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A brief history of Computer Science at Tufts

    ↓↓↓ Click on photos for more information ↓↓↓
1913 Vannevar Bush graduates from Tufts College with both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree. Bush would go on to invent the Differential Analyzer (U.S. Patent No. 2,032,253), an analog precursor to modern computers.
In July 1945 he published an article in The Atlantic titled "As We May Think", outlining how new technologies such as microfilm would allow the totality of human knowledge to be organized and made available to an individual sitting at a desk. This article is considered by many to be a precursor to the World Wide Web.
1965-66 Raymond S. Nickerson, Research Professor in the Psychology Department, offers PSY 209 - Artificial Intelligence, a graduate seminar in artificial intelligence.
1968-69 Professor Nickerson offers Information Sciences 1  
  The 1968-69 Bulletin also lists Electrical Engineering 2 - Computer-Aided Electrical Analysis
1970-71 The 1970-71 Bulletin lists two Engineering Sciences courses in which computers play a major part:  
1971-72 The 1971-72 Bulletin lists Data Structures for the first time, taught by George H. Meyfarth III:
1972

The Mathematics Department hires Nancy Lynch, a new PhD from MIT whose dissertation was on Theory of Computation. Prof. Lynch started the Computer Science program in the Math Department, teaching a course on algorithms using Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming" and Computer Science 12.
1974 The Mathematics Department hires Jeanne Ferrante with a specialty of "computational complexity".
1977 The Mathematics Department hires David Krumme, who will become one of the main founders of the Tufts Computer Science Department.  
1978 The Mathematics Department hires George Cybenko, who will become the other main founder of the Tufts Computer Science Department.  
1980 The Mathematics Department hires Neil Immerman, who had just finished his PhD on computational complexity at Cornell. Prof. Immerman developed and taught a course on Database Management Systems.
1981 Tufts starts offering an undergraduate major in Computer Science, administered by the Mathematics Department. Courses include:
  • 11 - Introduction to Computer Science (a programming course using Pascal)
  • 12 - Machine Architecture and Assembly Language Programming
  • 71 - Data Structures (required)
  • 80 - Programming Languages (required)
  • 163 - Algorithms
  • 170 - Computation Theory
  In the early 80's David Krumme and a group of students build a local area network they call STARFISH in Bromfield-Pearson, the home of the Mathematics department. This network proves to be very popular with some of the Mathematics faculty for their research and teaching.  
1985 The Computer Science Department is formed by members of the Mathematics Department. George Cybenko becomes the first Department Chair.
  Founding members include Hedy Sanni (Department Manager), George Cybenko (Chair), Venkataraman Natarajan, Steven T. Schwarz, Alan Sherman, and David Krumme (sabbatical leave, not pictured)
  Bromfield House is the first home of the Computer Science Department
  The budget request for the new department contains $21,300 for equipment to build a new local area network in Bromfield House, including $3,000 for a DEC MX24 multiplexer to connect the workstations in Bromfield to the campus network.
1987 Computer Science Faculty in 1987 (Missing: James Schmolze)
1988 David Krumme becomes the second Department Chair after George Cybenko departs to join the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.
1989 Dan Dennett from the Philosophy Department introduces a new minor in Cognitive Science, including Computer Science courses on Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence:
  The Computer Science Department moves to Pearson Annex
1994 The Computer Science Department merges with Electrical Engineering and moves to Halligan Hall.
  Denis Fermental (Chair of Electrical Engineering since 1988) becomes Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. David Krumme becomes Director of Computer Science.
1996 Bob Gonsalves becomes Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
  Anselm Blumer becomes Director of Computer Science.
1998 Stephen A. Morrison is the first PhD graduate in Computer Science
Advisor: Robert J. K. Jacob
Dissertation: A Specification Paradigm for Design and Implementation of non-WIMP Human Computer Interactions
2000 Jim Schmolze becomes Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
2000-2001 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the 2001 yearbook.
2001-2002 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the 2002 yearbook.
2002 EECS splits into ECE and COMP and Diane Souvaine becomes Chair of Computer Science.
2004 Hedy Sanni retires after 20 years of service to Tufts. Taking full advantage of Tufts' academic environment, Hedy had earned a BA in Art History and an MA in Education.
2005 Carla Brodley is Acting Chair of Computer Science for the 2005-2006 academic year while Diane Souvaine is on sabbatical leave.
2005-2006 Computer Science in the 2006 yearbook.
2007 The major in Cognitive and Brain Psychology is introduced jointly by Psychology, Philosophy, and Computer Science. The major required the following computer science courses:
  • COMP 11 - Introduction to Computer Science
  • COMP 14 - Computational Concepts in Biological and Cognitive Sciences
  • COMP 131 - Artificial Intelligence
  
2010 Rob Jacob becomes Chair of Computer Science for spring semester.
2010 Carla Brodley becomes Chair of Computer Science starting in fall 2010.
2011 Matthias Scheutz develops a joint PhD program in Cognitive Science with support from Dan Dennett and Ray Jackendoff (Philosophy) and Phil Holcomb (Psychology). This program also included the Child Development Department and was the first interdisciplinary joint PhD program offered by Tufts.
2012 Halligan Hall is renovated after Athletics moves to the Gantcher Center
2013 Soha Hassoun becomes Chair of Computer Science.
2016 Kathleen Fisher becomes Chair of Computer Science.
2017-18 Matthias Scheutz and his colleagues at the Human Robot Interaction Laboratory (HRI Lab) launch a PhD and a Masters program in HRI
2018-20 Alva Couch, along with colleagues in Electrical and Computer Engineering, develops undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Data Science. Alva also developed a Masters degree program in Software Systems Development.
2020 Susan Landau develops a new Masters in Cybersecurity and Public Policy jointly with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
2021 Computer Science joins Mathematics, Economics, the Gordon Institute, the Data Intensive Studies Center, the Derby Entrepreneurial Center, and Starbucks in the Joyce Cummings Center
  Jeff Foster becomes Chair of Computer Science.