Computer Science Department

College of the Sciences
Ellensburg
Samuelson, room 207
Mail Stop 7520
509-963-1495
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/computer-science/

Faculty and Staff
Interim Chair
Michael Pease, PhD

Professors
Razvan Andonie, PhD, computational intelligence, machine learning, parallel/distributed computing, big data analytics, data mining
Donald Davendra, PhD, optimization, evolutionary algorithms, manufacturing systems, chaos control, data analytics
Boris Kovalerchuk, PhD, artificial intelligence, visual big data analytics, machine learning, data mining, computer vision, simulation, computer architecture, soft computing

Associate Professors
Chunming Gao, PhD, human-computer interactions, virtual reality, computer science education, computer architecture, data management and analysis, cybersecurity (DESMO)
Szilárd VAJDA, PhD, machine learning, medical image processing, document analysis, data analytics

Assistant Professor
Shangyue Zhu, PhD, short video characteristics, smart home IoT, activities recognition, machine learning (DESMO)

Staff
David Cordner, instruction & classroom support technician 3
Chris Stone, secretary senior

Department Information
The Department of Computer Science (CS) offers a degree program leading to the bachelor of science in computer science.

The field of computer science can trace its beginnings and much of its foundation to both mathematics and engineering. Because of this, studies in computer science range from theory through experimental techniques to engineering methodology. The purpose of the computer science curriculum is to expose students to aspects of each of these disciplines and foster an appreciation and understanding of them. To accomplish this, students are exposed to the broad theoretical basis of computer science as well as a strong laboratory component. The laboratory experience is more than simple programming. Rather, it is through the laboratories that students are introduced to both the experimental and the design aspects of computer science.

Using this philosophy as a base, the CS department has designed a curricular model that seeks to increase relevance to the real world. In particular, the senior project, a capstone course series- CS 480 and 481- adopts a theme that expands upon the experimental and design approach of typical computer science curricula. This capstone series addresses the creativity and productivity elements required for business and industry applications today. Students become engaged in projects that investigate each stage of transforming a creative idea into a productivity-enhancing system in a realistic context.

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: https://www.cwu.edu/academics/computer-science/ or by contacting the department directly.