings new paradigms and pressures to bear on education. These pressures are magnified for underrepresented students and must be addressed if they are to play a vital part in society. Educational pipelines need to be established to provide at risk students with the means and opportunity to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. STEM educational pipelines are programs consisting of components that seek to facilitate students' completion of a college degree by providing access to higher education, intervention, mentoring, support infrastructure, and programs that encourage academic success. Successes in the STEM professions mean that more educators, scientist, engineers, and researchers will be available to add diversity to the professions and to provide role models for future generations. The issues that the educational pipelines must address are improving at risk groups' perceptions and awareness of the math, science, and engineering professions. Additionally, the educational pipelines must provide intervention in math preparation, overcome gender and race socialization, and provide mentors and counseling to help students achieve better self perceptions and provide positive role models. This study was designed to explorer the underrepresentation of minorities and women in the computer science major at Rowan University through a multilayered action research methodology. The purpose of this research study was to define and understand the needs of underrepresented students in computer science, to examine current policies and enrollment data for Rowan University, to develop a historical profile of the Computer Science program from the standpoint of ethnicity and gender enrollment to ascertain trends in students' choice of computer science as a major, and an attempt to determine if raising awareness about computer science for incoming freshmen, and providing an alternate route into the computer science

DNA-programmed dynamic assembly of quantum dots for molecular computation.

PubMed

He, Xuewen; Li, Zhi; Chen, Muzi; Ma, Nan

2014-12-22

Despite the widespread use of quantum dots (QDs) for biosensing and bioimaging, QD-based bio-interfaceable and reconfigurable molecular computing systems have not yet been realized. DNA-programmed dynamic assembly of multi-color QDs is presented for the construction of a new class of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based QD computing systems. A complete set of seven elementary logic gates (OR, AND, NOR, NAND, INH, XOR, XNOR) are realized using a series of binary and ternary QD complexes operated by strand displacement reactions. The integration of different logic gates into a half-adder circuit for molecular computation is also demonstrated. This strategy is quite versatile and straightforward for logical operations and would pave the way for QD-biocomputing-based intelligent molecular diagnostics. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ambient belonging: how stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science.

PubMed

Cheryan, Sapna; Plaut, Victoria C; Davies, Paul G; Steele, Claude M

2009-12-01

People can make decisions to join a group based solely on exposure to that group's physical environment. Four studies demonstrate that the gender difference in interest in computer science is influenced by exposure to environments associated with computer scientists. In Study 1, simply changing the objects in a computer science classroom from those considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., Star Trek poster, video games) to objects not considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., nature poster, phone books) was sufficient to boost female undergraduates' interest in computer science to the level of their male peers. Further investigation revealed that the stereotypical broadcast a masculine stereotype that discouraged women's sense of ambient belonging and subsequent interest in the environment (Studies 2, 3, and 4) but had no similar effect on men (Studies 3, 4). This masculine stereotype prevented women's interest from developing even in environments entirely populated by other women (Study 2). Objects can thus come to broadcast stereotypes of a group, which in turn can deter people who do not identify with these stereotypes from joining that group.

Computer Card Games in Computer Science Education: A 10-Year Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kordaki, Maria; Gousiou, Anthi

2016-01-01

This paper presents a 10-year review study that focuses on the investigation of the use of computer card games (CCGs) as learning tools in Computer Science (CS) Education. Specific search terms keyed into 10 large scientific electronic databases identified 24 papers referring to the use of CCGs for the learning of CS matters during the last…

Computer Science Concept Inventories: Past and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, C.; Zingaro, D.; Porter, L.; Webb, K. C.; Lee, C. B.; Clancy, M.

2014-01-01

Concept Inventories (CIs) are assessments designed to measure student learning of core concepts. CIs have become well known for their major impact on pedagogical techniques in other sciences, especially physics. Presently, there are no widely used, validated CIs for computer science. However, considerable groundwork has been performed in the form…

Democratizing Children's Computation: Learning Computational Science as Aesthetic Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farris, Amy Voss; Sengupta, Pratim

2016-01-01

In this essay, Amy Voss Farris and Pratim Sengupta argue that a democratic approach to children's computing education in a science class must focus on the "aesthetics" of children's experience. In "Democracy and Education," Dewey links "democracy" with a distinctive understanding of "experience." For Dewey,…

Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration HBCU Partnership at Fisk University. Final Report 2001

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, W. E.

2004-08-16

Computational Science plays a big role in research and development in mathematics, science, engineering and biomedical disciplines. The Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration (ACSC) has the goal of training African-American and other minority scientists in the computational science field for eventual employment with the Department of Energy (DOE). The involvements of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the Alliance provide avenues for producing future DOE African-American scientists. Fisk University has been participating in this program through grants from the DOE. The DOE grant supported computational science activities at Fisk University. The research areas included energy related projects, distributed computing,more » visualization of scientific systems and biomedical computing. Students' involvement in computational science research included undergraduate summer research at Oak Ridge National Lab, on-campus research involving the participation of undergraduates, participation of undergraduate and faculty members in workshops, and mentoring of students. These activities enhanced research and education in computational science, thereby adding to Fisk University's spectrum of research and educational capabilities. Among the successes of the computational science activities are the acceptance of three undergraduate students to graduate schools with full scholarships beginning fall 2002 (one for master degree program and two for Doctoral degree program).« less

Group Projects and the Computer Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joy, Mike

2005-01-01

Group projects in computer science are normally delivered with reference to good software engineering practice. The discipline of software engineering is rapidly evolving, and the application of the latest 'agile techniques' to group projects causes a potential conflict with constraints imposed by regulating bodies on the computer science…

Computational communities: African-American cultural capital in computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachney, Michael

2017-10-01

Enrolling the cultural capital of underrepresented communities in PK-12 technology and curriculum design has been a primary strategy for broadening the participation of students of color in U.S. computer science (CS) fields. This article examines two ways that African-American cultural capital and computing can be bridged in CS education. The first is community representation, using cultural capital to highlight students' social identities and networks through computational thinking. The second, computational integration, locates computation in cultural capital itself. I survey two risks - the appearance of shallow computing and the reproduction of assimilationist logics - that may arise when constructing one bridge without the other. To avoid these risks, I introduce the concept of computational communities by exploring areas in CS education that employ both strategies. This concept is then grounded in qualitative data from an after school program that connected CS to African-American cosmetology.

Predicting Computer Science Ph.D. Completion: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, G. W.; Hughes, W. E., Jr.; Etzkorn, L. H.; Weisskopf, M. E.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the results of an analysis of indicators that can be used to predict whether a student will succeed in a Computer Science Ph.D. program. The analysis was conducted by studying the records of 75 students who have been in the Computer Science Ph.D. program of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Seventy-seven variables were…

Process-Based Development of Competence Models to Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zendler, Andreas; Seitz, Cornelia; Klaudt, Dieter

2016-01-01

A process model ("cpm.4.CSE") is introduced that allows the development of competence models in computer science education related to curricular requirements. It includes eight subprocesses: (a) determine competence concept, (b) determine competence areas, (c) identify computer science concepts, (d) assign competence dimensions to…

Activities of the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliger, Joseph

1994-01-01

The Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) was established by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) on June 6, 1983. RIACS is privately operated by USRA, a consortium of universities with research programs in the aerospace sciences, under contract with NASA. The primary mission of RIACS is to provide research and expertise in computer science and scientific computing to support the scientific missions of NASA ARC. The research carried out at RIACS must change its emphasis from year to year in response to NASA ARC's changing needs and technological opportunities. Research at RIACS is currently being done in the following areas: (1) parallel computing; (2) advanced methods for scientific computing; (3) high performance networks; and (4) learning systems. RIACS technical reports are usually preprints of manuscripts that have been submitted to research journals or conference proceedings. A list of these reports for the period January 1, 1994 through December 31, 1994 is in the Reports and Abstracts section of this report.

The Early Years of Molecular Dynamics and Computers at UCRL, LRL, LLL, and LLNL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansigh Karlsen, Mary Ann

I'm the young woman in the picture shown in Fig. 12.1 that appeared with the invitation to the Symposium to celebrate Berni Alder's ninetieth birthday. I worked with Berni for over 25 years on the computer programs that provided the data he needed to write the fifteen papers published in scientific journals on Studies in Molecular Dynamics. My name appears at the end of each one thanking me for computer support. It has been interesting to look on the Internet to find my name in the middle of many foreign languages, including Japanese characters and Russian Cyrillic script. It shows how Berni's work has been of interest to many scientists all over the world from the earliest years. Figure 12.1 was also included with articles written when he received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in 2009…

Operation of micro and molecular machines: a new concept with its origins in interface science.

PubMed

Ariga, Katsuhiko; Ishihara, Shinsuke; Izawa, Hironori; Xia, Hong; Hill, Jonathan P

2011-03-21

A landmark accomplishment of nanotechnology would be successful fabrication of ultrasmall machines that can work like tweezers, motors, or even computing devices. Now we must consider how operation of micro- and molecular machines might be implemented for a wide range of applications. If these machines function only under limited conditions and/or require specialized apparatus then they are useless for practical applications. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the access of functionality of the molecular or nanoscale systems by conventional stimuli at the macroscopic level. In this perspective, we will outline the position of micro- and molecular machines in current science and technology. Most of these machines are operated by light irradiation, application of electrical or magnetic fields, chemical reactions, and thermal fluctuations, which cannot always be applied in remote machine operation. We also propose strategies for molecular machine operation using the most conventional of stimuli, that of macroscopic mechanical force, achieved through mechanical operation of molecular machines located at an air-water interface. The crucial roles of the characteristics of an interfacial environment, i.e. connection between macroscopic dimension and nanoscopic function, and contact of media with different dielectric natures, are also described.

Molecular Modeling and Computational Chemistry at Humboldt State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paselk, Richard A.; Zoellner, Robert W.

2002-01-01

Describes a molecular modeling and computational chemistry (MM&CC) facility for undergraduate instruction and research at Humboldt State University. This facility complex allows the introduction of MM&CC throughout the chemistry curriculum with tailored experiments in general, organic, and inorganic courses as well as a new molecular modeling…

Potato agriculture, late blight science, and the molecularization of plant pathology.

PubMed

Turner, R Steven

2008-01-01

By the mid-1980s nucleic-acid based methods were penetrating the farthest reaches of biological science, triggering rivalries among practitioners, altering relationships among subfields, and transforming the research front. This article delivers a "bottom up" analysis of that transformation at work in one important area of biological science, plant pathology, by tracing the "molecularization" of efforts to understand and control one notorious plant disease -- the late blight of potatoes. It mobilizes the research literature of late blight science as a tool through which to trace the changing typography of the research front from 1983 to 2003. During these years molecularization intensified the traditional fragmentation of the late blight research community, even as it dramatically integrated study of the causal organism into broader areas of biology. In these decades the pathogen responsible for late blight, the oomycete "Phytophthora infestans," was discovered to be undergoing massive, frightening, and still largely unexplained genetic diversification -- a circumstance that lends the episode examined here an urgency that reinforces its historiographical significance as a case-study in the molecularization of the biological sciences.

Logic integration of mRNA signals by an RNAi-based molecular computer.

PubMed

Xie, Zhen; Liu, Siyuan John; Bleris, Leonidas; Benenson, Yaakov

2010-05-01

Synthetic in vivo molecular 'computers' could rewire biological processes by establishing programmable, non-native pathways between molecular signals and biological responses. Multiple molecular computer prototypes have been shown to work in simple buffered solutions. Many of those prototypes were made of DNA strands and performed computations using cycles of annealing-digestion or strand displacement. We have previously introduced RNA interference (RNAi)-based computing as a way of implementing complex molecular logic in vivo. Because it also relies on nucleic acids for its operation, RNAi computing could benefit from the tools developed for DNA systems. However, these tools must be harnessed to produce bioactive components and be adapted for harsh operating environments that reflect in vivo conditions. In a step toward this goal, we report the construction and implementation of biosensors that 'transduce' mRNA levels into bioactive, small interfering RNA molecules via RNA strand exchange in a cell-free Drosophila embryo lysate, a step beyond simple buffered environments. We further integrate the sensors with our RNAi 'computational' module to evaluate two-input logic functions on mRNA concentrations. Our results show how RNA strand exchange can expand the utility of RNAi computing and point toward the possibility of using strand exchange in a native biological setting.

Entrepreneurial Health Informatics for Computer Science and Information Systems Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawler, James; Joseph, Anthony; Narula, Stuti

2014-01-01

Corporate entrepreneurship is a critical area of curricula for computer science and information systems students. Few institutions of computer science and information systems have entrepreneurship in the curricula however. This paper presents entrepreneurial health informatics as a course in a concentration of Technology Entrepreneurship at a…

CDM: Teaching Discrete Mathematics to Computer Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutner, Klaus

2005-01-01

CDM, for computational discrete mathematics, is a course that attempts to teach a number of topics in discrete mathematics to computer science majors. The course abandons the classical definition-theorem-proof model, and instead relies heavily on computation as a source of motivation and also for experimentation and illustration. The emphasis on…

Toward using games to teach fundamental computer science concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edgington, Jeffrey Michael

Video and computer games have become an important area of study in the field of education. Games have been designed to teach mathematics, physics, raise social awareness, teach history and geography, and train soldiers in the military. Recent work has created computer games for teaching computer programming and understanding basic algorithms. We present an investigation where computer games are used to teach two fundamental computer science concepts: boolean expressions and recursion. The games are intended to teach the concepts and not how to implement them in a programming language. For this investigation, two computer games were created. One is designed to teach basic boolean expressions and operators and the other to teach fundamental concepts of recursion. We describe the design and implementation of both games. We evaluate the effectiveness of these games using before and after surveys. The surveys were designed to ascertain basic understanding, attitudes and beliefs regarding the concepts. The boolean game was evaluated with local high school students and students in a college level introductory computer science course. The recursion game was evaluated with students in a college level introductory computer science course. We present the analysis of the collected survey information for both games. This analysis shows a significant positive change in student attitude towards recursion and modest gains in student learning outcomes for both topics.

Beyond the first "click:" Women graduate students in computer science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sader, Jennifer L.

This dissertation explored the ways that constructions of gender shaped the choices and expectations of women doctoral students in computer science. Women who do graduate work in computer science still operate in an environment where they are in the minority. How much of women's underrepresentation in computer science fields results from a problem of imagining women as computer scientists? As long as women in these fields are seen as exceptions, they are exceptions that prove the "rule" that computing is a man's domain. The following questions were the focus of this inquiry: What are the career aspirations of women doctoral students in computer science? How do they feel about their chances to succeed in their chosen career and field? How do women doctoral students in computer science construct womanhood? What are their constructions of what it means to be a computer scientist? In what ways, if any, do they believe their gender has affected their experience in their graduate programs? The goal was to examine how constructions of computer science and of gender---including participants' own understanding of what it meant to be a woman, as well as the messages they received from their environment---contributed to their success as graduate students in a field where women are still greatly outnumbered by men. Ten women from four different institutions of higher education were recruited to participate in this study. These women varied in demographic characteristics like age, race, and ethnicity. Still, there were many common threads in their experiences. For example, their construction of womanhood did not limit their career prospects to traditionally female jobs. They had grown up with the expectation that they would be able to succeed in whatever field they chose. Most also had very positive constructions of programming as something that was "fun," rewarding, and intellectually stimulating. Their biggest obstacles were feelings of isolation and a resulting loss of

The Computer's Debt to Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branscomb, Lewis M.

1984-01-01

Discusses discoveries and applications of science that have enabled the computer industry to introduce new technology each year and produce 25 percent more for the customer at constant cost. Potential limits to progress, disc storage technology, programming and end-user interface, and designing for ease of use are considered. Glossary is included.…

Activities of the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period April 1, 1985 through October 2, 1985 is summarized.

Democratizing Computer Science Knowledge: Transforming the Face of Computer Science through Public High School Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryoo, Jean J.; Margolis, Jane; Lee, Clifford H.; Sandoval, Cueponcaxochitl D. M.; Goode, Joanna

2013-01-01

Despite the fact that computer science (CS) is the driver of technological innovations across all disciplines and aspects of our lives, including participatory media, high school CS too commonly fails to incorporate the perspectives and concerns of low-income students of color. This article describes a partnership program -- Exploring Computer…

Computational Experiments for Science and Engineering Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Charles

2011-01-01

How to integrate simulation-based engineering and science (SBES) into the science curriculum smoothly is a challenging question. For the importance of SBES to be appreciated, the core value of simulations-that they help people understand natural phenomena and solve engineering problems-must be taught. A strategy to achieve this goal is to introduce computational experiments to the science curriculum to replace or supplement textbook illustrations and exercises and to complement or frame hands-on or wet lab experiments. In this way, students will have an opportunity to learn about SBES without compromising other learning goals required by the standards and teachers will welcome these tools as they strengthen what they are already teaching. This paper demonstrates this idea using a number of examples in physics, chemistry, and engineering. These exemplary computational experiments show that it is possible to create a curriculum that is both deeper and wider.

[Activities of Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics. fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period April 1, 1999 through September 30. 1999.

Tutor Training in Computer Science: Tutor Opinions and Student Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbone, Angela; Mitchell, Ian

Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development and education at Monash University (Australia) investigated the quality of teaching and student learning and understanding in the computer science and software development departments. Edproj's research led to the development of a training program to…

Gender Digital Divide and Challenges in Undergraduate Computer Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoilescu, Dorian; McDougall, Douglas

2011-01-01

Previous research revealed a reduced number of female students registered in computer science studies. In addition, the female students feel isolated, have reduced confidence, and underperform. This article explores differences between female and male students in undergraduate computer science programs in a mid-size university in Ontario. Based on…

Computers in Life Science Education, 1989-1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modell, Harold, Ed.

1992-01-01

This document consists of four years (40 issues) of a newsletter devoted to computers in life science education. Titles of major articles in this collection include: (1) "Good Versus Bad Software: What Makes the Difference?" (G. Kearsly); (2) "Linkway: Hypermedia for IBM Personal Computers" (L. Kheriaty); (3) "Where's the Software: Parts 1-3" (4)…

Fundamental Approaches in Molecular Biology for Communication Sciences and Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartlett, Rebecca S.; Jette, Marie E.; King, Suzanne N.; Schaser, Allison; Thibeault, Susan L.

