Campus Community Invited to USU Computer Science Open House Friday, Jan. 17

Utah State University computer scientist Xiaojun Qi, head of USU’s Department of Computer Science, is not only celebrating the department’s newly renovated offices and spaces in the Science Engineering Research building, but also the department’s impressive list of recent accomplishments.

“As an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-accredited program since 1998, the Department of Computer Science has achieved excellent success in securing grants and creating an increasingly innovative learning and research environment,” Qi says. “We’re bursting with excitement as we embark on a new year.”

During the past four years, USU computer scientists have garnered competitive funding to work on more than 30 projects involving more than 70 students. These projects encompass cutting-edge AI technologies applied across a wide range of applications, including predicting solar energetic particle events, understanding photospheric vector magnetic field parameters in solar flare occurrences, improving the quality of programming education, detecting insider threats and automating transportation solutions for people living with disabilities.

To celebrate, the department invites the USU campus community to a grand opening celebration from 1-3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, in the first floor Computer Science Student Lounge of the SER Building.

The gathering features a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Science Dean Michelle Baker, Project Manager Amanda Thomson-Maughan and Qi at 2:30 p.m., along with tours, games, activities, prizes and tacos. Attendees are invited to RSVP.

“We welcome everyone to join us and view our new collaborative spaces, which encourage interdisciplinary ventures and provide creative learning and research spaces for scholars from all disciplines,” Qi says. “Our new location embraces USU’s entrepreneurial spirit and will propel us forward with exciting new opportunities.”

Computer Science research and learning laboratories, located on the SER Building’s first floor, include the Computer Science Education (CSE) Lab, the Data Science and Application (DSA) Lab, the Data Mining (DM) Lab, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab, the Privacy, design and user eXperiencE Lab; the Computing Elevated (CE) Lab, the Visualization and Mixed Reality (VizUS) Lab, the Collaboratory Lab and the Robotics Lab.

“The first floor is also home to our Computer Science Mentoring Center, as well as our new Computer Science Venture Classroom, known as ‘The Garage.’” she says.

Qi notes a number of notable computer science ventures and companies have started in humble garages.

“Hence the name — we’ve created a space that will encourage scholars to dream, think, tinker, share ideas, brainstorm and invent,” she says.

The department hosts an 18-credit tech venture Sandbox program, designed to foster entrepreneurialism and innovation in collaboration with USU’s Data Analytics and Information Systems, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments.

“This program offers students unparalleled opportunities to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset by working toward the creation of large-scale, commercially viable software products and launching companies based on those products,” Qi says. “It’s a real-world approach designed to enable students to experience taking a concept from the initial idea all the way to the marketplace.”

The department also features courses and degree programs featuring software, web and mobile application development; data science, data analytics, machine learning, data mining, security and privacy, computer vision, computer science education, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, virtual reality, scientific and information visualization, and robotics.

“This is a very exciting and pivotal time to be in computer science,” Qi says. “Along with a rigorous technical program, our faculty is encouraging development of ethical leadership and social responsibility. We’re not only encouraging students to develop technical excellence, but to also consider what it means to be an ethical leader with the ability to responsibly navigate a complex technological landscape.”

Through student labs and organizations, including the Robotics Lab, the Free Software and Linux Club (FSLC) and USU’s Association for Computing Machinery-Women (ACM-W) student chapter, USU computer scientists are actively involved in community outreach. This includes providing learning activities at monthly Science Unwrapped events, and working with K-12 students throughout the local community.

“We place a strong emphasis on community engagement, collaboration and actively working to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,” Qi says. “Our aim is to advance the field of computer science, while also making it accessible, inclusive and enriching for all members of our community.”