Computing Exploration Day

9:00-9:10 a.m.

Department Chair’s Welcome

9:10-9:50 a.m.

Student Panel

9:50-10:20 a.m. 

First Workshop of the Day

Majors Overview
Brittney Palmer, recruitment coordinator for the School of Computing, will compare our three majors: computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering. This session will help you discover what major might be the best fit for you here at Nebraska. We will also discuss internships, jobs, and research opportunities within the department.

How do our eyes move on text and code?
Bonita Sharif, associate professor, will be presenting research results on how our eyes move when viewing different types of stimuli such as natural text vs. source code. Workshop attendees will learn what eye movements of developers can tell us and how they differ between experts and novices as well as between different tasks.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Ethics in the Computing Professions
Dr. Chris Bohn, assistant professor of practice, will be leading a lively interactive discussion about computing ethics. Drawing upon real-world examples of ethical successes and failures of some very recognizable companies, we’ll consider questions such as “When preoccupied with whether I could, should I stop to think if I should?”, “I know I can do it, but must I do it?”, and “Whose line of code is it, anyway?”

May Computational Thinking be with You!
Dr. Leen-Kiat Soh, professor, will be presenting six computational thinking skills and how they relate to problem solving and computer science. Workshop attendees will become aware of how we actually practice computational thinking everyday and how computer science has a unique bond with computational thinking not observed in other disciplines.

A Robot's Brain: How Computation is Powering the Future of Robotics
Dr. Justin Bradley, assistant professor, will lead an exciting, example-filled discussion on how computation powers a robot's brain. We'll examine the role of mechanical and computational interactions with a focus on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

10:20-10:30 a.m.

Restroom/Stretch

10:30-11:00 a.m.

Second Workshop of the Day

Virtual Facility Tour
Current students in the department of computer science and engineering will take you on a virtual tour of our computing facilities here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  You will get the “inside scoop” on all the ins and outs of the department.  Spots included on the tour are the Student Resource Center, lecture halls, computer labs, the NIMBUS lab, and the Holland Computing Center.    

Majors Overview
Brittney Palmer, recruitment coordinator for the department of computer science and engineering, will compare our three majors: computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering.  This session will help you discover what major might be the best fit for you here at Nebraska.  We will also discuss internships, jobs, and research opportunities within the department.  

Cybersecurity Using Capture the Flag
Allie Rauner, a senior computer science student, will be introducing cybersecurity and CTFs. A CTF, or Capture the Flag, is a cybersecurity challenge aimed at providing participants with a chance to demonstrate their cybersecurity skills and learn new ones. In this workshop, we will go through common introductory challenges, which will give you all the experience you need to get started on your own!

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Ethics in the Computing Professions
Dr. Chris Bohn, Assistant Professor of Practice, will be leading a lively interactive discussion about computing ethics. Drawing upon real-world examples of ethical successes and failures of some very recognizable companies, we’ll consider questions such as “When preoccupied with whether I could, should I stop to think if I should?”, “I know I can do it, but must I do it?”, and “Whose line of code is it, anyway?”

A Robot's Brain: How Computation is Powering the Future of Robotics
Dr. Justin Bradley, Assistant Professor, will lead an exciting, example-filled discussion on how computation powers a robot's brain. We'll examine the role of mechanical and computational interactions with a focus on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

11:00-11:20 a.m.

Computing: University, Your Career, and Beyond
Dr. Marilyn Wolf, Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering and department chair, will speak to students about computing opportunities in their futures.

11:20-11:50 a.m. 

Third Workshop of the Day

Virtual Facility Tour
Current students in the department of computer science and engineering will take you on a virtual tour of our computing facilities here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You will get the “inside scoop” on all the ins and outs of the department. Spots included on the tour are the Student Resource Center, lecture halls, computer labs, the NIMBUS lab, and the Holland Computing Center.

How do our eyes move on text and code?
Bonita Sharif, Associate Professor will be presenting research results on how our eyes move when viewing different types of stimuli such as natural text vs. source code. Workshop attendees will learn what eye movements of developers can tell us and how they differ between experts and novices as well as between different tasks.

Intro to AI/Machine Learning
Parul Aggarwal, a sophomore computer science student, and Keith Tran, a junior computer science student, will be leading an interactive presentation about artificial intelligence and the process of solving machine learning problems. Participants will get a chance to explore and train a machine learning model to classify objects in images. No prior experience necessary!

Cybersecurity Using Capture the Flag
Allie Rauner, a senior computer science student, will be introducing cybersecurity and CTFs. A CTF, or Capture the Flag, is a cybersecurity challenge aimed at providing participants with a chance to demonstrate their cybersecurity skills and learn new ones. In this workshop, we will go through common introductory challenges, which will give you all the experience you need to get started on your own!

May Computational Thinking be with You!
Dr. Leen-Kiat Soh, Professor, will be presenting six computational thinking skills and how they relate to problem solving and computer science. Workshop attendees will become aware of how we actually practice computational thinking everyday and how computer science has a unique bond with computational thinking not observed in other disciplines.

11:50-12:10 p.m.

Industry Conversation with Sandhills Global

12:10-12:15 p.m.

Closing/Raffle (must be present to win)

12:15-12:30 p.m.  

Informal Conversation with Current Students