2012-01-01

Purpose: This contemporary tutorial will introduce general principles of molecular biology, common deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein assays and their relevance in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Method: Over the past 2 decades, knowledge of the molecular pathophysiology of human disease has…

Teaching and Learning Methodologies Supported by ICT Applied in Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capacho, Jose

2016-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to show a set of new methodologies applied in the teaching of Computer Science using ICT. The methodologies are framed in the conceptual basis of the following sciences: Psychology, Education and Computer Science. The theoretical framework of the research is supported by Behavioral Theory, Gestalt Theory.…

Computer Science in High School Graduation Requirements. ECS Education Trends (Updated)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zinth, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Allowing high school students to fulfill a math or science high school graduation requirement via a computer science credit may encourage more student to pursue computer science coursework. This Education Trends report is an update to the original report released in April 2015 and explores state policies that allow or require districts to apply…

Prospective Students' Reactions to the Presentation of the Computer Science Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Daniel Scott

2010-01-01

The number of students enrolling in Computer Science in colleges and Universities has declined since its peak in the early 2000s. Some claim contributing factors that intimate that prospective students fear the lack of employment opportunities if they study computing in college. However, the lack of understanding of what Computer Science is and…

A Hybrid Cloud Computing Service for Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C. P.

2016-12-01

Cloud Computing is becoming a norm for providing computing capabilities for advancing Earth sciences including big Earth data management, processing, analytics, model simulations, and many other aspects. A hybrid spatiotemporal cloud computing service is bulit at George Mason NSF spatiotemporal innovation center to meet this demands. This paper will report the service including several aspects: 1) the hardware includes 500 computing services and close to 2PB storage as well as connection to XSEDE Jetstream and Caltech experimental cloud computing environment for sharing the resource; 2) the cloud service is geographically distributed at east coast, west coast, and central region; 3) the cloud includes private clouds managed using open stack and eucalyptus, DC2 is used to bridge these and the public AWS cloud for interoperability and sharing computing resources when high demands surfing; 4) the cloud service is used to support NSF EarthCube program through the ECITE project, ESIP through the ESIP cloud computing cluster, semantics testbed cluster, and other clusters; 5) the cloud service is also available for the earth science communities to conduct geoscience. A brief introduction about how to use the cloud service will be included.

Mathematics and Computer Science | Argonne National Laboratory

Science.gov Websites

Genomics and Systems Biology LCRCLaboratory Computing Resource Center MCSGMidwest Center for Structural Genomics NAISENorthwestern-Argonne Institute of Science & Engineering SBCStructural Biology Center

Computers as learning resources in the health sciences: impact and issues.

PubMed Central

Ellis, L B; Hannigan, G G

1986-01-01

Starting with two computer terminals in 1972, the Health Sciences Learning Resources Center of the University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library expanded its instructional facilities to ten terminals and thirty-five microcomputers by 1985. Computer use accounted for 28% of total center circulation. The impact of these resources on health sciences curricula is described and issues related to use, support, and planning are raised and discussed. Judged by their acceptance and educational value, computers are successful health sciences learning resources at the University of Minnesota. PMID:3518843

Computational modeling in cognitive science: a manifesto for change.

PubMed

Addyman, Caspar; French, Robert M

2012-07-01

Computational modeling has long been one of the traditional pillars of cognitive science. Unfortunately, the computer models of cognition being developed today have not kept up with the enormous changes that have taken place in computer technology and, especially, in human-computer interfaces.  For all intents and purposes, modeling is still done today as it was 25, or even 35, years ago. Everyone still programs in his or her own favorite programming language, source code is rarely made available, accessibility of models to non-programming researchers is essentially non-existent, and even for other modelers, the profusion of source code in a multitude of programming languages, written without programming guidelines, makes it almost impossible to access, check, explore, re-use, or continue to develop. It is high time to change this situation, especially since the tools are now readily available to do so. We propose that the modeling community adopt three simple guidelines that would ensure that computational models would be accessible to the broad range of researchers in cognitive science. We further emphasize the pivotal role that journal editors must play in making computational models accessible to readers of their journals. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Molecular factor computing for predictive spectroscopy.

PubMed

Dai, Bin; Urbas, Aaron; Douglas, Craig C; Lodder, Robert A

2007-08-01

The concept of molecular factor computing (MFC)-based predictive spectroscopy was demonstrated here with quantitative analysis of ethanol-in-water mixtures in a MFC-based prototype instrument. Molecular computing of vectors for transformation matrices enabled spectra to be represented in a desired coordinate system. New coordinate systems were selected to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral hyperspace and simplify the mechanical/electrical/computational construction of a new MFC spectrometer employing transmission MFC filters. A library search algorithm was developed to calculate the chemical constituents of the MFC filters. The prototype instrument was used to collect data from 39 ethanol-in-water mixtures (range 0-14%). For each sample, four different voltage outputs from the detector (forming two factor scores) were measured by using four different MFC filters. Twenty samples were used to calibrate the instrument and build a multivariate linear regression prediction model, and the remaining samples were used to validate the predictive ability of the model. In engineering simulations, four MFC filters gave an adequate calibration model (r2 = 0.995, RMSEC = 0.229%, RMSECV = 0.339%, p = 0.05 by f test). This result is slightly better than a corresponding PCR calibration model based on corrected transmission spectra (r2 = 0.993, RMSEC = 0.359%, RMSECV = 0.551%, p = 0.05 by f test). The first actual MFC prototype gave an RMSECV = 0.735%. MFC was a viable alternative to conventional spectrometry with the potential to be more simply implemented and more rapid and accurate.

High school computer science education paves the way for higher education: the Israeli case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armoni, Michal; Gal-Ezer, Judith

2014-07-01

The gap between enrollments in higher education computing programs and the high-tech industry's demands is widely reported, and is especially prominent for women. Increasing the availability of computer science education in high school is one of the strategies suggested in order to address this gap. We look at the connection between exposure to computer science in high school and pursuing computing in higher education. We also examine the gender gap, in the context of high school computer science education. We show that in Israel, students who took the high-level computer science matriculation exam were more likely to pursue computing in higher education. Regarding the issue of gender, we will show that, in general, in Israel the difference between males and females who take computer science in high school is relatively small, and a larger, though still not very large difference exists only for the highest exam level. In addition, exposing females to high-level computer science in high school has more relative impact on pursuing higher education in computing.

Computer Science and Engineering Students Addressing Critical Issues Regarding Gender Differences in Computing: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsagala, Evrikleia; Kordaki, Maria

2008-01-01

This study focuses on how Computer Science and Engineering Students (CSESs) of both genders address certain critical issues for gender differences in the field of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). This case study is based on research conducted on a sample of 99 Greek CSESs, 43 of which were women. More specifically, these students were asked…

Bringing Computational Thinking into the High School Science and Math Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trouille, Laura; Beheshti, E.; Horn, M.; Jona, K.; Kalogera, V.; Weintrop, D.; Wilensky, U.; University CT-STEM Project, Northwestern; University CenterTalent Development, Northwestern

2013-01-01

Computational thinking (for example, the thought processes involved in developing algorithmic solutions to problems that can then be automated for computation) has revolutionized the way we do science. The Next Generation Science Standards require that teachers support their students’ development of computational thinking and computational modeling skills. As a result, there is a very high demand among teachers for quality materials. Astronomy provides an abundance of opportunities to support student development of computational thinking skills. Our group has taken advantage of this to create a series of astronomy-based computational thinking lesson plans for use in typical physics, astronomy, and math high school classrooms. This project is funded by the NSF Computing Education for the 21st Century grant and is jointly led by Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), the Computer Science department, the Learning Sciences department, and the Office of STEM Education Partnerships (OSEP). I will also briefly present the online ‘Astro Adventures’ courses for middle and high school students I have developed through NU’s Center for Talent Development. The online courses take advantage of many of the amazing online astronomy enrichment materials available to the public, including a range of hands-on activities and the ability to take images with the Global Telescope Network. The course culminates with an independent computational research project.

Computers in Science Education: Can They Go Far Enough? Have We Gone Too Far?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrock, John Richard

1984-01-01

Indicates that although computers may churn out creative research, science is still dependent on science education, and that science education consists of increasing human experience. Also considers uses and misuses of computers in the science classroom, examining Edgar Dale's "cone of experience" related to laboratory computer and "extended…

78 FR 68058 - Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-13

... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology..., computational, and systems biology data can better inform risk assessment. This draft document is available for...

Life sciences and environmental sciences

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1992-02-01

The DOE laboratories play a unique role in bringing multidisciplinary talents -- in biology, physics, chemistry, computer sciences, and engineering -- to bear on major problems in the life and environmental sciences. Specifically, the laboratories utilize these talents to fulfill OHER's mission of exploring and mitigating the health and environmental effects of energy use, and of developing health and medical applications of nuclear energy-related phenomena. At Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) support of this mission is evident across the spectrum of OHER-sponsored research, especially in the broad areas of genomics, structural biology, basic cell and molecular biology, carcinogenesis, energy and environment,more » applications to biotechnology, and molecular, nuclear and radiation medicine. These research areas are briefly described.« less

A Case Study of the Introduction of Computer Science in NZ Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Tim; Andreae, Peter; Robins, Anthony

2014-01-01

For many years computing in New Zealand schools was focused on teaching students how to use computers, and there was little opportunity for students to learn about programming and computer science as formal subjects. In this article we review a series of initiatives that occurred from 2007 to 2009 that led to programming and computer science being…

Computer-Based Semantic Network in Molecular Biology: A Demonstration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callman, Joshua L.; And Others

This paper analyzes the hardware and software features that would be desirable in a computer-based semantic network system for representing biology knowledge. It then describes in detail a prototype network of molecular biology knowledge that has been developed using Filevision software and a Macintosh computer. The prototype contains about 100…

Teachers' Organization of Participation Structures for Teaching Science with Computer Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

2016-08-01

This paper describes a qualitative study that investigated the nature of the participation structures and how the participation structures were organized by four science teachers when they constructed and communicated science content in their classrooms with computer technology. Participation structures focus on the activity structures and processes in social settings like classrooms thereby providing glimpses into the complex dynamics of teacher-students interactions, configurations, and conventions during collective meaning making and knowledge creation. Data included observations, interviews, and focus group interviews. Analysis revealed that the dominant participation structure evident within participants' instruction with computer technology was ( Teacher) initiation-( Student and Teacher) response sequences-( Teacher) evaluate participation structure. Three key events characterized the how participants organized this participation structure in their classrooms: setting the stage for interactive instruction, the joint activity, and maintaining accountability. Implications include the following: (1) teacher educators need to tap into the knowledge base that underscores science teachers' learning to teach philosophies when computer technology is used in instruction. (2) Teacher educators need to emphasize the essential idea that learning and cognition is not situated within the computer technology but within the pedagogical practices, specifically the participation structures. (3) The pedagogical practices developed with the integration or with the use of computer technology underscored by the teachers' own knowledge of classroom contexts and curriculum needs to be the focus for how students learn science content with computer technology instead of just focusing on how computer technology solely supports students learning of science content.

Exploring the Relationships between Self-Efficacy and Preference for Teacher Authority among Computer Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Che-Li; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Su, Yi-Ching; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

Teacher-centered instruction has been widely adopted in college computer science classrooms and has some benefits in training computer science undergraduates. Meanwhile, student-centered contexts have been advocated to promote computer science education. How computer science learners respond to or prefer the two types of teacher authority,…

78 FR 59927 - Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-30

... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology..., Computational, and Systems Biology [External Review Draft]'' (EPA/600/R-13/214A). EPA is also announcing that... Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology [External Review Draft]'' is available primarily...

Computer Science and Technology Publications. NBS Publications List 84.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Bureau of Standards (DOC), Washington, DC. Inst. for Computer Sciences and Technology.

This bibliography lists publications of the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology of the National Bureau of Standards. Publications are listed by subject in the areas of computer security, computer networking, and automation technology. Sections list publications of: (1) current Federal Information Processing Standards; (2) computer…

Seeing beyond Computer Science and Software Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nori, Kesav Vithal

The boundaries of computer science are defined by what symbolic computation can accomplish. Software Engineering is concerned with effective use of computing technology to support automatic computation on a large scale so as to construct desirable solutions to worthwhile problems. Both focus on what happens within the machine. In contrast, most practical applications of computing support end-users in realizing (often unsaid) objectives. It is often said that such objectives cannot be even specified, e.g., what is the specification of MS Word, or for that matter, any flavour of UNIX? This situation points to the need for architecting what people do with computers. Based on Systems Thinking and Cybernetics, we present such a viewpoint which hinges on Human Responsibility and means of living up to it.

Advances in Cross-Cutting Ideas for Computational Climate Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ng, Esmond; Evans, Katherine J.; Caldwell, Peter

This report presents results from the DOE-sponsored workshop titled, ``Advancing X-Cutting Ideas for Computational Climate Science Workshop,'' known as AXICCS, held on September 12--13, 2016 in Rockville, MD. The workshop brought together experts in climate science, computational climate science, computer science, and mathematics to discuss interesting but unsolved science questions regarding climate modeling and simulation, promoted collaboration among the diverse scientists in attendance, and brainstormed about possible tools and capabilities that could be developed to help address them. Emerged from discussions at the workshop were several research opportunities that the group felt could advance climate science significantly. These include (1)more » process-resolving models to provide insight into important processes and features of interest and inform the development of advanced physical parameterizations, (2) a community effort to develop and provide integrated model credibility, (3) including, organizing, and managing increasingly connected model components that increase model fidelity yet complexity, and (4) treating Earth system models as one interconnected organism without numerical or data based boundaries that limit interactions. The group also identified several cross-cutting advances in mathematics, computer science, and computational science that would be needed to enable one or more of these big ideas. It is critical to address the need for organized, verified, and optimized software, which enables the models to grow and continue to provide solutions in which the community can have confidence. Effectively utilizing the newest computer hardware enables simulation efficiency and the ability to handle output from increasingly complex and detailed models. This will be accomplished through hierarchical multiscale algorithms in tandem with new strategies for data handling, analysis, and storage. These big ideas and cross-cutting technologies for enabling

Advances in Cross-Cutting Ideas for Computational Climate Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ng, E.; Evans, K.; Caldwell, P.

This report presents results from the DOE-sponsored workshop titled, Advancing X-Cutting Ideas for Computational Climate Science Workshop,'' known as AXICCS, held on September 12--13, 2016 in Rockville, MD. The workshop brought together experts in climate science, computational climate science, computer science, and mathematics to discuss interesting but unsolved science questions regarding climate modeling and simulation, promoted collaboration among the diverse scientists in attendance, and brainstormed about possible tools and capabilities that could be developed to help address them. Emerged from discussions at the workshop were several research opportunities that the group felt could advance climate science significantly. These include (1)more » process-resolving models to provide insight into important processes and features of interest and inform the development of advanced physical parameterizations, (2) a community effort to develop and provide integrated model credibility, (3) including, organizing, and managing increasingly connected model components that increase model fidelity yet complexity, and (4) treating Earth system models as one interconnected organism without numerical or data based boundaries that limit interactions. The group also identified several cross-cutting advances in mathematics, computer science, and computational science that would be needed to enable one or more of these big ideas. It is critical to address the need for organized, verified, and optimized software, which enables the models to grow and continue to provide solutions in which the community can have confidence. Effectively utilizing the newest computer hardware enables simulation efficiency and the ability to handle output from increasingly complex and detailed models. This will be accomplished through hierarchical multiscale algorithms in tandem with new strategies for data handling, analysis, and storage. These big ideas and cross-cutting technologies for enabling

Women are underrepresented in computational biology: An analysis of the scholarly literature in biology, computer science and computational biology.

PubMed

Bonham, Kevin S; Stefan, Melanie I

2017-10-01

While women are generally underrepresented in STEM fields, there are noticeable differences between fields. For instance, the gender ratio in biology is more balanced than in computer science. We were interested in how this difference is reflected in the interdisciplinary field of computational/quantitative biology. To this end, we examined the proportion of female authors in publications from the PubMed and arXiv databases. There are fewer female authors on research papers in computational biology, as compared to biology in general. This is true across authorship position, year, and journal impact factor. A comparison with arXiv shows that quantitative biology papers have a higher ratio of female authors than computer science papers, placing computational biology in between its two parent fields in terms of gender representation. Both in biology and in computational biology, a female last author increases the probability of other authors on the paper being female, pointing to a potential role of female PIs in influencing the gender balance.

Women are underrepresented in computational biology: An analysis of the scholarly literature in biology, computer science and computational biology

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

While women are generally underrepresented in STEM fields, there are noticeable differences between fields. For instance, the gender ratio in biology is more balanced than in computer science. We were interested in how this difference is reflected in the interdisciplinary field of computational/quantitative biology. To this end, we examined the proportion of female authors in publications from the PubMed and arXiv databases. There are fewer female authors on research papers in computational biology, as compared to biology in general. This is true across authorship position, year, and journal impact factor. A comparison with arXiv shows that quantitative biology papers have a higher ratio of female authors than computer science papers, placing computational biology in between its two parent fields in terms of gender representation. Both in biology and in computational biology, a female last author increases the probability of other authors on the paper being female, pointing to a potential role of female PIs in influencing the gender balance. PMID:29023441

A Computer-Based Instrument That Identifies Common Science Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larrabee, Timothy G.; Stein, Mary; Barman, Charles

2006-01-01

This article describes the rationale for and development of a computer-based instrument that helps identify commonly held science misconceptions. The instrument, known as the Science Beliefs Test, is a 47-item instrument that targets topics in chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, and astronomy. The use of an online data collection system…

[Earth Science Technology Office's Computational Technologies Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, James (Technical Monitor); Merkey, Phillip

2005-01-01

This grant supported the effort to characterize the problem domain of the Earth Science Technology Office's Computational Technologies Project, to engage the Beowulf Cluster Computing Community as well as the High Performance Computing Research Community so that we can predict the applicability of said technologies to the scientific community represented by the CT project and formulate long term strategies to provide the computational resources necessary to attain the anticipated scientific objectives of the CT project. Specifically, the goal of the evaluation effort is to use the information gathered over the course of the Round-3 investigations to quantify the trends in scientific expectations, the algorithmic requirements and capabilities of high-performance computers to satisfy this anticipated need.

A DDC Bibliography on Computers in Information Sciences. Volume I. Information Sciences Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Documentation Center, Alexandria, VA.

The unclassified and unlimited bibliography compiles references dealing specifically with the role of computers in information sciences. The volume contains 249 annotated references grouped under two major headings: Time Shared, On-Line, and Real Time Systems, and Computer Components. The references are arranged in accesion number (AD-number)…

A review of Computer Science resources for learning and teaching with K-12 computing curricula: an Australian case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkner, Katrina; Vivian, Rebecca

2015-10-01

To support teachers to implement Computer Science curricula into classrooms from the very first year of school, teachers, schools and organisations seek quality curriculum resources to support implementation and teacher professional development. Until now, many Computer Science resources and outreach initiatives have targeted K-12 school-age children, with the intention to engage children and increase interest, rather than to formally teach concepts and skills. What is the educational quality of existing Computer Science resources and to what extent are they suitable for classroom learning and teaching? In this paper, an assessment framework is presented to evaluate the quality of online Computer Science resources. Further, a semi-systematic review of available online Computer Science resources was conducted to evaluate resources available for classroom learning and teaching and to identify gaps in resource availability, using the Australian curriculum as a case study analysis. The findings reveal a predominance of quality resources, however, a number of critical gaps were identified. This paper provides recommendations and guidance for the development of new and supplementary resources and future research.

