Cool Computer Science (CS)
This page can also be reached using: bit.ly/CoolCSDemos
This page is maintained by Dale Reed, a faculty member in the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Visiting Your School:
We have an engaging message geared towards encouraging students to consider taking Computer Science courses, combining puzzles, hands-on activities, videos, and visual examples.
Please contact us if you would like a visit to your classes.
What some teachers have said over the years: [See even more]
...The presentations have been engaging, exciting, and the students love them. Dr. Reed helps put a human touch to the notion of studying Computer Science at the college level. ...I encourage teachers of all grades to invite Dr. Reed to visit their classes.
- Jeff Solin National Board Certified Teacher, Computer Science Department, Northside College Prep
Professor Reed brings a certain charisma to his presentation that keeps the students mesmerized. Many of my students didn't want to leave after the bell rang because they had so many questions for him. His presentation was both dynamic and packed full of useful information. ... His presentation left students with a sense of magical wonder in technology which is exactly what we need to instill in this future generation.
- Stirling Crow Von Steuben Metro Science Center
...Several parents came into parent-teacher conferences telling me that their students are now considering pursuing computer science in college.
- Doug Allee Oak Park / River Forest High School
... Long after the enthusiasm generated by your visit, a number of students (months later) come in with questions they have from exploring college CS curriculums on line.
- Sam Polki, Lane Tech High School, Computer Science Teacher
...Excellent job. He has a thorough knowledge of the subject and captivated his audience... I wish I was going back to college....
- Mark Nance Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka, Alaska
Demos
Magic Tricks Puzzles [ bit.ly/cstricks ]
Although it is just paper, try to make the folds in the right order to spell the word "Computer" with the Computer Paper Puzzle, and the harder Ingenuity Paper Puzzle. Also see the links shown on these.
Table for Age Guessing, cards for binary magic trick (small and large)
See the Online Scavenger Hunt page, including the following:
Online Activities
[Jump straight here using bit.ly/tryuiccs]
Solve the puzzle to get through the maze!
Substitute symbols for letters to see who can compress text the most. (See also the other widgets on that page)
Statistics
See some statistics on CS enrollment, employment, and rankings.