The University of Washington
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington has 34,000 students
(25,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate/professional) and 3,500
faculty (2,900 teaching and 600 research) divided into 16 schools
and colleges. UW is one of the nation's premier research
universities. One measure of this is that for more than twenty
years, UW has ranked among the top five institutions in the
nation in annual Federal research obligations. (Currently UW is
second behind Johns Hopkins, with MIT, Stanford, and the
University of Michigan in third through fifth positions.)
Education is at the core of a research university, and is a role
that UW takes extremely seriously. The impact on the state of
UW's expertise and activity is enormous.
The UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering
The UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering was
established as an inter-college graduate program in 1967. In
1975 an undergraduate program in Computer Science was added and
departmental status was conferred. A second undergraduate
program, in Computer Engineering, was added in 1989 when the
department moved to the College of Engineering. The
department currently has roughly 30 faculty members, 30 staff
members, 150 graduate students, and 300 undergraduate students.
UW Computer Science & Engineering is ranked among the top ten
programs in its field in the nation, along with institutions such
as MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, and
Princeton. This expertise pays off in many ways. Research
itself is a significant industry. Strong programs attract top-
flight people to the northwest, as faculty and as students.
These programs provide a first-rate education to Washington's
young people. These students form the next generation of
Washington's leaders in business, engineering, science, and
government. They staff high tech industry. Cutting-edge
programs import new technology to the northwest. They attract
new industry. They spawn ideas that create new companies and
rejuvenate existing ones.
In UW CSE, research and education are inextricably linked. The
undergraduate education that we provide brings bright students to
the forefront, equipping them to be leaders in the region's 21st
century economy. Research relationships equip instructional
laboratories. Research infuses the curriculum. Research creates
(and funds) opportunities for independent study at the cutting
edge. Research builds ties to leadership companies that provide
co-op and internship (and ultimately permanent employment)
opportunities. The education that we provide is unique in the
region, and essential to the region's future.
More than three quarters of our graduates remain in the region to
staff our high technology industry. At Geoworks/Seattle, 24 of
28 engineering employees are from UW CSE. At DECwest
Engineering, 23 of 27 recent college hires are from UW CSE. At
Tera Computer, 14 of 55 employees are from UW CSE. UW is the
largest supplier of new college graduates in the nation to
Microsoft. More surprisingly, perhaps, UW is the largest
supplier of new college graduates in the nation to Intel. Our
active co-op/internship program places many of our students at
regional companies as an integral part of their education. Our
Industrial Affiliates Program is focused on regional rather than
national companies, creating a close relationship between these
companies and the activities and people in our department.
Expertise
We are active in most of the principal areas of computer science
& engineering. Particular strengths include: VLSI, Embedded
Systems, and CAD; Computer Architecture; Operating Systems,
Networks, and Communication; Programming Systems; Software
Engineering; Computer Graphics and Computer Vision; Artificial
Intelligence; and Theory of Computation.
Outreach
We constantly seek new areas of high impact activity. With
faculty from the Department of Astronomy, we are conducting
studies in computational astrophysics that are revealing new
insights about the evolution of the universe. With faculty from
the Department of Molecular Biotechnology, we are helping to
define a "new biology" based upon the marriage of information
technology and biotechnology. With faculty from the School of
Art and the School of Music, we are introducing a new
multidisciplinary curriculum in Animation Arts, underwritten by a
large grant from Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Regional Leadership
We are working with Seattle, King County, Tacoma, and Pierce
County on cable refranchising issues related to the region's
future telecommunications infrastructure. We are playing a key
role in the establishment of the Technology Alliance, an
organization that seeks to establish a focus on issues essential
to technology-based economic development. We are a focal point
for interactions among many of the region's leadership
information technology companies.
Educational Initiatives
Our existing undergraduate and graduate programs produce a stream
of top-notch graduates who are driving the region's information
technology industry forward. Our new professional Masters
degree program will be an important aid to the region's
leadership companies in recruiting and retaining the finest
talent. We are working with UW-Bothell to establish a "2+2"
bachelors program designed to meet the needs of community college
graduates. And we are working directly with the community
colleges to coordinate introductory computer science education.
The Future
The Puget Sound region is increasingly prominent as a national
and international technology center. Key strengths of the
University of Washington include medicine, biotechnology, the
physical sciences, and computing and allied areas of science and
engineering. Many of the central players in "digital
convergence" are headquartered here, and the region is home to
many other companies critical to broad competitiveness. There
are rapidly growing biotechnology and digital content industries.
Strong collaborations exist among these groups, and the
Department of Computer Science & Engineering seeks to play a
major role in the University and the region.
For Further Information
Ed Lazowska, Professor & Chair
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-2350
(206) 543-4755
lazowska@cs.washington.edu
UW Department of
Computer Science & Engineering home page
Brief background on CSE Professional
Masters program
CSE
Professional Masters program home page