Graphical User Interface Programming in Introductory Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skolnick, Michael M.; Spooner, David L.

Modern computing systems exploit graphical user interfaces for interaction with users; as a result, introductory computer science courses must begin to teach the principles underlying such interfaces. This paper presents an approach to graphical user interface (GUI) implementation that is simple enough for beginning students to understand, yet…

Situated Learning in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Ari, Mordechai

2004-01-01

Sociocultural theories of learning such as Wenger and Lave's situated learning have been suggested as alternatives to cognitive theories of learning like constructivism. This article examines situated learning within the context of computer science (CS) education. Situated learning accurately describes some CS communities like open-source software…

Logic integration of mRNA signals by an RNAi-based molecular computer

PubMed Central

Xie, Zhen; Liu, Siyuan John; Bleris, Leonidas; Benenson, Yaakov

2010-01-01

Synthetic in vivo molecular ‘computers’ could rewire biological processes by establishing programmable, non-native pathways between molecular signals and biological responses. Multiple molecular computer prototypes have been shown to work in simple buffered solutions. Many of those prototypes were made of DNA strands and performed computations using cycles of annealing-digestion or strand displacement. We have previously introduced RNA interference (RNAi)-based computing as a way of implementing complex molecular logic in vivo. Because it also relies on nucleic acids for its operation, RNAi computing could benefit from the tools developed for DNA systems. However, these tools must be harnessed to produce bioactive components and be adapted for harsh operating environments that reflect in vivo conditions. In a step toward this goal, we report the construction and implementation of biosensors that ‘transduce’ mRNA levels into bioactive, small interfering RNA molecules via RNA strand exchange in a cell-free Drosophila embryo lysate, a step beyond simple buffered environments. We further integrate the sensors with our RNAi ‘computational’ module to evaluate two-input logic functions on mRNA concentrations. Our results show how RNA strand exchange can expand the utility of RNAi computing and point toward the possibility of using strand exchange in a native biological setting. PMID:20194121

Activities of the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period October 1, 1984 through March 31, 1985 is summarized.

[Research Conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period 1 Oct. 1996 - 31 Mar. 1997.

Activities of the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period October 2, 1987 through March 31, 1988.

Integrating Computational Science Tools into a Thermodynamics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vieira, Camilo; Magana, Alejandra J.; García, R. Edwin; Jana, Aniruddha; Krafcik, Matthew

2018-01-01

Computational tools and methods have permeated multiple science and engineering disciplines, because they enable scientists and engineers to process large amounts of data, represent abstract phenomena, and to model and simulate complex concepts. In order to prepare future engineers with the ability to use computational tools in the context of…

Fiction as an Introduction to Computer Science Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsmith, Judy; Mattei, Nicholas

2014-01-01

The undergraduate computer science curriculum is generally focused on skills and tools; most students are not exposed to much research in the field, and do not learn how to navigate the research literature. We describe how fiction reviews (and specifically science fiction) are used as a gateway to research reviews. Students learn a little about…

The Student/Library Computer Science Collaborative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Jim

2015-01-01

With funding from an Institute of Museum and Library Services demonstration grant, librarians of the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign partnered with students in computer science courses to design and build student-centered mobile apps. The grant work called for demonstration of student collaboration…

Teaching Computer Science to Health Professionals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safir, Aran; And Others

1981-01-01

In 1971 the National Library of Medicine underwrote the promotion of computer technology integration into clinical medicine by providing graduate-level training for faculty members in the health sciences. The experience of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the implementation of an NLM training grant is reported. (MLW)

A Series of Molecular Dynamics and Homology Modeling Computer Labs for an Undergraduate Molecular Modeling Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elmore, Donald E.; Guayasamin, Ryann C.; Kieffer, Madeleine E.

2010-01-01

As computational modeling plays an increasingly central role in biochemical research, it is important to provide students with exposure to common modeling methods in their undergraduate curriculum. This article describes a series of computer labs designed to introduce undergraduate students to energy minimization, molecular dynamics simulations,…

Biomaterial science meets computational biology.

PubMed

Hutmacher, Dietmar W; Little, J Paige; Pettet, Graeme J; Loessner, Daniela

2015-05-01

There is a pressing need for a predictive tool capable of revealing a holistic understanding of fundamental elements in the normal and pathological cell physiology of organoids in order to decipher the mechanoresponse of cells. Therefore, the integration of a systems bioengineering approach into a validated mathematical model is necessary to develop a new simulation tool. This tool can only be innovative by combining biomaterials science with computational biology. Systems-level and multi-scale experimental data are incorporated into a single framework, thus representing both single cells and collective cell behaviour. Such a computational platform needs to be validated in order to discover key mechano-biological factors associated with cell-cell and cell-niche interactions.

Computational provenance in hydrologic science: a snow mapping example.

PubMed

Dozier, Jeff; Frew, James

2009-03-13

Computational provenance--a record of the antecedents and processing history of digital information--is key to properly documenting computer-based scientific research. To support investigations in hydrologic science, we produce the daily fractional snow-covered area from NASA's moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). From the MODIS reflectance data in seven wavelengths, we estimate the fraction of each 500 m pixel that snow covers. The daily products have data gaps and errors because of cloud cover and sensor viewing geometry, so we interpolate and smooth to produce our best estimate of the daily snow cover. To manage the data, we have developed the Earth System Science Server (ES3), a software environment for data-intensive Earth science, with unique capabilities for automatically and transparently capturing and managing the provenance of arbitrary computations. Transparent acquisition avoids the scientists having to express their computations in specific languages or schemas in order for provenance to be acquired and maintained. ES3 models provenance as relationships between processes and their input and output files. It is particularly suited to capturing the provenance of an evolving algorithm whose components span multiple languages and execution environments.

Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, Anthony R. (Technical Monitor); Leiner, Barry M.

2000-01-01

The Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) carries out basic research and technology development in computer science, in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's missions. RIACS is located at the NASA Ames Research Center. It currently operates under a multiple year grant/cooperative agreement that began on October 1, 1997 and is up for renewal in the year 2002. Ames has been designated NASA's Center of Excellence in Information Technology. In this capacity, Ames is charged with the responsibility to build an Information Technology Research Program that is preeminent within NASA. RIACS serves as a bridge between NASA Ames and the academic community, and RIACS scientists and visitors work in close collaboration with NASA scientists. RIACS has the additional goal of broadening the base of researchers in these areas of importance to the nation's space and aeronautics enterprises. RIACS research focuses on the three cornerstones of information technology research necessary to meet the future challenges of NASA missions: (1) Automated Reasoning for Autonomous Systems. Techniques are being developed enabling spacecraft that will be self-guiding and self-correcting to the extent that they will require little or no human intervention. Such craft will be equipped to independently solve problems as they arise, and fulfill their missions with minimum direction from Earth; (2) Human-Centered Computing. Many NASA missions require synergy between humans and computers, with sophisticated computational aids amplifying human cognitive and perceptual abilities; (3) High Performance Computing and Networking. Advances in the performance of computing and networking continue to have major impact on a variety of NASA endeavors, ranging from modeling and simulation to data analysis of large datasets to collaborative engineering, planning and execution. In addition, RIACS collaborates with NASA scientists to apply information technology research to a

Computers in Life Science Education. Volume 5, 1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Computers in Life Science Education, 1988

1988-01-01

Designed to serve as a means of communication among life science educators who anticipate or are currently using microcomputers as an educational tool, this volume of newsletters provides background information and practical suggestions on computer use. Over 80 articles are included. Topic areas include: (1) using a personal computer in a plant…

[Activities of Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, Anthony R. (Technical Monitor); Leiner, Barry M.

2001-01-01

The Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) carries out basic research and technology development in computer science, in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations missions. RIACS is located at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. RIACS research focuses on the three cornerstones of IT research necessary to meet the future challenges of NASA missions: 1. Automated Reasoning for Autonomous Systems Techniques are being developed enabling spacecraft that will be self-guiding and self-correcting to the extent that they will require little or no human intervention. Such craft will be equipped to independently solve problems as they arise, and fulfill their missions with minimum direction from Earth. 2. Human-Centered Computing Many NASA missions require synergy between humans and computers, with sophisticated computational aids amplifying human cognitive and perceptual abilities. 3. High Performance Computing and Networking Advances in the performance of computing and networking continue to have major impact on a variety of NASA endeavors, ranging from modeling and simulation to analysis of large scientific datasets to collaborative engineering, planning and execution. In addition, RIACS collaborates with NASA scientists to apply IT research to a variety of NASA application domains. RIACS also engages in other activities, such as workshops, seminars, visiting scientist programs and student summer programs, designed to encourage and facilitate collaboration between the university and NASA IT research communities.

The Learning Effects of Computer Simulations in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutten, Nico; van Joolingen, Wouter R.; van der Veen, Jan T.

2012-01-01

This article reviews the (quasi)experimental research of the past decade on the learning effects of computer simulations in science education. The focus is on two questions: how use of computer simulations can enhance traditional education, and how computer simulations are best used in order to improve learning processes and outcomes. We report on…

Applying service learning to computer science: attracting and engaging under-represented students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlberg, Teresa; Barnes, Tiffany; Buch, Kim; Bean, Karen

2010-09-01

This article describes a computer science course that uses service learning as a vehicle to accomplish a range of pedagogical and BPC (broadening participation in computing) goals: (1) to attract a diverse group of students and engage them in outreach to younger students to help build a diverse computer science pipeline, (2) to develop leadership and team skills using experiential techniques, and (3) to develop student attitudes associated with success and retention in computer science. First, we describe the course and how it was designed to incorporate good practice in service learning. We then report preliminary results showing a positive impact of the course on all pedagogical goals and discuss the implications of the results for broadening participation in computing.

Manifesto of computational social science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, R.; Gilbert, N.; Bonelli, G.; Cioffi-Revilla, C.; Deffuant, G.; Kertesz, J.; Loreto, V.; Moat, S.; Nadal, J.-P.; Sanchez, A.; Nowak, A.; Flache, A.; San Miguel, M.; Helbing, D.

2012-11-01

The increasing integration of technology into our lives has created unprecedented volumes of data on society's everyday behaviour. Such data opens up exciting new opportunities to work towards a quantitative understanding of our complex social systems, within the realms of a new discipline known as Computational Social Science. Against a background of financial crises, riots and international epidemics, the urgent need for a greater comprehension of the complexity of our interconnected global society and an ability to apply such insights in policy decisions is clear. This manifesto outlines the objectives of this new scientific direction, considering the challenges involved in it, and the extensive impact on science, technology and society that the success of this endeavour is likely to bring about.

Computer Science Techniques Applied to Parallel Atomistic Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, Aiichiro

1998-03-01

Recent developments in parallel processing technology and multiresolution numerical algorithms have established large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as a new research mode for studying materials phenomena such as fracture. However, this requires large system sizes and long simulated times. We have developed: i) Space-time multiresolution schemes; ii) fuzzy-clustering approach to hierarchical dynamics; iii) wavelet-based adaptive curvilinear-coordinate load balancing; iv) multilevel preconditioned conjugate gradient method; and v) spacefilling-curve-based data compression for parallel I/O. Using these techniques, million-atom parallel MD simulations are performed for the oxidation dynamics of nanocrystalline Al. The simulations take into account the effect of dynamic charge transfer between Al and O using the electronegativity equalization scheme. The resulting long-range Coulomb interaction is calculated efficiently with the fast multipole method. Results for temperature and charge distributions, residual stresses, bond lengths and bond angles, and diffusivities of Al and O will be presented. The oxidation of nanocrystalline Al is elucidated through immersive visualization in virtual environments. A unique dual-degree education program at Louisiana State University will also be discussed in which students can obtain a Ph.D. in Physics & Astronomy and a M.S. from the Department of Computer Science in five years. This program fosters interdisciplinary research activities for interfacing High Performance Computing and Communications with large-scale atomistic simulations of advanced materials. This work was supported by NSF (CAREER Program), ARO, PRF, and Louisiana LEQSF.

The Role of Visualization in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fouh, Eric; Akbar, Monika; Shaffer, Clifford A.

2012-01-01

Computer science core instruction attempts to provide a detailed understanding of dynamic processes such as the working of an algorithm or the flow of information between computing entities. Such dynamic processes are not well explained by static media such as text and images, and are difficult to convey in lecture. The authors survey the history…

Dropping Out of Computer Science: A Phenomenological Study of Student Lived Experiences in Community College Computer Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilbert-Valencia, Daniel H.

California community colleges contribute alarmingly few computer science degree or certificate earners. While the literature shows clear K-12 impediments to CS matriculation in higher education, very little is known about the experiences of those who overcome initial impediments to CS yet do not persist through to program completion. This phenomenological study explores insights into that specific experience by interviewing underrepresented, low income, first-generation college students who began community college intending to transfer to 4-year institutions majoring in CS but switched to another field and remain enrolled or graduated. This study explores the lived experiences of students facing barriers, their avenues for developing interest in CS, and the persistence support systems they encountered, specifically looking at how students constructed their academic choice from these experiences. The growing diversity within California's population necessitates that experiences specific to underrepresented students be considered as part of this exploration. Ten semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted, transcribed and coded. Artifacts supporting student experiences were also collected. Data was analyzed through a social-constructivist lens to provide insight into experiences and how they can be navigated to create actionable strategies for community college computer science departments wishing to increase student success. Three major themes emerged from this research: (1) students shared pre-college characteristics; (2) faced similar challenges in college CS courses; and (3) shared similar reactions to the "work" of computer science. Results of the study included (1) CS interest development hinged on computer ownership in the home; (2) participants shared characteristics that were ideal for college success but not CS success; and (3) encounters in CS departments produced unique challenges for participants. Though CS interest was and remains

Code 672 observational science branch computer networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hancock, D. W.; Shirk, H. G.

1988-01-01

In general, networking increases productivity due to the speed of transmission, easy access to remote computers, ability to share files, and increased availability of peripherals. Two different networks within the Observational Science Branch are described in detail.

Fast parallel molecular algorithms for DNA-based computation: factoring integers.

PubMed

Chang, Weng-Long; Guo, Minyi; Ho, Michael Shan-Hui

2005-06-01

The RSA public-key cryptosystem is an algorithm that converts input data to an unrecognizable encryption and converts the unrecognizable data back into its original decryption form. The security of the RSA public-key cryptosystem is based on the difficulty of factoring the product of two large prime numbers. This paper demonstrates to factor the product of two large prime numbers, and is a breakthrough in basic biological operations using a molecular computer. In order to achieve this, we propose three DNA-based algorithms for parallel subtractor, parallel comparator, and parallel modular arithmetic that formally verify our designed molecular solutions for factoring the product of two large prime numbers. Furthermore, this work indicates that the cryptosystems using public-key are perhaps insecure and also presents clear evidence of the ability of molecular computing to perform complicated mathematical operations.

Research in progress in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, fluid mechanics, and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period October 1, 1993 through March 31, 1994. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: (1) applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; (2) theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustics and combustion; (3) experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and (4) computer science.

The Computer Simulation of Liquids by Molecular Dynamics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, W.

1987-01-01

Proposes a mathematical computer model for the behavior of liquids using the classical dynamic principles of Sir Isaac Newton and the molecular dynamics method invented by other scientists. Concludes that other applications will be successful using supercomputers to go beyond simple Newtonian physics. (CW)

A parallel-processing approach to computing for the geographic sciences

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crane, Michael; Steinwand, Dan; Beckmann, Tim; Krpan, Greg; Haga, Jim; Maddox, Brian; Feller, Mark

2001-01-01

The overarching goal of this project is to build a spatially distributed infrastructure for information science research by forming a team of information science researchers and providing them with similar hardware and software tools to perform collaborative research. Four geographically distributed Centers of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are developing their own clusters of low-cost personal computers into parallel computing environments that provide a costeffective way for the USGS to increase participation in the high-performance computing community. Referred to as Beowulf clusters, these hybrid systems provide the robust computing power required for conducting research into various areas, such as advanced computer architecture, algorithms to meet the processing needs for real-time image and data processing, the creation of custom datasets from seamless source data, rapid turn-around of products for emergency response, and support for computationally intense spatial and temporal modeling.

Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing in Plasma Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, William

2005-03-01

Advanced computing is generally recognized to be an increasingly vital tool for accelerating progress in scientific research during the 21st Century. For example, the Department of Energy's ``Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing'' (SciDAC) Program was motivated in large measure by the fact that formidable scientific challenges in its research portfolio could best be addressed by utilizing the combination of the rapid advances in super-computing technology together with the emergence of effective new algorithms and computational methodologies. The imperative is to translate such progress into corresponding increases in the performance of the scientific codes used to model complex physical systems such as those encountered in high temperature plasma research. If properly validated against experimental measurements and analytic benchmarks, these codes can provide reliable predictive capability for the behavior of a broad range of complex natural and engineered systems. This talk reviews recent progress and future directions for advanced simulations with some illustrative examples taken from the plasma science applications area. Significant recent progress has been made in both particle and fluid simulations of fine-scale turbulence and large-scale dynamics, giving increasingly good agreement between experimental observations and computational modeling. This was made possible by the combination of access to powerful new computational resources together with innovative advances in analytic and computational methods for developing reduced descriptions of physics phenomena spanning a huge range in time and space scales. In particular, the plasma science community has made excellent progress in developing advanced codes for which computer run-time and problem size scale well with the number of processors on massively parallel machines (MPP's). A good example is the effective usage of the full power of multi-teraflop (multi-trillion floating point computations

Advances in Molecular Rotational Spectroscopy for Applied Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Brent; Fields, Shelby S.; Pulliam, Robin; Muckle, Matt; Neill, Justin L.

2017-06-01

Advances in chemical sensitivity and robust, solid-state designs for microwave/millimeter-wave instrumentation compel the expansion of molecular rotational spectroscopy as research tool into applied science. It is familiar to consider molecular rotational spectroscopy for air analysis. Those techniques for molecular rotational spectroscopy are included in our presentation of a more broad application space for materials analysis using Fourier Transform Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) spectrometers. There are potentially transformative advantages for direct gas analysis of complex mixtures, determination of unknown evolved gases with parts per trillion detection limits in solid materials, and unambiguous chiral determination. The introduction of FT-MRR as an alternative detection principle for analytical chemistry has created a ripe research space for the development of new analytical methods and sampling equipment to fully enable FT-MRR. We present the current state of purpose-built FT-MRR instrumentation and the latest application measurements that make use of new sampling methods.

