FROM THE DEAN
Widening the Aperture
Ian Clark (SCS 2023) founded the fashion company House of Orange prior to earning his master’s degree in human-computer interaction. Since then, his designs have achieved worldwide attention. While Clark’s journey into the field of fashion may seem unexpected for a graduate of the School of Computer Science, his example highlights the breadth of impact that our students make in areas they feel passionate about. Inspiring, intellectual challenges await our students in every field, and our alumni are well equipped to tackle them.
At SCS, we train students to think computationally as well as scientifically, to approach challenges with reason as well as creativity. They learn to identify systems that are working, to think critically about those that are not and to iterate accordingly. They learn to build robust interdisciplinary teams equipped to take on multifaceted problems. And they learn to follow their passion and purpose, allowing them to lead in any field they choose. Simply put, we teach our students to keep their hearts in their work.
Decades ago, many of our students set their sights on large tech companies. A burgeoning industry offered opportunities to pursue competitive careers in software engineering and to conduct ambitious research. Our alumni have risen rapidly to leadership roles at these companies not because of technical skills alone, but because of the breadth, curiosity and intellectual agility that define an SCS education.
Today, as computing reaches into every corner of society, our graduates are expanding the footprint of computer science well beyond the traditional tech sector. Sports, entertainment, human health, fashion, the arts — wherever there are complex problems, our alumni are at the nexus of efforts to solve them. This issue of The LINK highlights just a few of the remarkable places that passion for work is taking our graduates, and these stories are only the beginning. When we widen our view, more stories of impact come into focus.
As AI and computer science enter new fields, they transform them. Watching our graduates lead this cycle of innovation is not only gratifying, it reaffirms what an SCS education is for.
Martial Hebert
Dean, School of Computer Science