Andrew Moore on the future of computer science
Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science at CMU, sat down with CMU-Q students to share his view on the importance of computer science education. The lunchtime event was part of the Computer Science program’s Bits & Bites sessions. This week, the Computing Club held a “CS Talk Show,” where students interview faculty members in a casual and relaxed environment. This was the second CS Talk Show of the semester, and senior Yasser Elsayed was the host.
Could you tell us a little about your background?
Andrew Moore: I grew up in England and went to Cambridge to study math, but I switched to computer science. From there, I worked at HP Labs for a while until I returned to Cambridge to do my PhD. I wanted to be in an environment with a strong tech mindset, somewhere that would stretch me. I first moved to MIT to work in robotics and machine learning, and then in 1993 I joined CMU.
In 2006 I left CMU to start up the Google Pittsburgh Lab. Today there are 800 people working there, and that lab is responsible for the machine learning that powers many google applications. And then in 2014, I came back to CMU.
Why did you come back to academia?
Andrew Moore: I believe that our future world depends on how quickly we can create passionate computer scientists who have honesty and integrity. We have forces of rapid change in many areas today, and the one group of people who can offer solutions, and perhaps mitigate the negative repercussions, are computer scientists. I knew that I needed to be involved in computer science education.
Why did you choose Carnegie Mellon?
Andrew Moore: I think it’s a magical experience to build software systems that do something big and new. There are some universities that emphasize academic and scholarly pursuits. I knew that wasn’t for me, I want to have a visible impact. CMU does scholarly work, but it always has an impact. I think it is the best place in the world to be a computer scientist.
What is the place of entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon?
Andrew Moore: This is a very good question. There is a culture among the freshmen and sophomores that I talk to that seems to favor working for the big companies like Amazon, Apple and Google. These are wonderful jobs, and computer science grads can make a big impact there, but it is not the only option. Startups are an equally good option, especially for students here in Qatar, where there is a growing entrepreneurial sector.
What is the difference between a computer science education at CMU and other universities?
Andrew Moore: When I decided to return to academia, I only considered Carnegie Mellon. The students that come through CMU are smart, and they can handle complicated abstractions. More importantly, the curriculum forces students to solve problems together, so you must learn to trust your teammates. Carnegie Mellon computer science grads are people who become very interested in taking on big problems, and they are driven to solve those problems.