The Effects of Integrating Service Learning into Computer Science: An Inter-Institutional Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payton, Jamie; Barnes, Tiffany; Buch, Kim; Rorrer, Audrey; Zuo, Huifang

2015-01-01

This study is a follow-up to one published in computer science education in 2010 that reported preliminary results showing a positive impact of service learning on student attitudes associated with success and retention in computer science. That paper described how service learning was incorporated into a computer science course in the context of…

Sociocultural Influences On Undergraduate Women's Entry into a Computer Science Major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, Louise Ann

Computer science not only displays the pattern of underrepresentation of many other science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, but has actually experienced a decline in the number of women choosing the field over the past two decades. Broken out by gender and race, the picture becomes more nuanced, with the ratio of females to males receiving bachelor's degrees in computer science higher for non-White ethnic groups than for Whites. This dissertation explores the experiences of university women differing along the axis of race, class, and culture who are considering majoring in computer science in order to highlight how well-prepared women are persuaded that they belong (or not) in the field and how the confluence of social categories plays out in their decision. This study focuses on a university seminar entitled "Women in Computer Science and Engineering" open to women concurrently enrolled in introductory programming and uses an ethnographic approach including classroom participant observation, interviews with seminar students and instructors, observations of students in other classes, and interviews with parents of students. Three stand-alone but related articles explore various aspects of the experiences of women who participated in the study using Rom Harre's positioning theory as a theoretical framework. The first article uses data from twenty-two interviews to uncover how interactions with others and patterns in society position women in relation to a computer science major, and how these women have arrived at the point of considering the major despite messages that they do not belong. The second article more deeply explores the cases of three women who vary greatly along the axes of race, class, and culture in order to uncover pattern and interaction differences for women based on their ethnic background. The final article focuses on the attitudes and expectations of the mothers of three students of contrasting ethnicities and how reported

An Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum for the Hearing Impaired.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, A. Louise

1995-01-01

Presents an example section from a computer-science-integrated curriculum that was originally based on the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) 1978 curriculum. The curriculum was designed to allow both instructors and students to move away from teaching and learning facts. (DDR)

Complex network problems in physics, computer science and biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cojocaru, Radu Ionut

There is a close relation between physics and mathematics and the exchange of ideas between these two sciences are well established. However until few years ago there was no such a close relation between physics and computer science. Even more, only recently biologists started to use methods and tools from statistical physics in order to study the behavior of complex system. In this thesis we concentrate on applying and analyzing several methods borrowed from computer science to biology and also we use methods from statistical physics in solving hard problems from computer science. In recent years physicists have been interested in studying the behavior of complex networks. Physics is an experimental science in which theoretical predictions are compared to experiments. In this definition, the term prediction plays a very important role: although the system is complex, it is still possible to get predictions for its behavior, but these predictions are of a probabilistic nature. Spin glasses, lattice gases or the Potts model are a few examples of complex systems in physics. Spin glasses and many frustrated antiferromagnets map exactly to computer science problems in the NP-hard class defined in Chapter 1. In Chapter 1 we discuss a common result from artificial intelligence (AI) which shows that there are some problems which are NP-complete, with the implication that these problems are difficult to solve. We introduce a few well known hard problems from computer science (Satisfiability, Coloring, Vertex Cover together with Maximum Independent Set and Number Partitioning) and then discuss their mapping to problems from physics. In Chapter 2 we provide a short review of combinatorial optimization algorithms and their applications to ground state problems in disordered systems. We discuss the cavity method initially developed for studying the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model of spin glasses. We extend this model to the study of a specific case of spin glass on the Bethe

The Computing and Data Grid Approach: Infrastructure for Distributed Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, William E.

2002-01-01

With the advent of Grids - infrastructure for using and managing widely distributed computing and data resources in the science environment - there is now an opportunity to provide a standard, large-scale, computing, data, instrument, and collaboration environment for science that spans many different projects and provides the required infrastructure and services in a relatively uniform and supportable way. Grid technology has evolved over the past several years to provide the services and infrastructure needed for building 'virtual' systems and organizations. We argue that Grid technology provides an excellent basis for the creation of the integrated environments that can combine the resources needed to support the large- scale science projects located at multiple laboratories and universities. We present some science case studies that indicate that a paradigm shift in the process of science will come about as a result of Grids providing transparent and secure access to advanced and integrated information and technologies infrastructure: powerful computing systems, large-scale data archives, scientific instruments, and collaboration tools. These changes will be in the form of services that can be integrated with the user's work environment, and that enable uniform and highly capable access to these computers, data, and instruments, regardless of the location or exact nature of these resources. These services will integrate transient-use resources like computing systems, scientific instruments, and data caches (e.g., as they are needed to perform a simulation or analyze data from a single experiment); persistent-use resources. such as databases, data catalogues, and archives, and; collaborators, whose involvement will continue for the lifetime of a project or longer. While we largely address large-scale science in this paper, Grids, particularly when combined with Web Services, will address a broad spectrum of science scenarios. both large and small scale.

The effects of integrating service learning into computer science: an inter-institutional longitudinal study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payton, Jamie; Barnes, Tiffany; Buch, Kim; Rorrer, Audrey; Zuo, Huifang

2015-07-01

This study is a follow-up to one published in computer science education in 2010 that reported preliminary results showing a positive impact of service learning on student attitudes associated with success and retention in computer science. That paper described how service learning was incorporated into a computer science course in the context of the Students & Technology in Academia, Research, and Service (STARS) Alliance, an NSF-supported broadening participation in computing initiative that aims to diversify the computer science pipeline through innovative pedagogy and inter-institutional partnerships. The current paper describes how the STARS Alliance has expanded to diverse institutions, all using service learning as a vehicle for broadening participation in computing and enhancing attitudes and behaviors associated with student success. Results supported the STARS model of service learning for enhancing computing efficacy and computing commitment and for providing diverse students with many personal and professional development benefits.

Learning Computer Science Concepts with Scratch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meerbaum-Salant, Orni; Armoni, Michal; Ben-Ari, Mordechai

2013-01-01

Scratch is a visual programming environment that is widely used by young people. We investigated if Scratch can be used to teach concepts of computer science (CS). We developed learning materials for middle-school students that were designed according to the constructionist philosophy of Scratch and evaluated them in a few schools during two…

A Review of Models for Teacher Preparation Programs for Precollege Computer Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deek, Fadi P.; Kimmel, Howard

2002-01-01

Discusses the need for adequate precollege computer science education and focuses on the issues of teacher preparation programs and requirements needed to teach high school computer science. Presents models of teacher preparation programs and compares state requirements with Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) recommendations. (Author/LRW)

Computer Science Education in French Secondary Schools: Historical and Didactical Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baron, Georges-Louis; Drot-Delange, Beatrice; Grandbastien, Monique; Tort, Françoise

2014-01-01

Computer science as a school subject in France is characterized by a succession of promising starts that have not yet been transformed into perennial solutions. The main goal of this article is to analyze this complex situation from a historical perspective, and describe the current rebirth of an optional Computer Science course in the last year…

Computer Access and Computer Use for Science Performance of Racial and Linguistic Minority Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Mido; Kim, Sunha

2009-01-01

This study examined the effects of computer access and computer use on the science achievement of elementary school students, with focused attention on the effects for racial and linguistic minority students. The study used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K) database and conducted statistical analyses with proper weights and…

K-16 Computationally Rich Science Education: A Ten-Year Review of the "Journal of Science Education and Technology" (1998-2008)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wofford, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Computing is anticipated to have an increasingly expansive impact on the sciences overall, becoming the third, crucial component of a "golden triangle" that includes mathematics and experimental and theoretical science. However, even more true with computing than with math and science, we are not preparing our students for this new reality. It is…

Molecular robots with sensors and intelligence.

PubMed

Hagiya, Masami; Konagaya, Akihiko; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Saito, Hirohide; Murata, Satoshi

2014-06-17

CONSPECTUS: What we can call a molecular robot is a set of molecular devices such as sensors, logic gates, and actuators integrated into a consistent system. The molecular robot is supposed to react autonomously to its environment by receiving molecular signals and making decisions by molecular computation. Building such a system has long been a dream of scientists; however, despite extensive efforts, systems having all three functions (sensing, computation, and actuation) have not been realized yet. This Account introduces an ongoing research project that focuses on the development of molecular robotics funded by MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan). This 5 year project started in July 2012 and is titled "Development of Molecular Robots Equipped with Sensors and Intelligence". The major issues in the field of molecular robotics all correspond to a feedback (i.e., plan-do-see) cycle of a robotic system. More specifically, these issues are (1) developing molecular sensors capable of handling a wide array of signals, (2) developing amplification methods of signals to drive molecular computing devices, (3) accelerating molecular computing, (4) developing actuators that are controllable by molecular computers, and (5) providing bodies of molecular robots encapsulating the above molecular devices, which implement the conformational changes and locomotion of the robots. In this Account, the latest contributions to the project are reported. There are four research teams in the project that specialize on sensing, intelligence, amoeba-like actuation, and slime-like actuation, respectively. The molecular sensor team is focusing on the development of molecular sensors that can handle a variety of signals. This team is also investigating methods to amplify signals from the molecular sensors. The molecular intelligence team is developing molecular computers and is currently focusing on a new photochemical technology for accelerating DNA

Using Computer Technology to Create a Revolutionary New Style of Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monaghan, Peter

1993-01-01

A $13-million gift of William Gates III to the University of Washington has enabled establishment of the country's first department in molecular biotechnology, a combination of medicine and molecular biology to be practiced by researchers versed in a variety of fields, including computer science, computation, applied physics, and engineering. (MSE)

Exercises in molecular computing.

PubMed

Stojanovic, Milan N; Stefanovic, Darko; Rudchenko, Sergei

2014-06-17

CONSPECTUS: The successes of electronic digital logic have transformed every aspect of human life over the last half-century. The word "computer" now signifies a ubiquitous electronic device, rather than a human occupation. Yet evidently humans, large assemblies of molecules, can compute, and it has been a thrilling challenge to develop smaller, simpler, synthetic assemblies of molecules that can do useful computation. When we say that molecules compute, what we usually mean is that such molecules respond to certain inputs, for example, the presence or absence of other molecules, in a precisely defined but potentially complex fashion. The simplest way for a chemist to think about computing molecules is as sensors that can integrate the presence or absence of multiple analytes into a change in a single reporting property. Here we review several forms of molecular computing developed in our laboratories. When we began our work, combinatorial approaches to using DNA for computing were used to search for solutions to constraint satisfaction problems. We chose to work instead on logic circuits, building bottom-up from units based on catalytic nucleic acids, focusing on DNA secondary structures in the design of individual circuit elements, and reserving the combinatorial opportunities of DNA for the representation of multiple signals propagating in a large circuit. Such circuit design directly corresponds to the intuition about sensors transforming the detection of analytes into reporting properties. While this approach was unusual at the time, it has been adopted since by other groups working on biomolecular computing with different nucleic acid chemistries. We created logic gates by modularly combining deoxyribozymes (DNA-based enzymes cleaving or combining other oligonucleotides), in the role of reporting elements, with stem-loops as input detection elements. For instance, a deoxyribozyme that normally exhibits an oligonucleotide substrate recognition region is

Computational perspectives in the history of science: to the memory of Peter Damerow.

PubMed

Laubichler, Manfred D; Maienschein, Jane; Renn, Jürgen

2013-03-01

Computational methods and perspectives can transform the history of science by enabling the pursuit of novel types of questions, dramatically expanding the scale of analysis (geographically and temporally), and offering novel forms of publication that greatly enhance access and transparency. This essay presents a brief summary of a computational research system for the history of science, discussing its implications for research, education, and publication practices and its connections to the open-access movement and similar transformations in the natural and social sciences that emphasize big data. It also argues that computational approaches help to reconnect the history of science to individual scientific disciplines.

A Review of Computer Science Resources for Learning and Teaching with K-12 Computing Curricula: An Australian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falkner, Katrina; Vivian, Rebecca

2015-01-01

To support teachers to implement Computer Science curricula into classrooms from the very first year of school, teachers, schools and organisations seek quality curriculum resources to support implementation and teacher professional development. Until now, many Computer Science resources and outreach initiatives have targeted K-12 school-age…

Integration of Molecular Pathology, Epidemiology, and Social Science for Global Precision Medicine

PubMed Central

Nishi, Akihiro; Milner, Danny A; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Nishihara, Reiko; Tan, Andy S.; Kawachi, Ichiro; Ogino, Shuji

2015-01-01

Summary The precision medicine concept and the unique disease principle imply that each patient has unique pathogenic processes resulting from heterogeneous cellular genetic and epigenetic alterations, and interactions between cells (including immune cells) and exposures, including dietary, environmental, microbial, and lifestyle factors. As a core method field in population health science and medicine, epidemiology is a growing scientific discipline that can analyze disease risk factors, and develop statistical methodologies to maximize utilization of big data on populations and disease pathology. The evolving transdisciplinary field of molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE) can advance biomedical and health research by linking exposures to molecular pathologic signatures, enhancing causal inference, and identifying potential biomarkers for clinical impact. The MPE approach can be applied to any diseases, although it has been most commonly used in neoplastic diseases (including breast, lung and colorectal cancers) because of availability of various molecular diagnostic tests. However, use of state-of-the-art genomic, epigenomic and other omic technologies and expensive drugs in modern healthcare systems increases racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. To address this, we propose to integrate molecular pathology, epidemiology, and social science. Social epidemiology integrates the latter two fields. The integrative social MPE model can embrace sociology, economics and precision medicine, address global health disparities and inequalities, and elucidate biological effects of social environments, behaviors, and networks. We foresee advancements of molecular medicine, including molecular diagnostics, biomedical imaging, and targeted therapeutics, which should benefit individuals in a global population, by means of an interdisciplinary approach of integrative MPE and social health science. PMID:26636627

Integration of molecular pathology, epidemiology and social science for global precision medicine.

PubMed

Nishi, Akihiro; Milner, Danny A; Giovannucci, Edward L; Nishihara, Reiko; Tan, Andy S; Kawachi, Ichiro; Ogino, Shuji

2016-01-01

The precision medicine concept and the unique disease principle imply that each patient has unique pathogenic processes resulting from heterogeneous cellular genetic and epigenetic alterations and interactions between cells (including immune cells) and exposures, including dietary, environmental, microbial and lifestyle factors. As a core method field in population health science and medicine, epidemiology is a growing scientific discipline that can analyze disease risk factors and develop statistical methodologies to maximize utilization of big data on populations and disease pathology. The evolving transdisciplinary field of molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE) can advance biomedical and health research by linking exposures to molecular pathologic signatures, enhancing causal inference and identifying potential biomarkers for clinical impact. The MPE approach can be applied to any diseases, although it has been most commonly used in neoplastic diseases (including breast, lung and colorectal cancers) because of availability of various molecular diagnostic tests. However, use of state-of-the-art genomic, epigenomic and other omic technologies and expensive drugs in modern healthcare systems increases racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. To address this, we propose to integrate molecular pathology, epidemiology and social science. Social epidemiology integrates the latter two fields. The integrative social MPE model can embrace sociology, economics and precision medicine, address global health disparities and inequalities, and elucidate biological effects of social environments, behaviors and networks. We foresee advancements of molecular medicine, including molecular diagnostics, biomedical imaging and targeted therapeutics, which should benefit individuals in a global population, by means of an interdisciplinary approach of integrative MPE and social health science.

Therapeutic, Molecular and Computational Aspects of Novel Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) Inhibitors.

PubMed

Ramesh, Muthusamy; Dokurugu, Yussif M; Thompson, Michael D; Soliman, Mahmoud E

2017-01-01

Background Due to the limited number of MAO inhibitors in the clinics, several research efforts are aimed at the discovery of novel MAO inhibitors. At present, a high specificity and a reversible mode of inhibition of MAO-A/B are cited as desirable traits in drug discovery process. This will help to reduce the probability of causing target disruption and may increase the duration of action of drug. Most of the existing MAO inhibitors lead to side effects due to the lack of affinity and selectivity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design novel, potent, reversible and selective inhibitors for MAO-A/B. Selective inhibition of MAO-A results in the elevated level of serotonin and noradrenaline. Hence, MAO-A inhibitors can be used for improving the symptoms of depression. The selective MAO-B inhibitors are used with L-DOPA and/or dopamine agonists in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease. The present study was aimed to describe the recently developed hits of MAO inhibitors. At present, CADD techniques are gaining an attention in rationale drug discovery of MAO inhibitors, and several research groups employed CADD approaches on various chemical scaffolds to identify novel MAO inhibitors. These computational techniques assisted in the development of lead molecules with improved pharmacodynamics / pharmacokinetic properties toward MAOs. Further, CADD techniques provided a better understanding of structural aspects of molecular targets and lead molecules. The present review describes the importance of structural features of potential chemical scaffolds as well as the role of computational approaches like ligand docking, molecular dynamics, QSAR and pharmacophore modeling in the development of novel MAO inhibitors. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

On the computation of molecular surface correlations for protein docking using fourier techniques.

PubMed

Sakk, Eric

2007-08-01

The computation of surface correlations using a variety of molecular models has been applied to the unbound protein docking problem. Because of the computational complexity involved in examining all possible molecular orientations, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) (a fast numerical implementation of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT)) is generally applied to minimize the number of calculations. This approach is rooted in the convolution theorem which allows one to inverse transform the product of two DFTs in order to perform the correlation calculation. However, such a DFT calculation results in a cyclic or "circular" correlation which, in general, does not lead to the same result as the linear correlation desired for the docking problem. In this work, we provide computational bounds for constructing molecular models used in the molecular surface correlation problem. The derived bounds are then shown to be consistent with various intuitive guidelines previously reported in the protein docking literature. Finally, these bounds are applied to different molecular models in order to investigate their effect on the correlation calculation.

Computational sciences in the upstream oil and gas industry

PubMed Central

Halsey, Thomas C.

2016-01-01

The predominant technical challenge of the upstream oil and gas industry has always been the fundamental uncertainty of the subsurface from which it produces hydrocarbon fluids. The subsurface can be detected remotely by, for example, seismic waves, or it can be penetrated and studied in the extremely limited vicinity of wells. Inevitably, a great deal of uncertainty remains. Computational sciences have been a key avenue to reduce and manage this uncertainty. In this review, we discuss at a relatively non-technical level the current state of three applications of computational sciences in the industry. The first of these is seismic imaging, which is currently being revolutionized by the emergence of full wavefield inversion, enabled by algorithmic advances and petascale computing. The second is reservoir simulation, also being advanced through the use of modern highly parallel computing architectures. Finally, we comment on the role of data analytics in the upstream industry. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Energy and the subsurface’. PMID:27597785

Research in progress at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science during the period April 1, 1987 through October 1, 1987.

