CS Chair's Welcome
Professor and Chair of CS Division
The Computer Science division of the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UCF is responsible for research and degree programs in the areas of: Computer Science, Digital Forensics, and Information Technology. We offer a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computer Science, a Master of Science degree in Digital Forensics, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.
Our division's mission is to educate our students so that they have the fundamental knowledge, ability, and the design tools to succeed and excel. Our faculty members are committed to advancing education and research to benefit society. In these efforts they often work closely with local and national companies, such as Lockheed Martin, Harris Corp., and SAIC.
Computer scientists study phenomena connected with computers and computation including: software (algorithms, data structures), hardware (design of computers), and many diverse applications of computational thinking and techniques. Our faculty have internationally recognized expertise in several application areas, including: Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Computer Networks, Databases, Bioinformatics, Modeling and Simulation, Virtual Reality, Human-Computer Interaction, and Computer Graphics. They also have strength in more fundamental areas of Computer Science, such as Graph Algorithms, Programming Languages, Formal Methods, Computer Architecture, and Quantum Computation. In both kinds of areas you will find some of the most interesting and challenging practical and intellectual problems of our day, which hold a key to continued technological progress and expanding the human intellect.
UCF has the oldest Computer Science Ph.D. program in Florida, which was also the first Ph.D. program at UCF. This indicates the centrality of Computer Science at UCF, and the strength of our research. The Computer Science division has five faculty members who are fellows of the IEEE, one of whom is also a fellow of the ACM; two of these five are also fellows of the AAAS and some are also fellows of other professional societies). Two of our faculty (Drs. Shah and Hughes) have received the Pegasus Professor award, the highest honor given to a faculty member at UCF, and during the last three years three of our young faculty members have won the prestigious NSF CAREER award. We are also very proud of our programming team, which has won many Southeast Regional contests and regularly competes at the world finals. Most of the team members are undergraduates. The division also offers opportunities for undergraduate research, including an active honors program and a "Research Experience for Undergraduates" in Computer Vision (funded by the NSF for the last 24 years).
Digital Forensics is primarily taken by law enforcement officers, who use its specialized tools and techniques to better investigate crimes and find evidence for prosecution. Since computers are used in many different ways, such investigations not only involve computer crimes, but also the analysis of computer activities and files associated with more traditional criminal activities.
Information Technologists work to provide better service and value to businesses. Businesses rely on information technologists to drive efficiency and productivity throughout their enterprises, not only by maintaining computer equipment and software, but also by improving business processes, and discovering innovative ways to use an enterprise's information resources to serve its customers.
Gary T. Leavens
CS Division Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
