About CS
The computer science program was housed administratively and physically
in the Mathematics department from the mid-1970s through 1985, under the
mentorship of the mathematics department chairs: first Prof. George Leger
(who hired George Cybenko and David Krumme as the first CS professors); and
then Prof. Richard Weiss. The undergraduate major in computer science was
implemented in 1981, and a Master's degree was approved in 1982. In 1985,
through the efforts of Professors Cybenko, Krumme, and Weiss; Cybenko's
Ph.D. student and soon-to-be Professor Alva Couch; and Dean Mary Ella
Feinleib, the separate Department of Computer Science was approved. At a
time of chronic space shortage all over the Medford campus, separate
quarters were found across the street in Bromfield House, a dark, cramped,
converted residence especially unsuited for computer equipment.
With the arrival of Profs. Anselm Blumer and Jim Schmolze the following
year, the new department had seven professors. It offered the
undergraduate major in computer science for Liberal Arts and Jackson
students, and a Master's degree in computer science. By 1990, the
department also sponsored a major in computer science for students in the
College of Engineering.
In 1990, through the efforts of Dean Larry Ladd, the department moved
into better quarters in Pearson Annex, adjacent to the Chemistry
department. This space included a properly outfitted central computer room
and a good computer lab for student use. By this time, the size of the
faculty had shrunk to six and the graduate program had grown and
stabilized.
In 1994, under an initiative proposed by Vice President
Mel Bernstein, the Department was merged administratively and physically
with the Department of Electrical Engineering, creating the new Department
of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science within the College of
Engineering. Computer Science moved once again, this time into slightly
less elegant quarters in th e freshly renovated Halligan Hall.
During the time of EECS, the Ph.D. program in computer science was
implemented, and the size of the computer science faculty grew from six
professors to twelve professors and lecturers. The undergraduate majors in
computer science continued to be offered to both liberal arts and
engineering students, and the graduate programs in computer science
grew.
In 2002, the EECS Department was divided administratively into a
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Department of
Computer Science, both within the College of Engineering. Both departments
remained physically intertwined in Halligan Hall, with Halligan 101 serving
as the administrative office for both departments.
In August 2004 David Krumme retired and was awarded with
emeritus status by the Board of Trustees. He returned to Tufts in
May 2005 to help celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the
Department of Computer Science. At that time, Tufts computer science alumna
Karen Donoghue announced the formation of the David W. Krumme Fund for
Experimental Computer Science to honor Prof. Krumme for the key
contributions made to the education and to the lives of so many students
and to support students conducting applied research.
In February 2006, the Department of Computer science experienced
another loss with the sudden passing of beloved Professor Jim Schmolze. Jim
had served the department for twenty years with dedication, spirit, and
vision. The computer science faculty voted unanimously to rename the
Computer Science Prize awarded annually to The James Schmolze Prize for
Excellence in Computer Science in memory of Jim Schmolze. The first
recipient of the James Schmolze Prize in Computer Science was Kathryn
Seyboth '06.
The Department of Computer Science begins the 2006-2007 academic year
with fifteen full-time faculty (12 professors
and 3 lecturers), six adjunct professors with primary appointments in other
departments, a new dedicated administrative
office in Halligan 102, and the services of the joint CS and ECE Systems Group.
The graduate program has grown significantly
in the last few years, with a 2006-2007 enrollment of 40 Ph.D students, 36
Master's students, 2 Certificate students, and 6 Post-Baccalaureate Program
students. This year, the Department of Computer Science Department expects
to graduate a total of 24 seniors (14 in the ABET-accredited BSCS in the
School of Engineering; 10 with the BS from the School of Arts &
Sciences).
Chairs of the CS Department
- Diane Souvaine 2006 -
- Carla Brodley 2005 - 2006 (Acting Chair)
- Diane Souvaine 2002 - 2005 (on Sabbatical 2005/2006)
- David Krumme 1986 - 1994
- George Cybenko 1985 - 1986
Chairs of the EECS Department
- James Schmolze 2000 - 2002
- Robert Gonsalves 1996 - 2000
- Dennis Fermental 1988 - 1996
Department History |
Buildings and Facilities
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