Integrating Computational Science Tools into a Thermodynamics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, Camilo; Magana, Alejandra J.; García, R. Edwin; Jana, Aniruddha; Krafcik, Matthew

2018-01-01

Computational tools and methods have permeated multiple science and engineering disciplines, because they enable scientists and engineers to process large amounts of data, represent abstract phenomena, and to model and simulate complex concepts. In order to prepare future engineers with the ability to use computational tools in the context of their disciplines, some universities have started to integrate these tools within core courses. This paper evaluates the effect of introducing three computational modules within a thermodynamics course on student disciplinary learning and self-beliefs about computation. The results suggest that using worked examples paired to computer simulations to implement these modules have a positive effect on (1) student disciplinary learning, (2) student perceived ability to do scientific computing, and (3) student perceived ability to do computer programming. These effects were identified regardless of the students' prior experiences with computer programming.

A Computer Science Educational Program for Establishing an Entry Point into the Computing Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haberman, Bruria; Yehezkel, Cecile

2008-01-01

The rapid evolvement of the computing domain has posed challenges in attempting to bridge the gap between school and the contemporary world of computing, which is related to content, learning culture, and professional norms. We believe that the interaction of high-school students who major in computer science or software engineering with leading…

Summary of Research 1997, Department of Computer Science.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704...contains summaries of research projects in the Department of Computer Science . A list of recent publications is also included which consists of conference...parallel programming. Recently, in a joint research project between NPS and the Russian Academy of Sciences Systems Programming Insti- tute in Moscow

Recent Advances and Issues in Computers. Oryx Frontiers of Science Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gay, Martin K.

Discussing recent issues in computer science, this book contains 11 chapters covering: (1) developments that have the potential for changing the way computers operate, including microprocessors, mass storage systems, and computing environments; (2) the national computational grid for high-bandwidth, high-speed collaboration among scientists, and…

Exercises in Molecular Computing

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Conspectus The successes of electronic digital logic have transformed every aspect of human life over the last half-century. The word “computer” now signifies a ubiquitous electronic device, rather than a human occupation. Yet evidently humans, large assemblies of molecules, can compute, and it has been a thrilling challenge to develop smaller, simpler, synthetic assemblies of molecules that can do useful computation. When we say that molecules compute, what we usually mean is that such molecules respond to certain inputs, for example, the presence or absence of other molecules, in a precisely defined but potentially complex fashion. The simplest way for a chemist to think about computing molecules is as sensors that can integrate the presence or absence of multiple analytes into a change in a single reporting property. Here we review several forms of molecular computing developed in our laboratories. When we began our work, combinatorial approaches to using DNA for computing were used to search for solutions to constraint satisfaction problems. We chose to work instead on logic circuits, building bottom-up from units based on catalytic nucleic acids, focusing on DNA secondary structures in the design of individual circuit elements, and reserving the combinatorial opportunities of DNA for the representation of multiple signals propagating in a large circuit. Such circuit design directly corresponds to the intuition about sensors transforming the detection of analytes into reporting properties. While this approach was unusual at the time, it has been adopted since by other groups working on biomolecular computing with different nucleic acid chemistries. We created logic gates by modularly combining deoxyribozymes (DNA-based enzymes cleaving or combining other oligonucleotides), in the role of reporting elements, with stem–loops as input detection elements. For instance, a deoxyribozyme that normally exhibits an oligonucleotide substrate recognition region is

Business Administration and Computer Science Degrees: Earnings, Job Security, and Job Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehta, Kamlesh; Uhlig, Ronald

2017-01-01

This paper examines the potential of business administration vs. computer science degrees in terms of earnings, job security, and job satisfaction. The paper focuses on earnings potential five years and ten years after the completion of business administration and computer science degrees. Moreover, the paper presents the income changes with…

Integrating Mobile Robotics and Vision with Undergraduate Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cielniak, G.; Bellotto, N.; Duckett, T.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the integration of robotics education into an undergraduate Computer Science curriculum. The proposed approach delivers mobile robotics as well as covering the closely related field of Computer Vision and is directly linked to the research conducted at the authors' institution. The paper describes the most relevant details of…

Computer-simulated laboratory explorations for middle school life, earth, and physical Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Blum, Ruth

1992-06-01

Explorations in Middle School Science is a set of 72 computer-simulated laboratory lessons in life, earth, and physical Science for grades 6 9 developed by Jostens Learning Corporation with grants from the California State Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.3 At the heart of each lesson is a computer-simulated laboratory that actively involves students in doing science improving their: (1) understanding of science concepts by applying critical thinking to solve real problems; (2) skills in scientific processes and communications; and (3) attitudes about science. Students use on-line tools (notebook, calculator, word processor) to undertake in-depth investigations of phenomena (like motion in outer space, disease transmission, volcanic eruptions, or the structure of the atom) that would be too difficult, dangerous, or outright impossible to do in a “live” laboratory. Suggested extension activities lead students to hands-on investigations, away from the computer. This article presents the underlying rationale, instructional model, and process by which Explorations was designed and developed. It also describes the general courseware structure and three lesson's in detail, as well as presenting preliminary data from the evaluation. Finally, it suggests a model for incorporating technology into the science classroom.

Education:=Coding+Aesthetics; Aesthetic Understanding, Computer Science Education, and Computational Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Good, Jonathon; Keenan, Sarah; Mishra, Punya

2016-01-01

The popular press is rife with examples of how students in the United States and around the globe are learning to program, make, and tinker. The Hour of Code, maker-education, and similar efforts are advocating that more students be exposed to principles found within computer science. We propose an expansion beyond simply teaching computational…

Student Engagement in a Computer Rich Science Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunter, Jeffrey C.

The purpose of this study was to examine the student lived experience when using computers in a rural science classroom. The overarching question the project sought to examine was: How do rural students relate to computers as a learning tool in comparison to a traditional science classroom? Participant data were collected using a pre-study survey, Experience Sampling during class and post-study interviews. Students want to use computers in their classrooms. Students shared that they overwhelmingly (75%) preferred a computer rich classroom to a traditional classroom (25%). Students reported a higher level of engagement in classes that use technology/computers (83%) versus those that do not use computers (17%). A computer rich classroom increased student control and motivation as reflected by a participant who shared; "by using computers I was more motivated to get the work done" (Maggie, April 25, 2014, survey). The researcher explored a rural school environment. Rural populations represent a large number of students and appear to be underrepresented in current research. The participants, tenth grade Biology students, were sampled in a traditional teacher led class without computers for one week followed by a week using computers daily. Data supported that there is a new gap that separates students, a device divide. This divide separates those who have access to devices that are robust enough to do high level class work from those who do not. Although cellular phones have reduced the number of students who cannot access the Internet, they may have created a false feeling that access to a computer is no longer necessary at home. As this study shows, although most students have Internet access, fewer have access to a device that enables them to complete rigorous class work at home. Participants received little or no training at school in proper, safe use of a computer and the Internet. It is clear that the majorities of students are self-taught or receive guidance

Facilitating NASA Earth Science Data Processing Using Nebula Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, A.; Pham, L.; Kempler, S.; Theobald, M.; Esfandiari, A.; Campino, J.; Vollmer, B.; Lynnes, C.

2011-12-01

Cloud Computing technology has been used to offer high-performance and low-cost computing and storage resources for both scientific problems and business services. Several cloud computing services have been implemented in the commercial arena, e.g. Amazon's EC2 & S3, Microsoft's Azure, and Google App Engine. There are also some research and application programs being launched in academia and governments to utilize Cloud Computing. NASA launched the Nebula Cloud Computing platform in 2008, which is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to deliver on-demand distributed virtual computers. Nebula users can receive required computing resources as a fully outsourced service. NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Service Center (GES DISC) migrated several GES DISC's applications to the Nebula as a proof of concept, including: a) The Simple, Scalable, Script-based Science Processor for Measurements (S4PM) for processing scientific data; b) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data process workflow for processing AIRS raw data; and c) the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure (GIOVANNI) for online access to, analysis, and visualization of Earth science data. This work aims to evaluate the practicability and adaptability of the Nebula. The initial work focused on the AIRS data process workflow to evaluate the Nebula. The AIRS data process workflow consists of a series of algorithms being used to process raw AIRS level 0 data and output AIRS level 2 geophysical retrievals. Migrating the entire workflow to the Nebula platform is challenging, but practicable. After installing several supporting libraries and the processing code itself, the workflow is able to process AIRS data in a similar fashion to its current (non-cloud) configuration. We compared the performance of processing 2 days of AIRS level 0 data through level 2 using a Nebula virtual computer and a local Linux computer. The result shows that Nebula has significantly

Computational Algorithmization: Limitations in Problem Solving Skills in Computational Sciences Majors at University of Oriente

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castillo, Antonio S.; Berenguer, Isabel A.; Sánchez, Alexander G.; Álvarez, Tomás R. R.

2017-01-01

This paper analyzes the results of a diagnostic study carried out with second year students of the computational sciences majors at University of Oriente, Cuba, to determine the limitations that they present in computational algorithmization. An exploratory research was developed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results allowed…

A Review of Resources for Evaluating K-12 Computer Science Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randolph, Justus J.; Hartikainen, Elina

2004-01-01

Since computer science education is a key to preparing students for a technologically-oriented future, it makes sense to have high quality resources for conducting summative and formative evaluation of those programs. This paper describes the results of a critical analysis of the resources for evaluating K-12 computer science education projects.…

Computer Science (CS) in the Compulsory Education Curriculum: Implications for Future Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passey, Don

2017-01-01

The subject of computer science (CS) and computer science education (CSE) has relatively recently arisen as a subject for inclusion within the compulsory school curriculum. Up to this present time, a major focus of technologies in the school curriculum has in many countries been on applications of existing technologies into subject practice (both…

Correlation Educational Model in Primary Education Curriculum of Mathematics and Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macinko Kovac, Maja; Eret, Lidija

2012-01-01

This article gives insight into methodical correlation model of teaching mathematics and computer science. The model shows the way in which the related areas of computer science and mathematics can be supplemented, if it transforms the way of teaching and creates a "joint" lessons. Various didactic materials are designed, in which all…

Longitudinal effects of college type and selectivity on degrees conferred upon undergraduate females in physical science, life science, math and computer science, and social science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Stacy Mckimm

There has been much research to suggest that a single-sex college experience for female undergraduate students can increase self-confidence and leadership ability during the college years and beyond. The results of previous studies also suggest that these students achieve in the workforce and enter graduate school at higher rates than their female peers graduating from coeducational institutions. However, some researchers have questioned these findings, suggesting that it is the selectivity level of the colleges rather than the comprised gender of the students that causes these differences. The purpose of this study was to justify the continuation of single-sex educational opportunities for females at the post-secondary level by examining the effects that college selectivity, college type, and time have on the rate of undergraduate females pursuing majors in non-traditional fields. The study examined the percentage of physical science, life science, math and computer science, and social science degrees conferred upon females graduating from women's colleges from 1985-2001, as compared to those at comparable coeducational colleges. Sampling for this study consisted of 42 liberal arts women's (n = 21) and coeducational (n = 21) colleges. Variables included the type of college, the selectivity level of the college, and the effect of time on the percentage of female graduates. Doubly multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance testing revealed significant main effects for college selectivity on social science graduates, and time on both life science and math and computer science graduates. Significant interaction was also found between the college type and time on social science graduates, as well as the college type, selectivity level, and time on math and computer science graduates. Implications of the results and suggestions for further research are discussed.

[Activities of Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at ICASE in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, computer science, and structures and material sciences during the period April 1, 2000 through September 30, 2000.

Using the Tower of Hanoi puzzle to infuse your mathematics classroom with computer science concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzocchi, Alison S.

2016-07-01

This article suggests that logic puzzles, such as the well-known Tower of Hanoi puzzle, can be used to introduce computer science concepts to mathematics students of all ages. Mathematics teachers introduce their students to computer science concepts that are enacted spontaneously and subconsciously throughout the solution to the Tower of Hanoi puzzle. These concepts include, but are not limited to, conditionals, iteration, and recursion. Lessons, such as the one proposed in this article, are easily implementable in mathematics classrooms and extracurricular programmes as they are good candidates for 'drop in' lessons that do not need to fit into any particular place in the typical curriculum sequence. As an example for readers, the author describes how she used the puzzle in her own Number Sense and Logic course during the federally funded Upward Bound Math/Science summer programme for college-intending low-income high school students. The article explains each computer science term with real-life and mathematical examples, applies each term to the Tower of Hanoi puzzle solution, and describes how students connected the terms to their own solutions of the puzzle. It is timely and important to expose mathematics students to computer science concepts. Given the rate at which technology is currently advancing, and our increased dependence on technology in our daily lives, it has become more important than ever for children to be exposed to computer science. Yet, despite the importance of exposing today's children to computer science, many children are not given adequate opportunity to learn computer science in schools. In the United States, for example, most students finish high school without ever taking a computing course. Mathematics lessons, such as the one described in this article, can help to make computer science more accessible to students who may have otherwise had little opportunity to be introduced to these increasingly important concepts.

Computer Science Lesson Study: Building Computing Skills among Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Thomas R.

2017-01-01

The lack of diversity in the technology workforce in the United States has proven to be a stubborn problem, resisting even the most well-funded reform efforts. With the absence of computer science education in the mainstream K-12 curriculum, only a narrow band of students in public schools go on to careers in technology. The problem persists…

Computational Optimization and Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terracina, Jacob J.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are a class of materials containing sites capable of selectively binding to the imprinted target molecule. Computational chemistry techniques were used to study the effect of different fabrication parameters (the monomer-to-target ratios, pre-polymerization solvent, temperature, and pH) on the formation of the MIP binding sites. Imprinted binding sites were built in silico for the purposes of better characterizing the receptor - ligand interactions. Chiefly, the sites were characterized with respect to their selectivities and the heterogeneity between sites. First, a series of two-step molecular mechanics (MM) and quantum mechanics (QM) computational optimizations of monomer -- target systems was used to determine optimal monomer-to-target ratios for the MIPs. Imidazole- and xanthine-derived target molecules were studied. The investigation included both small-scale models (one-target) and larger scale models (five-targets). The optimal ratios differed between the small and larger scales. For the larger models containing multiple targets, binding-site surface area analysis was used to evaluate the heterogeneity of the sites. The more fully surrounded sites had greater binding energies. Molecular docking was then used to measure the selectivities of the QM-optimized binding sites by comparing the binding energies of the imprinted target to that of a structural analogue. Selectivity was also shown to improve as binding sites become more fully encased by the monomers. For internal sites, docking consistently showed selectivity favoring the molecules that had been imprinted via QM geometry optimizations. The computationally imprinted sites were shown to exhibit size-, shape-, and polarity-based selectivity. This represented a novel approach to investigate the selectivity and heterogeneity of imprinted polymer binding sites, by applying the rapid orientation screening of MM docking to the highly accurate QM-optimized geometries. Next

A parallel-processing approach to computing for the geographic sciences; applications and systems enhancements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crane, Michael; Steinwand, Dan; Beckmann, Tim; Krpan, Greg; Liu, Shu-Guang; Nichols, Erin; Haga, Jim; Maddox, Brian; Bilderback, Chris; Feller, Mark; Homer, George

2001-01-01

The overarching goal of this project is to build a spatially distributed infrastructure for information science research by forming a team of information science researchers and providing them with similar hardware and software tools to perform collaborative research. Four geographically distributed Centers of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are developing their own clusters of low-cost, personal computers into parallel computing environments that provide a costeffective way for the USGS to increase participation in the high-performance computing community. Referred to as Beowulf clusters, these hybrid systems provide the robust computing power required for conducting information science research into parallel computing systems and applications.

Research in progress in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Research conducted at the Institute in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer science is summarized. The Institute conducts unclassified basic research in applied mathematics in order to extend and improve problem solving capabilities in science and engineering, particularly in aeronautics and space.

Teaching Computer Science Courses in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huan, Xiaoli; Shehane, Ronald; Ali, Adel

2011-01-01

As the success of distance learning (DL) has driven universities to increase the courses offered online, certain challenges arise when teaching computer science (CS) courses to students who are not physically co-located and have individual learning schedules. Teaching CS courses involves high level demonstrations and interactivity between the…

The 6th International Conference on Computer Science and Computational Mathematics (ICCSCM 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-09-01

The ICCSCM 2017 (The 6th International Conference on Computer Science and Computational Mathematics) has aimed to provide a platform to discuss computer science and mathematics related issues including Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Topology, Approximation Theory, Calculus of Variations, Category Theory; Homological Algebra, Coding Theory, Combinatorics, Control Theory, Cryptology, Geometry, Difference and Functional Equations, Discrete Mathematics, Dynamical Systems and Ergodic Theory, Field Theory and Polynomials, Fluid Mechanics and Solid Mechanics, Fourier Analysis, Functional Analysis, Functions of a Complex Variable, Fuzzy Mathematics, Game Theory, General Algebraic Systems, Graph Theory, Group Theory and Generalizations, Image Processing, Signal Processing and Tomography, Information Fusion, Integral Equations, Lattices, Algebraic Structures, Linear and Multilinear Algebra; Matrix Theory, Mathematical Biology and Other Natural Sciences, Mathematical Economics and Financial Mathematics, Mathematical Physics, Measure Theory and Integration, Neutrosophic Mathematics, Number Theory, Numerical Analysis, Operations Research, Optimization, Operator Theory, Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, Potential Theory, Real Functions, Rings and Algebras, Statistical Mechanics, Structure Of Matter, Topological Groups, Wavelets and Wavelet Transforms, 3G/4G Network Evolutions, Ad-Hoc, Mobile, Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing, Agent Computing & Multi-Agents Systems, All topics related Image/Signal Processing, Any topics related Computer Networks, Any topics related ISO SC-27 and SC- 17 standards, Any topics related PKI(Public Key Intrastructures), Artifial Intelligences(A.I.) & Pattern/Image Recognitions, Authentication/Authorization Issues, Biometric authentication and algorithms, CDMA/GSM Communication Protocols, Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Analysis of Algorithms, Cryptography and Foundation of Computer Security, Data Base(D.B.) Management & Information

Molecular Evolution in Historical Perspective.

