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Computer Science
In a nutshell, computer science degrees deal with the theoretical foundations of information and computation, taking a scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. Computation is defined as any type of calculation or use of computing technology that follows well-defined models (such as algorithms and protocols) in the practice of information processing (which in turn is defined as the use of these models to transform data in computers).
Digging deeper into subject interests can help you in a number of ways:
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Confirm whether this is (or isn't) something you would be interested in enough to want to study it at university either as the focus of your degree or a minor/elective
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Give you some inspiration to use when creating your questions and topics for IA's (coursework) and your Extended Essay
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Provide you with content for your university application writing in the future, enabling you to reflect on the things you've been doing to explore your interests in a way that is academically relevant to the course or institution you are applying for.
Useful Resources
Oxford University Research Blog | Blog | The University of Oxford's Blog on their current research. It includes articles on a huge range of topics but particularly relevant to the current global challenges. | Click Here > | |
University of Nottingham e-resources | Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture | The University of Nottingham have a number of resources for students to explore degrees you could study at university. The resources include videos, taster lectures and blogs. Use the menu to select the areas you are interested in to see what they have to offer. | Click Here > | |
Artificial Intelligence, by Michael Woodridge | Book | 'I propose to consider the question, 'Can machines think?' Alan Turing (1950). Part of the ALL-NEW Ladybird Expert series.This book is for everyone living in the age of Artificial Intelligence. And this is an accessible and authoritative introduction to one of the most important conversations of our time . . . Written by computer scientist Michael Wooldridge, Artificial Intelligence chronicles the development of intelligent machines, from Turing's dream of machines that think, to today's digital assistants like Siri and Alexa. AI is not something that awaits us in the future. Inside you'll learn how we have come to rely on embedded AI software and what a world of ubiquitous AI might look like. | St. Clares Library L25 006.3 WOO | |
Hello World: how to be human in the age of the machine, by Hannah Fry | Book | You are accused of a crime. Who would you rather determined your fate - a human or a machine?
Which driverless car do you buy - one that prioritizes your life in the event of a crash, or one that reacts to save as many lives as possible?
Welcome to the age of the algorithm... | St Clares Library L25 306.46 FRY | |
Once Upon an Algorithm: how stories explain computing, Erwig M | Book | How Hansel and Gretel, Sherlock Holmes, the movie Groundhog Day, Harry Potter, and other familiar stories illustrate the concepts of computing. Picture a computer scientist, staring at a screen and clicking away frantically on a keyboard, hacking into a system, or perhaps developing an app.
Now delete that picture. In Once Upon an Algorithm, Martin Erwig explains computation as something that takes place beyond electronic computers, and computer science as the study of systematic problem solving.
Erwig points out that many daily activities involve problem solving.
Getting up in the morning, for example: You get up, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast.
This simple daily routine solves a recurring problem through a series of well-defined steps.
In computer science, such a routine is called an algorithm. Erwig illustrates a series of concepts in computing with examples from daily life and familiar stories.
Hansel and Gretel, for example, execute an algorithm to get home from the forest.
The movie Groundhog Day illustrates the problem of unsolvability; Sherlock Holmes manipulates data structures when solving a crime; the magic in Harry Potter's world is understood through types and abstraction; and Indiana Jones demonstrates the complexity of searching.
Along the way, Erwig also discusses representations and different ways to organize data; "intractable" problems; language, syntax, and ambiguity; control structures, loops, and the halting problem; different forms of recursion; and rules for finding errors in algorithms. This engaging book explains computation accessibly and shows its relevance to daily life.
Something to think about next time we execute the algorithm of getting up in the morning. | St. Clares Library L25 005.1 ERW | |
Outnumbered: from Facebook and Google to fake news and filter-bubbles - the algorithms that control our lives, Sumpter D | Book | Algorithms are running our society, and as the Cambridge Analytica story has revealed, we don't really know what they are up to. Our increasing reliance on technology and the internet has opened a window for mathematicians and data researchers to gaze through into our lives.
Using the data they are constantly collecting about where we travel, where we shop, what we buy and what interests us, they can begin to predict our daily habits.
But how reliable is this data? Without understanding what mathematics can and can't do, it is impossible to get a handle on how it is changing our lives.
