South Dakota School of
Mines & Technology will reorganize two existing departments to
create a new Computer Science and Engineering Department.
Currently, the university’s computer
science program is under the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and
its computer engineering program under the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering. The change will move the computer science program and the
computer engineering program out of those departments, merging them into a new
Computer Science and Engineering Department. (While both degrees are computer-related,
computer science focuses on software development, and computer engineering
focuses on design and creation of computer systems and other devices.)
“This is an exciting development
for Mines which will allow us to increase the visibility of the computer
science program by adding the strengths found in computer engineering,” said SD Mines
President Jim Rankin, Ph.D. “This move will strengthen both programs
and will provide an emphasis on training and research in computational embedded
systems. It will also open up
new opportunities for collaborative grant writing within departments and with
other universities.”
The new department will be headed by
Jeffrey McGough, Ph.D., who is currently a
professor in mathematics and computer science. McGough has been a faculty
member at SD Mines since 1998.
“The formation of the new Department
of Computer Science and Engineering is very exciting news,” says McGough. “We
will be better able to serve the students in both programs to provide the
necessary growth in the emerging technology areas in both computer hardware and
software.”
McGough plans to increase the
number of courses offered with the goal of increasing the size of the program.
“We need to build the graduate program and significantly increase our funded
research and marketable technologies, which will allow us to add more
opportunities for students at all levels,” he adds.
In addition, the new department
will provide data science experts to meet campus and statewide needs. “A strong
university Computer Science and Engineering program such as the one we are
forming will help seed innovative new enterprises throughout the Black Hills
and be a strong supporter of local technology startups,” McGough says. “The new
department allows us to better serve South Dakota in the next several decades
in the computational sciences which include artificial intelligence and machine
learning, data science, internet of things and security.”
Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., head of the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, says the reorganization will
enable its hands-on ABET-accredited
bachelors program in electrical
engineering to excel further in its focus areas, and grow its nationally-ranked
masters program in electrical engineering, allowing for the creation of a
doctoral program in electrical engineering.
Implementation of the new program
is not expected until fall of 2019, and no curriculum changes are planned at
this time. Initially, the new department will be housed in the basement of the
McLaury Building, which was recently renovated.