PubMed

Suárez-Díaz, Edna

2016-12-01

In the 1960s, advances in protein chemistry and molecular genetics provided new means for the study of biological evolution. Amino acid sequencing, nucleic acid hybridization, zone gel electrophoresis, and immunochemistry were some of the experimental techniques that brought about new perspectives to the study of the patterns and mechanisms of evolution. New concepts, such as the molecular evolutionary clock, and the discovery of unexpected molecular phenomena, like the presence of repetitive sequences in eukaryotic genomes, eventually led to the realization that evolution might occur at a different pace at the organismic and the molecular levels, and according to different mechanisms. These developments sparked important debates between defendants of the molecular and organismic approaches. The most vocal confrontations focused on the relation between primates and humans, and the neutral theory of molecular evolution. By the 1980s and 1990s, the construction of large protein and DNA sequences databases, and the development of computer-based statistical tools, facilitated the coming together of molecular and evolutionary biology. Although in its contemporary form the field of molecular evolution can be traced back to the last five decades, the field has deep roots in twentieth century experimental life sciences. For historians of science, the origins and consolidation of molecular evolution provide a privileged field for the study of scientific debates, the relation between technological advances and scientific knowledge, and the connection between science and broader social concerns.

Exposure Science and the US EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology

EPA Science Inventory

The emerging field of computational toxicology applies mathematical and computer models and molecular biological and chemical approaches to explore both qualitative and quantitative relationships between sources of environmental pollutant exposure and adverse health outcomes. The...

Computer literacy for life sciences: helping the digital-era biology undergraduates face today's research.

PubMed

Smolinski, Tomasz G

2010-01-01

Computer literacy plays a critical role in today's life sciences research. Without the ability to use computers to efficiently manipulate and analyze large amounts of data resulting from biological experiments and simulations, many of the pressing questions in the life sciences could not be answered. Today's undergraduates, despite the ubiquity of computers in their lives, seem to be largely unfamiliar with how computers are being used to pursue and answer such questions. This article describes an innovative undergraduate-level course, titled Computer Literacy for Life Sciences, that aims to teach students the basics of a computerized scientific research pursuit. The purpose of the course is for students to develop a hands-on working experience in using standard computer software tools as well as computer techniques and methodologies used in life sciences research. This paper provides a detailed description of the didactical tools and assessment methods used in and outside of the classroom as well as a discussion of the lessons learned during the first installment of the course taught at Emory University in fall semester 2009.

Research on Young Women in Computer Science: Promoting High Technology for Girls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crombie, Gail

When the public school system of Ontario, Canada, began offering an all-female computer science course for girls in grade 11, female enrollment in computer science increased to approximately 40%. This increased enrollment level has been maintained for 3 years. The new course's effects on girls' attitudes were examined in a survey of 184 grade 11…

Path Not Found: Disparities in Access to Computer Science Courses in California High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Alexis; McAlear, Frieda; Scott, Allison

2015-01-01

"Path Not Found: Disparities in Access to Computer Science Courses in California High Schools" exposes one of the foundational causes of underrepresentation in computing: disparities in access to computer science courses in California's public high schools. This report provides new, detailed data on these disparities by student body…

Developing Oral and Written Communication Skills in Undergraduate Computer Science and Information Systems Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kortsarts, Yana; Fischbach, Adam; Rufinus, Jeff; Utell, Janine M.; Yoon, Suk-Chung

2010-01-01

Developing and applying oral and written communication skills in the undergraduate computer science and computer information systems curriculum--one of the ABET accreditation requirements - is a very challenging and, at the same time, a rewarding task that provides various opportunities to enrich the undergraduate computer science and computer…

Computational ecology as an emerging science

PubMed Central

Petrovskii, Sergei; Petrovskaya, Natalia

2012-01-01

It has long been recognized that numerical modelling and computer simulations can be used as a powerful research tool to understand, and sometimes to predict, the tendencies and peculiarities in the dynamics of populations and ecosystems. It has been, however, much less appreciated that the context of modelling and simulations in ecology is essentially different from those that normally exist in other natural sciences. In our paper, we review the computational challenges arising in modern ecology in the spirit of computational mathematics, i.e. with our main focus on the choice and use of adequate numerical methods. Somewhat paradoxically, the complexity of ecological problems does not always require the use of complex computational methods. This paradox, however, can be easily resolved if we recall that application of sophisticated computational methods usually requires clear and unambiguous mathematical problem statement as well as clearly defined benchmark information for model validation. At the same time, many ecological problems still do not have mathematically accurate and unambiguous description, and available field data are often very noisy, and hence it can be hard to understand how the results of computations should be interpreted from the ecological viewpoint. In this scientific context, computational ecology has to deal with a new paradigm: conventional issues of numerical modelling such as convergence and stability become less important than the qualitative analysis that can be provided with the help of computational techniques. We discuss this paradigm by considering computational challenges arising in several specific ecological applications. PMID:23565336

Biotechnology Computing: Information Science for the Era of Molecular Medicine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masys, Daniel R.

1989-01-01

The evolution from classical genetics to biotechnology, an area of research involving key macromolecules in living cells, is chronicled and the current state of biotechnology is described, noting related advances in computing and clinical medicine. (MSE)

The impact of computer-based versus "traditional" textbook science instruction on selected student learning outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothman, Alan H.

This study reports the results of research designed to examine the impact of computer-based science instruction on elementary school level students' science content achievement, their attitude about science learning, their level of critical thinking-inquiry skills, and their level of cognitive and English language development. The study compared these learning outcomes resulting from a computer-based approach compared to the learning outcomes from a traditional, textbook-based approach to science instruction. The computer-based approach was inherent in a curriculum titled The Voyage of the Mimi , published by The Bank Street College Project in Science and Mathematics (1984). The study sample included 209 fifth-grade students enrolled in three schools in a suburban school district. This sample was divided into three groups, each receiving one of the following instructional treatments: (a) Mixed-instruction primarily based on the use of a hardcopy textbook in conjunction with computer-based instructional materials as one component of the science course; (b) Non-Traditional, Technology-Based -instruction fully utilizing computer-based material; and (c) Traditional, Textbook-Based-instruction utilizing only the textbook as the basis for instruction. Pre-test, or pre-treatment, data related to each of the student learning outcomes was collected at the beginning of the school year and post-test data was collected at the end of the school year. Statistical analyses of pre-test data were used as a covariate to account for possible pre-existing differences with regard to the variables examined among the three student groups. This study concluded that non-traditional, computer-based instruction in science significantly improved students' attitudes toward science learning and their level of English language development. Non-significant, positive trends were found for the following student learning outcomes: overall science achievement and development of critical thinking

Trends in Social Science: The Impact of Computational and Simulative Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, Rosaria; Paolucci, Mario; Cecconi, Federico

This paper discusses current progress in the computational social sciences. Specifically, it examines the following questions: Are the computational social sciences exhibiting positive or negative developments? What are the roles of agent-based models and simulation (ABM), network analysis, and other "computational" methods within this dynamic? (Conte, The necessity of intelligent agents in social simulation, Advances in Complex Systems, 3(01n04), 19-38, 2000; Conte 2010; Macy, Annual Review of Sociology, 143-166, 2002). Are there objective indicators of scientific growth that can be applied to different scientific areas, allowing for comparison among them? In this paper, some answers to these questions are presented and discussed. In particular, comparisons among different disciplines in the social and computational sciences are shown, taking into account their respective growth trends in the number of publication citations over the last few decades (culled from Google Scholar). After a short discussion of the methodology adopted, results of keyword-based queries are presented, unveiling some unexpected local impacts of simulation on the takeoff of traditionally poorly productive disciplines.

MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across Computing Platforms.

PubMed

Kumar, Sudhir; Stecher, Glen; Li, Michael; Knyaz, Christina; Tamura, Koichiro

2018-06-01

The Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (Mega) software implements many analytical methods and tools for phylogenomics and phylomedicine. Here, we report a transformation of Mega to enable cross-platform use on Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. Mega X does not require virtualization or emulation software and provides a uniform user experience across platforms. Mega X has additionally been upgraded to use multiple computing cores for many molecular evolutionary analyses. Mega X is available in two interfaces (graphical and command line) and can be downloaded from www.megasoftware.net free of charge.

Computer-Aided Molecular Design of Bis-phosphine Oxide Lanthanide Extractants

DOE PAGES

McCann, Billy W.; Silva, Nuwan De; Windus, Theresa L.; ...

2016-02-17

Computer-aided molecular design and high-throughput screening of viable host architectures can significantly reduce the efforts in the design of novel ligands for efficient extraction of rare earth elements. This paper presents a computational approach to the deliberate design of bis-phosphine oxide host architectures that are structurally organized for complexation of trivalent lanthanides. Molecule building software, HostDesigner, was interfaced with molecular mechanics software, PCModel, providing a tool for generating and screening millions of potential R 2(O)P-link-P(O)R 2 ligand geometries. The molecular mechanics ranking of ligand structures is consistent with both the solution-phase free energies of complexation obtained with density functional theorymore » and the performance of known bis-phosphine oxide extractants. For the case where link is -CH 2-, evaluation of the ligand geometry provides the first characterization of a steric origin for the ‘anomalous aryl strengthening’ effect. The design approach has identified a number of novel bis-phosphine oxide ligands that are better organized for lanthanide complexation than previously studied examples.« less

Computer Assisted Project-Based Instruction: The Effects on Science Achievement, Computer Achievement and Portfolio Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Yavuz; Dede, Dinçer

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of computer assisted project-based instruction on learners' achievement in a science and technology course, in a computer course and in portfolio development. With this aim in mind, a quasi-experimental design was used and a sample of 70 seventh grade secondary school students from Org. Esref…

78 FR 64255 - Advisory Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Cancellation of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Advisory Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Cancellation of Meeting SUMMARY: As a result of the impact of the recent government shutdown, the... Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering meeting. The public notice for this committee...

Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration: HBCU Partnership at Alabama A&M University Continuing High Performance Computing Research and Education at AAMU

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qian, Xiaoqing; Deng, Z. T.

2009-11-10

This is the final report for the Department of Energy (DOE) project DE-FG02-06ER25746, entitled, "Continuing High Performance Computing Research and Education at AAMU". This three-year project was started in August 15, 2006, and it was ended in August 14, 2009. The objective of this project was to enhance high performance computing research and education capabilities at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), and to train African-American and other minority students and scientists in the computational science field for eventual employment with DOE. AAMU has successfully completed all the proposed research and educational tasks. Through the support of DOE, AAMU was able tomore » provide opportunities to minority students through summer interns and DOE computational science scholarship program. In the past three years, AAMU (1). Supported three graduate research assistants in image processing for hypersonic shockwave control experiment and in computational science related area; (2). Recruited and provided full financial support for six AAMU undergraduate summer research interns to participate Research Alliance in Math and Science (RAMS) program at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL); (3). Awarded highly competitive 30 DOE High Performance Computing Scholarships ($1500 each) to qualified top AAMU undergraduate students in science and engineering majors; (4). Improved high performance computing laboratory at AAMU with the addition of three high performance Linux workstations; (5). Conducted image analysis for electromagnetic shockwave control experiment and computation of shockwave interactions to verify the design and operation of AAMU-Supersonic wind tunnel. The high performance computing research and education activities at AAMU created great impact to minority students. As praised by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2009, ?The work on high performance computing that is funded by the Department of Energy provides scholarships to undergraduate students

Critical thinking traits of top-tier experts and implications for computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bushey, Dean E.

A documented shortage of technical leadership and top-tier performers in computer science jeopardizes the technological edge, security, and economic well-being of the nation. The 2005 President's Information and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) Report on competitiveness in computational sciences highlights the major impact of science, technology, and innovation in keeping America competitive in the global marketplace. It stresses the fact that the supply of science, technology, and engineering experts is at the core of America's technological edge, national competitiveness and security. However, recent data shows that both undergraduate and postgraduate production of computer scientists is falling. The decline is "a quiet crisis building in the United States," a crisis that, if allowed to continue unchecked, could endanger America's well-being and preeminence among the world's nations. Past research on expert performance has shown that the cognitive traits of critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving possessed by top-tier performers can be identified, observed and measured. The studies show that the identified attributes are applicable across many domains and disciplines. Companies have begun to realize that cognitive skills are important for high-level performance and are reevaluating the traditional academic standards they have used to predict success for their top-tier performers in computer science. Previous research in the computer science field has focused either on programming skills of its experts or has attempted to predict the academic success of students at the undergraduate level. This study, on the other hand, examines the critical-thinking skills found among experts in the computer science field in order to explore the questions, "What cognitive skills do outstanding performers possess that make them successful?" and "How do currently used measures of academic performance correlate to critical-thinking skills among students?" The results

Computer Simulations to Support Science Instruction and Learning: A critical review of the literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetana, Lara Kathleen; Bell, Randy L.

2012-06-01

Researchers have explored the effectiveness of computer simulations for supporting science teaching and learning during the past four decades. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive, critical review of the literature on the impact of computer simulations on science teaching and learning, with the goal of summarizing what is currently known and providing guidance for future research. We report on the outcomes of 61 empirical studies dealing with the efficacy of, and implications for, computer simulations in science instruction. The overall findings suggest that simulations can be as effective, and in many ways more effective, than traditional (i.e. lecture-based, textbook-based and/or physical hands-on) instructional practices in promoting science content knowledge, developing process skills, and facilitating conceptual change. As with any other educational tool, the effectiveness of computer simulations is dependent upon the ways in which they are used. Thus, we outline specific research-based guidelines for best practice. Computer simulations are most effective when they (a) are used as supplements; (b) incorporate high-quality support structures; (c) encourage student reflection; and (d) promote cognitive dissonance. Used appropriately, computer simulations involve students in inquiry-based, authentic science explorations. Additionally, as educational technologies continue to evolve, advantages such as flexibility, safety, and efficiency deserve attention.

Trends in computer applications in science assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, David D.; Helgeson, Stanley L.

1995-03-01

Seven computer applications to science assessment are reviewed. Conventional test administration includes record keeping, grading, and managing test banks. Multiple-choice testing involves forced selection of an answer from a menu, whereas constructed-response testing involves options for students to present their answers within a set standard deviation. Adaptive testing attempts to individualize the test to minimize the number of items and time needed to assess a student's knowledge. Figurai response testing assesses science proficiency in pictorial or graphic mode and requires the student to construct a mental image rather than selecting a response from a multiple choice menu. Simulations have been found useful for performance assessment on a large-scale basis in part because they make it possible to independently specify different aspects of a real experiment. An emerging approach to performance assessment is solution pathway analysis, which permits the analysis of the steps a student takes in solving a problem. Virtually all computer-based testing systems improve the quality and efficiency of record keeping and data analysis.

Molecular tools for bathing water assessment in Europe: Balancing social science research with a rapidly developing environmental science evidence-base.

PubMed

Oliver, David M; Hanley, Nick D; van Niekerk, Melanie; Kay, David; Heathwaite, A Louise; Rabinovici, Sharyl J M; Kinzelman, Julie L; Fleming, Lora E; Porter, Jonathan; Shaikh, Sabina; Fish, Rob; Chilton, Sue; Hewitt, Julie; Connolly, Elaine; Cummins, Andy; Glenk, Klaus; McPhail, Calum; McRory, Eric; McVittie, Alistair; Giles, Amanna; Roberts, Suzanne; Simpson, Katherine; Tinch, Dugald; Thairs, Ted; Avery, Lisa M; Vinten, Andy J A; Watts, Bill D; Quilliam, Richard S

2016-02-01

The use of molecular tools, principally qPCR, versus traditional culture-based methods for quantifying microbial parameters (e.g., Fecal Indicator Organisms) in bathing waters generates considerable ongoing debate at the science-policy interface. Advances in science have allowed the development and application of molecular biological methods for rapid (~2 h) quantification of microbial pollution in bathing and recreational waters. In contrast, culture-based methods can take between 18 and 96 h for sample processing. Thus, molecular tools offer an opportunity to provide a more meaningful statement of microbial risk to water-users by providing near-real-time information enabling potentially more informed decision-making with regard to water-based activities. However, complementary studies concerning the potential costs and benefits of adopting rapid methods as a regulatory tool are in short supply. We report on findings from an international Working Group that examined the breadth of social impacts, challenges, and research opportunities associated with the application of molecular tools to bathing water regulations.

Computer Applications in Science Education. The Illinois Series on Educational Application of Computers, No. 17e.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaede, Owen F.; Singletary, Ted J.

This paper provides a summary of information and ideas relevant to the use of computers in science education, describes a variety of uses and strategies, discusses advantages and disadvantages of specific applications, and explores the decision-making process surrounding computer instruction implementation. Uses and strategies which are described…

Computer Science Teacher Professional Development in the United States: A Review of Studies Published between 2004 and 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menekse, Muhsin

2015-01-01

While there has been a remarkable interest to make computer science a core K-12 academic subject in the United States, there is a shortage of K-12 computer science teachers to successfully implement computer sciences courses in schools. In order to enhance computer science teacher capacity, training programs have been offered through teacher…

Ab Initio Reactive Computer Aided Molecular Design

DOE PAGES

Martínez, Todd J.

2017-03-21

Few would dispute that theoretical chemistry tools can now provide keen insights into chemical phenomena. Yet the holy grail of efficient and reliable prediction of complex reactivity has remained elusive. Fortunately, recent advances in electronic structure theory based on the concepts of both element- and rank-sparsity, coupled with the emergence of new highly parallel computer architectures, have led to a significant increase in the time and length scales which can be simulated using first principles molecular dynamics. This then opens the possibility of new discovery-based approaches to chemical reactivity, such as the recently proposed ab initio nanoreactor. Here, we arguemore » that due to these and other recent advances, the holy grail of computational discovery for complex chemical reactivity is rapidly coming within our reach.« less

Ab Initio Reactive Computer Aided Molecular Design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martínez, Todd J.

Few would dispute that theoretical chemistry tools can now provide keen insights into chemical phenomena. Yet the holy grail of efficient and reliable prediction of complex reactivity has remained elusive. Fortunately, recent advances in electronic structure theory based on the concepts of both element- and rank-sparsity, coupled with the emergence of new highly parallel computer architectures, have led to a significant increase in the time and length scales which can be simulated using first principles molecular dynamics. This then opens the possibility of new discovery-based approaches to chemical reactivity, such as the recently proposed ab initio nanoreactor. Here, we arguemore » that due to these and other recent advances, the holy grail of computational discovery for complex chemical reactivity is rapidly coming within our reach.« less

Alice in Oman: A Study on Object-First Approaches in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayat, Khizar; Al-Shukaili, Naeem Ali; Sultan, Khalid

2017-01-01

The success of university-level education depends on the quality of underlying school education and any deficiency therein may be detrimental to a student's career. This may be more glaring with Computer Science education, given its mercurial nature. In the developing countries, the Computer Science school curricula are usually stuffed with…

High End Computing Technologies for Earth Science Applications: Trends, Challenges, and Innovations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, John (Technical Monitor); Biswas, Rupak; Yan, Jerry C.; Brooks, Walter F.; Sterling, Thomas L.