In this book, David Sumpter takes an algorithm-strewn journey to the dark side of mathematics.
He investigates the equations that analyse us, influence us and will (maybe) become like us, answering questions such as:Who are Cambridge Analytica? And what are they doing with our data?How does Facebook build a 100-dimensional picture of your personality?Are Google algorithms racist and sexist?Why do election predictions fail so drastically?
Are algorithms that are designed to find criminals making terrible mistakes?What does the future hold as we relinquish our decision-making to machines?Featuring interviews with those working at the cutting edge of algorithm research, including Alex Kogan from the Cambridge Analytica story, along with a healthy dose of mathematical self-experiment, Outnumbered will explain how mathematics and statistics work in the real world, and what we should and shouldn't worry about. | St. Clares Library L25 303.4 SUM | |
The Code Book: the secret history of codes and codebreaking, by Simon Singh | Book | As in Fermat’s Last Theorem, Simon Singh brings life to an anstonishing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles that reveals man’s continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others.
Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a $20 million treasure. | St. Clares Library L23 510 SIN | |
ProEd | Course | Future Computer Scientist Summer Programme | Click Here > | |
STEM Guide | E-Magazine | A guide to careers in STEM subjects. | Click Here > | |
New Scientist | E-Magazine | Podcast | Website | New Scientist is the world’s most popular weekly science and technology publication. Their website, app and print editions cover international news from a scientific standpoint, and ask the big-picture questions about life, the universe and what it means to be human. | Click Here > | |
Summer Schools in Europe | Events | The most complete directory of summer courses in Europe. It includes courses for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, so ensure you read the descriptions to find options right for you. | Click Here > | |
Young Cyber Security Expert Programmes | Events | Conference | Gain an immersive experience of Cyber Security alongside top professionals. Choose below either our Young Cyber Security Weekend or our Young Cyber Security Summer Experience. | Click Here > | |
Royal SOciety Open Science | Journal | An open journal publishing high-quality research across all of science, engineering and mathematics | Click Here > | |
The Institution of Engineering and Technology Journals | Journal | Find open access journals from the IET focused on engineering with technology and innovation in mind. | Click Here > | |
Research from the University of Bristol | Journal Articles | Website | Explore cutting edge research from the different faculties and departments from the University of Bristol, including free access to their published journal articles. | Click Here > | |
Coursera | Online Course | Coursera is an online platform for distance learning. They have a range of free courses delivered by universities. Search in this section to find courses of interest to you, often these are courses you can follow at your own pace. | Click Here > | |
EdX | Online Course | The X Series courses on the EdX platform are free online courses delivered by universities and aimed at helping you explore areas of interest. | Click Here > | |
FutureLearn | Online Course | FutureLearn is a free online platform where universities from around the globe host FREE online courses you can undertake in your areas of interest. Browse courses by categories or use the search bar to find courses relevant to your interests | Click Here > | |
Online Introduction Computer Science and Engineering | Online Course | An online taster of the Computer Science and Engineering degree at TU Delft in the Netherlands. Courses start regularly over the academic year. | Click Here > | |
ProEd | Online Course | Online Future Computer Scientist Programme | Click Here > | |
Computer Science | Podcast | This series is host to episodes created by the Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, one of the longest-established Computer Science departments in the country.
The series reflects this department's world-class research and teaching by providing talks that encompass topics such as computational biology, quantum computing, computational linguistics, information systems, software verification, and software engineering. | Click Here > | |
PWC: The A - Z of tech podcast series | Podcast | Welcome to the A to Z of Tech podcast series. A is for Artificial Intelligence, B is for Blockchain, C is for Cyber Security. Follow our journey through an alphabet of technology trends with PwC's technologists and special guests. | Click here > | |
University of Swansea Webinars | Webinar | Video | This is a collection of recordings from the University of Swansea's subject taster webinar series which they run at various times throughout the year. Browse through to find topics relevant to your interests. | Click Here > | |
HE+ | Website | Podcast | Blog | Video | The HE+ website has supercurricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics including challenging activities, engaging videos, reflective questions and much more. | Click Here > | |
Springpod Virtual Work Experience | Work Experience | Virtual work experience Opportunities across a range of companies and sectors. Most of them are free. | Click Here > |
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