2003-01-01

Earth science applications of the future will stress the capabilities of even the highest performance supercomputers in the areas of raw compute power, mass storage management, and software environments. These NASA mission critical problems demand usable multi-petaflops and exabyte-scale systems to fully realize their science goals. With an exciting vision of the technologies needed, NASA has established a comprehensive program of advanced research in computer architecture, software tools, and device technology to ensure that, in partnership with US industry, it can meet these demanding requirements with reliable, cost effective, and usable ultra-scale systems. NASA will exploit, explore, and influence emerging high end computing architectures and technologies to accelerate the next generation of engineering, operations, and discovery processes for NASA Enterprises. This article captures this vision and describes the concepts, accomplishments, and the potential payoff of the key thrusts that will help meet the computational challenges in Earth science applications.

Interdisciplinary research and education at the biology-engineering-computer science interface: a perspective.

PubMed

Tadmor, Brigitta; Tidor, Bruce

2005-09-01

Progress in the life sciences, including genome sequencing and high-throughput experimentation, offers an opportunity for understanding biology and medicine from a systems perspective. This 'new view', which complements the more traditional component-based approach, involves the integration of biological research with approaches from engineering disciplines and computer science. The result is more than a new set of technologies. Rather, it promises a fundamental reconceptualization of the life sciences based on the development of quantitative and predictive models to describe crucial processes. To achieve this change, learning communities are being formed at the interface of the life sciences, engineering and computer science. Through these communities, research and education will be integrated across disciplines and the challenges associated with multidisciplinary team-based science will be addressed.

Terascale Computing in Accelerator Science and Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ko, Kwok

2002-08-21

We have entered the age of ''terascale'' scientific computing. Processors and system architecture both continue to evolve; hundred-teraFLOP computers are expected in the next few years, and petaFLOP computers toward the end of this decade are conceivable. This ever-increasing power to solve previously intractable numerical problems benefits almost every field of science and engineering and is revolutionizing some of them, notably including accelerator physics and technology. At existing accelerators, it will help us optimize performance, expand operational parameter envelopes, and increase reliability. Design decisions for next-generation machines will be informed by unprecedented comprehensive and accurate modeling, as well as computer-aidedmore » engineering; all this will increase the likelihood that even their most advanced subsystems can be commissioned on time, within budget, and up to specifications. Advanced computing is also vital to developing new means of acceleration and exploring the behavior of beams under extreme conditions. With continued progress it will someday become reasonable to speak of a complete numerical model of all phenomena important to a particular accelerator.« less

Pedagogy for the Connected Science Classroom: Computer Supported Collaborative Science and the Next Generation Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Brian J.; Reveles, John M.

2014-01-01

The prevalence of computers in the classroom is compelling teachers to develop new instructional skills. This paper provides a theoretical perspective on an innovative pedagogical approach to science teaching that takes advantage of technology to create a connected classroom. In the connected classroom, students collaborate and share ideas in…

78 FR 61870 - Advisory Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Advisory Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Notice of Meeting In accordance with Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, as amended... Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (1115). Date/Time: Oct 31, 2013: 12:30 p.m...

The quantum computer game: citizen science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damgaard, Sidse; Mølmer, Klaus; Sherson, Jacob

2013-05-01

Progress in the field of quantum computation is hampered by daunting technical challenges. Here we present an alternative approach to solving these by enlisting the aid of computer players around the world. We have previously examined a quantum computation architecture involving ultracold atoms in optical lattices and strongly focused tweezers of light. In The Quantum Computer Game (see http://www.scienceathome.org/), we have encapsulated the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the problem in a graphical user interface allowing for easy user input. Players can then search the parameter space with real-time graphical feedback in a game context with a global high-score that rewards short gate times and robustness to experimental errors. The game which is still in a demo version has so far been tried by several hundred players. Extensions of the approach to other models such as Gross-Pitaevskii and Bose-Hubbard are currently under development. The game has also been incorporated into science education at high-school and university level as an alternative method for teaching quantum mechanics. Initial quantitative evaluation results are very positive. AU Ideas Center for Community Driven Research, CODER.

Functional Programming in Computer Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, Loren James; Davis, Marion Kei

We explore functional programming through a 16-week internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Functional programming is a branch of computer science that has exploded in popularity over the past decade due to its high-level syntax, ease of parallelization, and abundant applications. First, we summarize functional programming by listing the advantages of functional programming languages over the usual imperative languages, and we introduce the concept of parsing. Second, we discuss the importance of lambda calculus in the theory of functional programming. Lambda calculus was invented by Alonzo Church in the 1930s to formalize the concept of effective computability, and every functionalmore » language is essentially some implementation of lambda calculus. Finally, we display the lasting products of the internship: additions to a compiler and runtime system for the pure functional language STG, including both a set of tests that indicate the validity of updates to the compiler and a compiler pass that checks for illegal instances of duplicate names.« less

76 FR 61118 - Advisory Committee for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-03

... Engineering; Notice of Meeting In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463, as... Computer and Information Science and Engineering (1115). Date and Time: November 1, 2011 from 12 p.m.-5:30... Computer and Information Science and Engineering, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite...

Great Computational Intelligence in the Formal Sciences via Analogical Reasoning

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-08

computational harnessing of traditional mathematical statistics (as e.g. covered in Hogg, Craig & McKean 2005) is used to power statistical learning techniques...AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2017-0099 Great Computational Intelligence in the Formal Sciences via Analogical Reasoning Selmer Bringsjord RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC...08-05-2017 2. REPORT TYPE Final Performance 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 15 Oct 2011 to 31 Dec 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Great Computational

Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology. Annual Report FY 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Bureau of Standards (DOC), Washington, DC. Inst. for Computer Sciences and Technology.

Activities of the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology (ICST) within the U.S. Department of Commerce during fiscal year 1986 are described in this annual report, which summarizes research and publications by ICST in the following areas: (1) standards and guidelines for computer security, including encryption and message authentication…

Towards a Competency Model for Teaching Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bender, Elena; Hubwieser, Peter; Schaper, Niclas; Margaritis, Melanie; Berges, Marc; Ohrndorf, Laura; Magenheim, Johannes; Schubert, Sigrid

2015-01-01

To address the special challenges of teaching computer science, adequate development of teachers' competencies during their education is extremely important. In particular, pedagogical content knowledge and teachers' beliefs and motivational orientations play an important role in effective teaching. This research field has been sparsely…

A Survey of Computer Science Capstone Course Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dugan, Robert F., Jr.

2011-01-01

In this article, we surveyed literature related to undergraduate computer science capstone courses. The survey was organized around course and project issues. Course issues included: course models, learning theories, course goals, course topics, student evaluation, and course evaluation. Project issues included: software process models, software…

Computing in the Social Sciences and Humanities. [With CD-ROM].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Orville Vernon, Ed.

This book-and-CD package provide a lively, hands-on introduction for teachers and scholars in the humanities and social sciences. New technology is changing the nature of research and teaching in the humanities and social sciences. From specialized online forums to Web-based teaching and distance learning, computers are being used to expand…

In vitro molecular machine learning algorithm via symmetric internal loops of DNA.

PubMed

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Lee, Seung Hwan; Baek, Christina; Chun, Hyosun; Ryu, Je-Hwan; Kim, Jin-Woo; Deaton, Russell; Zhang, Byoung-Tak

2017-08-01

Programmable biomolecules, such as DNA strands, deoxyribozymes, and restriction enzymes, have been used to solve computational problems, construct large-scale logic circuits, and program simple molecular games. Although studies have shown the potential of molecular computing, the capability of computational learning with DNA molecules, i.e., molecular machine learning, has yet to be experimentally verified. Here, we present a novel molecular learning in vitro model in which symmetric internal loops of double-stranded DNA are exploited to measure the differences between training instances, thus enabling the molecules to learn from small errors. The model was evaluated on a data set of twenty dialogue sentences obtained from the television shows Friends and Prison Break. The wet DNA-computing experiments confirmed that the molecular learning machine was able to generalize the dialogue patterns of each show and successfully identify the show from which the sentences originated. The molecular machine learning model described here opens the way for solving machine learning problems in computer science and biology using in vitro molecular computing with the data encoded in DNA molecules. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Multipole Algorithms for Molecular Dynamics Simulation on High Performance Computers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, William Dewey

1995-01-01

A fundamental problem in modeling large molecular systems with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is the underlying N-body problem of computing the interactions between all pairs of N atoms. The simplest algorithm to compute pair-wise atomic interactions scales in runtime {cal O}(N^2), making it impractical for interesting biomolecular systems, which can contain millions of atoms. Recently, several algorithms have become available that solve the N-body problem by computing the effects of all pair-wise interactions while scaling in runtime less than {cal O}(N^2). One algorithm, which scales {cal O}(N) for a uniform distribution of particles, is called the Greengard-Rokhlin Fast Multipole Algorithm (FMA). This work describes an FMA-like algorithm called the Molecular Dynamics Multipole Algorithm (MDMA). The algorithm contains several features that are new to N-body algorithms. MDMA uses new, efficient series expansion equations to compute general 1/r^{n } potentials to arbitrary accuracy. In particular, the 1/r Coulomb potential and the 1/r^6 portion of the Lennard-Jones potential are implemented. The new equations are based on multivariate Taylor series expansions. In addition, MDMA uses a cell-to-cell interaction region of cells that is closely tied to worst case error bounds. The worst case error bounds for MDMA are derived in this work also. These bounds apply to other multipole algorithms as well. Several implementation enhancements are described which apply to MDMA as well as other N-body algorithms such as FMA and tree codes. The mathematics of the cell -to-cell interactions are converted to the Fourier domain for reduced operation count and faster computation. A relative indexing scheme was devised to locate cells in the interaction region which allows efficient pre-computation of redundant information and prestorage of much of the cell-to-cell interaction. Also, MDMA was integrated into the MD program SIgMA to demonstrate the performance of the program over

SANs and Large Scale Data Migration at the NASA Center for Computational Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salmon, Ellen M.

2004-01-01

Evolution and migration are a way of life for provisioners of high-performance mass storage systems that serve high-end computers used by climate and Earth and space science researchers: the compute engines come and go, but the data remains. At the NASA Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS), disk and tape SANs are deployed to provide high-speed I/O for the compute engines and the hierarchical storage management systems. Along with gigabit Ethernet, they also enable the NCCS's latest significant migration: the transparent transfer of 300 Til3 of legacy HSM data into the new Sun SAM-QFS cluster.

Broadening Participation Not Border Protection: How Universities Can Support Women in Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michell, Dee; Szorenyi, Anna; Falkner, Katrina; Szabo, Claudia

2017-01-01

Computer science, like technology in general, is seen as a masculine field and the under-representation of women an intransigent problem. In this paper, we argue that the cultural belief in Australia that computer science is a domain for men results in many girls and women being chased away from that field as part of a border protection campaign…

Summary of research in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The major categories of current ICASE research programs addressed include: numerical methods, with particular emphasis on the development and analysis of basic numerical algorithms; control and parameter identification problems, with emphasis on effective numerical methods; computational problems in engineering and physical sciences, particularly fluid dynamics, acoustics, and structural analysis; and computer systems and software, especially vector and parallel computers.

Mathematics and Computer Science: Exploring a Symbiotic Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bravaco, Ralph; Simonson, Shai

2004-01-01

This paper describes a "learning community" designed for sophomore computer science majors who are simultaneously studying discrete mathematics. The learning community consists of three courses: Discrete Mathematics, Data Structures and an Integrative Seminar/Lab. The seminar functions as a link that integrates the two disciplines. Participation…

Classrooms Matter: The Design of Virtual Classrooms Influences Gender Disparities in Computer Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheryan, Sapna; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Kim, Saenam

2011-01-01

Three experiments examined whether the design of virtual learning environments influences undergraduates' enrollment intentions and anticipated success in introductory computer science courses. Changing the design of a virtual classroom--from one that conveys current computer science stereotypes to one that does not--significantly increased…

Designing Computer Learning Environments for Engineering and Computer Science: The Scaffolded Knowledge Integration Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linn, Marcia C.

1995-01-01

Describes a framework called scaffolded knowledge integration and illustrates how it guided the design of two successful course enhancements in the field of computer science and engineering: the LISP Knowledge Integration Environment and the spatial reasoning environment. (101 references) (Author/MKR)

Computers in Life Science Education, Volume 7, Numbers 1-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Computers in Life Science Education, 1990

1990-01-01

The 12 digests of Computers in Life Science Education from 1990 are presented. The articles found in chronological sequence are as follows: "The Computer as a Teaching Tool--How Far Have We Come? Where Are We Going?" (Modell); "Where's the Software--Part 1"; "Keeping Abreast of the Literature" (which appears quarterly); "Where's the Software--Part…

Cloud Computing in the Curricula of Schools of Computer Science and Information Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawler, James P.

2011-01-01

The cloud continues to be a developing area of information systems. Evangelistic literature in the practitioner field indicates benefit for business firms but disruption for technology departments of the firms. Though the cloud currently is immature in methodology, this study defines a model program by which computer science and information…

New Frontiers in Analyzing Dynamic Group Interactions: Bridging Social and Computer Science.

PubMed

Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Hung, Hayley; Keyton, Joann

2017-10-01

This special issue on advancing interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists documents the joint results of the international Lorentz workshop, "Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics," which took place in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 2016. An equal number of scholars from social and computer science participated in the workshop and contributed to the papers included in this special issue. In this introduction, we first identify interaction dynamics as the core of group and team models and review how scholars in social and computer science have typically approached behavioral interactions in groups and teams. Next, we identify key challenges for interdisciplinary collaboration between social and computer scientists, and we provide an overview of the different articles in this special issue aimed at addressing these challenges.

Mastering Cognitive Development Theory in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gluga, Richard; Kay, Judy; Lister, Raymond; Kleitman, Simon; Kleitman, Sabina

2013-01-01

To design an effective computer science curriculum, educators require a systematic method of classifying the difficulty level of learning activities and assessment tasks. This is important for curriculum design and implementation and for communication between educators. Different educators must be able to use the method consistently, so that…

Infrastructure Systems for Advanced Computing in E-science applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzo, Olivier

2013-04-01

In the e-science field are growing needs for having computing infrastructure more dynamic and customizable with a model of use "on demand" that follow the exact request in term of resources and storage capacities. The integration of grid and cloud infrastructure solutions allows us to offer services that can adapt the availability in terms of up scaling and downscaling resources. The main challenges for e-sciences domains will on implement infrastructure solutions for scientific computing that allow to adapt dynamically the demands of computing resources with a strong emphasis on optimizing the use of computing resources for reducing costs of investments. Instrumentation, data volumes, algorithms, analysis contribute to increase the complexity for applications who require high processing power and storage for a limited time and often exceeds the computational resources that equip the majority of laboratories, research Unit in an organization. Very often it is necessary to adapt or even tweak rethink tools, algorithms, and consolidate existing applications through a phase of reverse engineering in order to adapt them to a deployment on Cloud infrastructure. For example, in areas such as rainfall monitoring, meteorological analysis, Hydrometeorology, Climatology Bioinformatics Next Generation Sequencing, Computational Electromagnetic, Radio occultation, the complexity of the analysis raises several issues such as the processing time, the scheduling of tasks of processing, storage of results, a multi users environment. For these reasons, it is necessary to rethink the writing model of E-Science applications in order to be already adapted to exploit the potentiality of cloud computing services through the uses of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS layer. An other important focus is on create/use hybrid infrastructure typically a federation between Private and public cloud, in fact in this way when all resources owned by the organization are all used it will be easy with a federate

Teachers' Organization of Participation Structures for Teaching Science with Computer Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

2016-01-01

This paper describes a qualitative study that investigated the nature of the participation structures and how the participation structures were organized by four science teachers when they constructed and communicated science content in their classrooms with computer technology. Participation structures focus on the activity structures and…

Cognitive Model Exploration and Optimization: A New Challenge for Computational Science

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Introduction Research in cognitive science often involves the generation and analysis of computational cognitive models to explain various...HPC) clusters and volunteer computing for large-scale computational resources. The majority of applications on the Department of Defense HPC... clusters focus on solving partial differential equations (Post, 2009). These tend to be lean, fast models with little noise. While we lack specific

Cheminformatics Research at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics Cambridge.

PubMed

Fuchs, Julian E; Bender, Andreas; Glen, Robert C

2015-09-01

The Centre for Molecular Informatics, formerly Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics (UCMSI), at the University of Cambridge is a world-leading driving force in the field of cheminformatics. Since its opening in 2000 more than 300 scientific articles have fundamentally changed the field of molecular informatics. The Centre has been a key player in promoting open chemical data and semantic access. Though mainly focussing on basic research, close collaborations with industrial partners ensured real world feedback and access to high quality molecular data. A variety of tools and standard protocols have been developed and are ubiquitous in the daily practice of cheminformatics. Here, we present a retrospective of cheminformatics research performed at the UCMSI, thereby highlighting historical and recent trends in the field as well as indicating future directions.

Cheminformatics Research at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics Cambridge

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Julian E; Bender, Andreas; Glen, Robert C

2015-01-01

The Centre for Molecular Informatics, formerly Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics (UCMSI), at the University of Cambridge is a world-leading driving force in the field of cheminformatics. Since its opening in 2000 more than 300 scientific articles have fundamentally changed the field of molecular informatics. The Centre has been a key player in promoting open chemical data and semantic access. Though mainly focussing on basic research, close collaborations with industrial partners ensured real world feedback and access to high quality molecular data. A variety of tools and standard protocols have been developed and are ubiquitous in the daily practice of cheminformatics. Here, we present a retrospective of cheminformatics research performed at the UCMSI, thereby highlighting historical and recent trends in the field as well as indicating future directions. PMID:26435758

Using Pedagogical Tools to Help Hispanics be Successful in Computer Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irish, Rodger

Irish, Rodger, Using Pedagogical Tools to Help Hispanics Be Successful in Computer Science. Master of Science (MS), July 2017, 68 pp., 4 tables, 2 figures, references 48 titles. Computer science (CS) jobs are a growing field and pay a living wage, but the Hispanics are underrepresented in this field. This project seeks to give an overview of several contributing factors to this problem. It will then explore some possible solutions to this problem and how a combination of some tools (teaching methods) can create the best possible outcome. It is my belief that this approach can produce successful Hispanics to fill the needed jobs in the CS field. Then the project will test its hypothesis. I will discuss the tools used to measure progress both in the affective and the cognitive domains. I will show how the decision to run a Computer Club was reached and the results of the research. The conclusion will summarize the results and tell of future research that still needs to be done.

Epistemological Issues Concerning Computer Simulations in Science and Their Implications for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greca, Ileana M.; Seoane, Eugenia; Arriassecq, Irene

2014-01-01

Computers and simulations represent an undeniable aspect of daily scientific life, the use of simulations being comparable to the introduction of the microscope and the telescope, in the development of knowledge. In science education, simulations have been proposed for over three decades as useful tools to improve the conceptual understanding of…

SLAC All Access: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science Instrument

ScienceCinema

Bozek, John

2018-02-13

John Bozek, a staff scientist at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser who manages the LCLS Soft X-ray Department, takes us behind the scenes at the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science (AMO) instrument, the first of six experimental stations now operating at LCLS. Samples used in AMO experiments include atoms, molecules, clusters, and nanoscale objects such as protein crystals or viruses. Science performed at AMO includes fundamental studies of light-matter interactions in the extreme X-ray intensity of the LCLS pules, time-resolved studies of increasingly charged states of atoms and molecules, X-ray diffraction imaging of nanocrystals, and single-shot imaging of a variety of objects.

Computer-aided design of polymers and composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaelble, D. H.

1985-01-01

This book on computer-aided design of polymers and composites introduces and discusses the subject from the viewpoint of atomic and molecular models. Thus, the origins of stiffness, strength, extensibility, and fracture toughness in composite materials can be analyzed directly in terms of chemical composition and molecular structure. Aspects of polymer composite reliability are considered along with characterization techniques for composite reliability, relations between atomic and molecular properties, computer aided design and manufacture, polymer CAD/CAM models, and composite CAD/CAM models. Attention is given to multiphase structural adhesives, fibrous composite reliability, metal joint reliability, polymer physical states and transitions, chemical quality assurance, processability testing, cure monitoring and management, nondestructive evaluation (NDE), surface NDE, elementary properties, ionic-covalent bonding, molecular analysis, acid-base interactions, the manufacturing science, and peel mechanics.

Recruiting Women into Computer Science and Information Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broad, Steven; McGee, Meredith

2014-01-01

While many technical disciplines have reached or are moving toward gender parity in the number of bachelors degrees in those fields, the percentage of women graduating in computer science remains stubbornly low. Many recent efforts to address this situation have focused on retention of undergraduate majors or graduate students, recruiting…

78 FR 9689 - Notification of a Public Meeting of the Chartered Science Advisory Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-11

... advances in molecular biology, chemistry and innovative computer science to more effectively and... Science Advisory Board AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of...

Utilization of computer technology by science teachers in public high schools and the impact of standardized testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priest, Richard Harding

A significant percentage of high school science teachers are not using computers to teach their students or prepare them for standardized testing. A survey of high school science teachers was conducted to determine how they are having students use computers in the classroom, why science teachers are not using computers in the classroom, which variables were relevant to their not using computers, and what are the effects of standardized testing on the use of technology in the high school science classroom. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to measure these aspects of computer integration and demographic information. A follow-up telephone interview survey of a portion of the original sample was conducted in order to clarify questions, correct misunderstandings, and to draw out more holistic descriptions from the subjects. The primary method used to analyze the quantitative data was frequency distributions. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the barriers and facilitators and the dimensions of instructional use, frequency, and importance of the use of computers. All high school science teachers in a large urban/suburban school district were sent surveys. A response rate of 58% resulted from two mailings of the survey. It was found that contributing factors to why science teachers do not use computers were not enough up-to-date computers in their classrooms and other educational commitments and duties do not leave them enough time to prepare lessons that include technology. While a high percentage of science teachers thought their school and district administrations were supportive of technology, they also believed more inservice technology training and follow-up activities to support that training are needed and more software needs to be created. The majority of the science teachers do not use the computer to help students prepare for standardized tests because they believe they can prepare students more

Research in progress and other activities of the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics and computer science during the period April 1, 1993 through September 30, 1993. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: (1) applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; (2) theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustic and combustion; (3) experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and (4) computer science.

The computational challenges of Earth-system science.

PubMed

O'Neill, Alan; Steenman-Clark, Lois

2002-06-15

The Earth system--comprising atmosphere, ocean, land, cryosphere and biosphere--is an immensely complex system, involving processes and interactions on a wide range of space- and time-scales. To understand and predict the evolution of the Earth system is one of the greatest challenges of modern science, with success likely to bring enormous societal benefits. High-performance computing, along with the wealth of new observational data, is revolutionizing our ability to simulate the Earth system with computer models that link the different components of the system together. There are, however, considerable scientific and technical challenges to be overcome. This paper will consider four of them: complexity, spatial resolution, inherent uncertainty and time-scales. Meeting these challenges requires a significant increase in the power of high-performance computers. The benefits of being able to make reliable predictions about the evolution of the Earth system should, on their own, amply repay this investment.

A Computational and Theoretical Study of Conductance in Hydrogen-bonded Molecular Junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wimmer, Michael

This thesis is devoted to the theoretical and computational study of electron transport in molecular junctions where one or more hydrogen bonds are involved in the process. While electron transport through covalent bonds has been extensively studied, in recent work the focus has been shifted towards hydrogen-bonded systems due to their ubiquitous presence in biological systems and their potential in forming nano-junctions between molecular electronic devices and biological systems. This analysis allows us to significantly expand our comprehension of the experimentally observed result that the inclusion of hydrogen bonding in a molecular junction significantly impacts its transport properties, a fact that has important implications for our understanding of transport through DNA, and nano-biological interfaces in general. In part of this work I have explored the implications of quasiresonant transport in short chains of weakly-bonded molecular junctions involving hydrogen bonds. I used theoretical and computational analysis to interpret recent experiments and explain the role of Fano resonances in the transmission properties of the junction. In a different direction, I have undertaken the study of the transversal conduction through nucleotide chains that involve a variable number of different hydrogen bonds, e.g. NH˙˙˙O, OH˙˙˙O, and NH˙˙˙N, which are the three most prevalent hydrogen bonds in biological systems and organic electronics. My effort here has focused on the analysis of electronic descriptors that allow a simplified conceptual and computational understanding of transport properties. Specifically, I have expanded our previous work where the molecular polarizability was used as a conductance descriptor to include the possibility of atomic and bond partitions of the molecular polarizability. This is important because it affords an alternative molecular description of conductance that is not based on the conventional view of molecular orbitals as

Cognitive Correlates of Performance in Algorithms in a Computer Science Course for High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avancena, Aimee Theresa; Nishihara, Akinori

2014-01-01

Computer science for high school faces many challenging issues. One of these is whether the students possess the appropriate cognitive ability for learning the fundamentals of computer science. Online tests were created based on known cognitive factors and fundamental algorithms and were implemented among the second grade students in the…

The Effect of Teacher Involvement on Student Performance in a Computer-Based Science Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waugh, Michael L.

Designed to investigate whether or not science teachers can positively influence student achievement in, and attitude toward, science, this study focused on a specific teaching strategy and utilization of a computer-based simulation. The software package used in the study was the simulation, Volcanoes, by Earthware Computer Services. The sample…

Computer Literacy for Life Sciences: Helping the Digital-Era Biology Undergraduates Face Today's Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smolinski, Tomasz G.

2010-01-01

Computer literacy plays a critical role in today's life sciences research. Without the ability to use computers to efficiently manipulate and analyze large amounts of data resulting from biological experiments and simulations, many of the pressing questions in the life sciences could not be answered. Today's undergraduates, despite the ubiquity of…

New Frontiers in Analyzing Dynamic Group Interactions: Bridging Social and Computer Science

PubMed Central

Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Hung, Hayley; Keyton, Joann

2017-01-01

This special issue on advancing interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists documents the joint results of the international Lorentz workshop, “Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics,” which took place in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 2016. An equal number of scholars from social and computer science participated in the workshop and contributed to the papers included in this special issue. In this introduction, we first identify interaction dynamics as the core of group and team models and review how scholars in social and computer science have typically approached behavioral interactions in groups and teams. Next, we identify key challenges for interdisciplinary collaboration between social and computer scientists, and we provide an overview of the different articles in this special issue aimed at addressing these challenges. PMID:29249891

Cognitive Asymmetry, Computer Science Students, and Professional Programmers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Harold W.

1990-01-01

Discussion of right brain versus left brain skills focuses on a study that compared the performances of computer science students, professional programers, and bank employees on eight tests of brain function. Results are reported which suggest that the cognitive profile may be an important indicator for success in certain occupations. (16…

The Time-Sharing Computer In Introductory Earth Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, William D.; MacDonald, Geraldine E.

Time-sharing computer-assisted instructional (CAI) programs employing the APL language are being used in support of introductory earth science laboratory exercises at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Three examples are sufficient to illustrate the variety of applications to which these programs are put. The BRACH program is used in…

Student Science Training Program in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. Final Report to the National Science Foundation. Artificial Intelligence Memo No. 393.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abelson, Harold; diSessa, Andy

During the summer of 1976, the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory sponsored a Student Science Training Program in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science for high ability secondary school students. This report describes, in some detail, the style of the program, the curriculum and the projects the students under-took. It is hoped that this…

Computer Science in High School Graduation Requirements. ECS Education Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zinth, Jennifer Dounay

2015-01-01

Computer science and coding skills are widely recognized as a valuable asset in the current and projected job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 37.5 percent growth from 2012 to 2022 in the "computer systems design and related services" industry--from 1,620,300 jobs in 2012 to an estimated 2,229,000 jobs in 2022. Yet some…

Implicit Theories of Creativity in Computer Science in the United States and China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Chaoying; Baer, John; Kaufman, James C.

2015-01-01

To study implicit concepts of creativity in computer science in the United States and mainland China, we first asked 308 Chinese computer scientists for adjectives that would describe a creative computer scientist. Computer scientists and non-computer scientists from China (N = 1069) and the United States (N = 971) then rated how well those…

An Analysis of Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Services for the Atmospheric Science Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleason, J. L.; Little, M. M.

2013-12-01

NASA science and engineering efforts rely heavily on compute and data handling systems. The nature of NASA science data is such that it is not restricted to NASA users, instead it is widely shared across a globally distributed user community including scientists, educators, policy decision makers, and the public. Therefore NASA science computing is a candidate use case for cloud computing where compute resources are outsourced to an external vendor. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a commercial cloud computing service developed to use excess computing capacity at Amazon, and potentially provides an alternative to costly and potentially underutilized dedicated acquisitions whenever NASA scientists or engineers require additional data processing. AWS desires to provide a simplified avenue for NASA scientists and researchers to share large, complex data sets with external partners and the public. AWS has been extensively used by JPL for a wide range of computing needs and was previously tested on a NASA Agency basis during the Nebula testing program. Its ability to support the Langley Science Directorate needs to be evaluated by integrating it with real world operational needs across NASA and the associated maturity that would come with that. The strengths and weaknesses of this architecture and its ability to support general science and engineering applications has been demonstrated during the previous testing. The Langley Office of the Chief Information Officer in partnership with the Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC) has established a pilot business interface to utilize AWS cloud computing resources on a organization and project level pay per use model. This poster discusses an effort to evaluate the feasibility of the pilot business interface from a project level perspective by specifically using a processing scenario involving the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project.

Encouraging More Women into Computer Science: Initiating a Single-Sex Intervention Program in Sweden.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandell, Gerd; Carlsson, Svante; Eklbom, Hakan; Nord, Ann-Charlotte

1997-01-01

Describes the process of starting a new program in computer science and engineering that is heavily based on applied mathematics and only open to women. Emphasizes that success requires considerable interest in mathematics and curiosity about computer science among female students at the secondary level and the acceptance of the single-sex program…

Computer Simulations to Support Science Instruction and Learning: A Critical Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smetana, Lara Kathleen; Bell, Randy L.

2012-01-01

Researchers have explored the effectiveness of computer simulations for supporting science teaching and learning during the past four decades. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive, critical review of the literature on the impact of computer simulations on science teaching and learning, with the goal of summarizing what is…

Studying Computer Science in a Multidisciplinary Degree Programme: Freshman Students' Orientation, Knowledge, and Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kautz, Karlheinz; Kofoed, Uffe

2004-01-01

Teachers at universities are facing an increasing disparity in students' prior IT knowledge and, at the same time, experience a growing disengagement of the students with regard to involvement in study activities. As computer science teachers in a joint programme in computer science and business administration, we made a number of similar…

Information visualization courses for students with a computer science background.

PubMed

Kerren, Andreas

2013-01-01

Linnaeus University offers two master's courses in information visualization for computer science students with programming experience. This article briefly describes the syllabi, exercises, and practices developed for these courses.

Frames of scientific evidence: How journalists represent the (un)certainty of molecular medicine in science television programs.

PubMed

Ruhrmann, Georg; Guenther, Lars; Kessler, Sabrina Heike; Milde, Jutta

2015-08-01

For laypeople, media coverage of science on television is a gateway to scientific issues. Defining scientific evidence is central to the field of science, but there are still questions if news coverage of science represents scientific research findings as certain or uncertain. The framing approach is a suitable framework to classify different media representations; it is applied here to investigate the frames of scientific evidence in film clips (n=207) taken from science television programs. Molecular medicine is the domain of interest for this analysis, due to its high proportion of uncertain and conflicting research findings and risks. The results indicate that television clips vary in their coverage of scientific evidence of molecular medicine. Four frames were found: Scientific Uncertainty and Controversy, Scientifically Certain Data, Everyday Medical Risks, and Conflicting Scientific Evidence. They differ in their way of framing scientific evidence and risks of molecular medicine. © The Author(s) 2013.

Extended Lagrangian Density Functional Tight-Binding Molecular Dynamics for Molecules and Solids.

PubMed

Aradi, Bálint; Niklasson, Anders M N; Frauenheim, Thomas

2015-07-14

A computationally fast quantum mechanical molecular dynamics scheme using an extended Lagrangian density functional tight-binding formulation has been developed and implemented in the DFTB+ electronic structure program package for simulations of solids and molecular systems. The scheme combines the computational speed of self-consistent density functional tight-binding theory with the efficiency and long-term accuracy of extended Lagrangian Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics. For systems without self-consistent charge instabilities, only a single diagonalization or construction of the single-particle density matrix is required in each time step. The molecular dynamics simulation scheme can be applied to a broad range of problems in materials science, chemistry, and biology.

Computing the Ediz eccentric connectivity index of discrete dynamic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hualong; Kamran Siddiqui, Muhammad; Zhao, Bo; Gan, Jianhou; Gao, Wei

2017-06-01

From the earlier studies in physical and chemical sciences, it is found that the physico-chemical characteristics of chemical compounds are internally connected with their molecular structures. As a theoretical basis, it provides a new way of thinking by analyzing the molecular structure of the compounds to understand their physical and chemical properties. In our article, we study the physico-chemical properties of certain molecular structures via computing the Ediz eccentric connectivity index from mathematical standpoint. The results we yielded mainly apply to the techniques of distance and degree computation of mathematical derivation, and the conclusions have guiding significance in physical engineering.

Advanced Placement Computer Science (with Pascal). Teacher's Guide. Volume 1. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farkouh, Alice; And Others

The purpose of this guide is to give teachers and supervisors a working knowledge of various approaches to enhancing pupil learning about computer science, particularly through the use of Pascal. It contains instructional units dealing with: (1) computer components; (2) computer languages; (3) compilers; (4) essential features of a Pascal program;…

Can Peer Instruction Be Effective in Upper-Division Computer Science Courses?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey Lee, Cynthia; Garcia, Saturnino; Porter, Leo

2013-01-01

Peer Instruction (PI) is an active learning pedagogical technique. PI lectures present students with a series of multiple-choice questions, which they respond to both individually and in groups. PI has been widely successful in the physical sciences and, recently, has been successfully adopted by computer science instructors in lower-division,…

Principles versus Artifacts in Computer Science Curriculum Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machanick, Philip

2003-01-01

Computer Science is a subject which has difficulty in marketing itself. Further, pinning down a standard curriculum is difficult--there are many preferences which are hard to accommodate. This paper argues the case that part of the problem is the fact that, unlike more established disciplines, the subject does not clearly distinguish the study of…

The Mathematics and Computer Science Learning Center (MLC).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abraham, Solomon T.

The Mathematics and Computer Science Learning Center (MLC) was established in the Department of Mathematics at North Carolina Central University during the fall semester of the 1982-83 academic year. The initial operations of the MLC were supported by grants to the University from the Burroughs-Wellcome Company and the Kenan Charitable Trust Fund.…

Enhanced Molecular Dynamics Methods Applied to Drug Design Projects.

PubMed

Ziada, Sonia; Braka, Abdennour; Diharce, Julien; Aci-Sèche, Samia; Bonnet, Pascal

2018-01-01

Nobel Laureate Richard P. Feynman stated: "[…] everything that living things do can be understood in terms of jiggling and wiggling of atoms […]." The importance of computer simulations of macromolecules, which use classical mechanics principles to describe atom behavior, is widely acknowledged and nowadays, they are applied in many fields such as material sciences and drug discovery. With the increase of computing power, molecular dynamics simulations can be applied to understand biological mechanisms at realistic timescales. In this chapter, we share our computational experience providing a global view of two of the widely used enhanced molecular dynamics methods to study protein structure and dynamics through the description of their characteristics, limits and we provide some examples of their applications in drug design. We also discuss the appropriate choice of software and hardware. In a detailed practical procedure, we describe how to set up, run, and analyze two main molecular dynamics methods, the umbrella sampling (US) and the accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) methods.

The Assessment of Taiwanese College Students' Conceptions of and Approaches to Learning Computer Science and Their Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Jyh-Chong; Su, Yi-Ching; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore Taiwanese college students' conceptions of and approaches to learning computer science and then explore the relationships between the two. Two surveys, Conceptions of Learning Computer Science (COLCS) and Approaches to Learning Computer Science (ALCS), were administered to 421 college students majoring in…

Perspectives and Visions of Computer Science Education in Primary and Secondary (K-12) Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubwieser, Peter; Armoni, Michal; Giannakos, Michail N.; Mittermeir, Roland T.

2014-01-01

In view of the recent developments in many countries, for example, in the USA and in the UK, it appears that computer science education (CSE) in primary or secondary schools (K-12) has reached a significant turning point, shifting its focus from ICT-oriented to rigorous computer science concepts. The goal of this special issue is to offer a…

Investigating the Role of Student Motivation in Computer Science Education through One-on-One Tutoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Kristy Elizabeth; Phillips, Robert; Wallis, Michael D.; Vouk, Mladen A.; Lester, James C.

2009-01-01

The majority of computer science education research to date has focused on purely cognitive student outcomes. Understanding the "motivational" states experienced by students may enhance our understanding of the computer science learning process, and may reveal important instructional interventions that could benefit student engagement and…