Fonds UAA Fonds 0095 - Department of Computing Science fonds

The first computer services at the University were provided by the Committee on Electronic Equipment (1957) and the Computing Centre (1960-1970) before the Department of Computing Science, an academic unit, was founded in 1964. The university’s first computer was the LGP-30, which was in service from 1957-1963. The first course on computing was offered in 1958, and the first MSc degrees in computing science were awarded in 1962 before the Department of Computing Science was officially founded in 1964. In 1968, the first BSc degrees were awarded and the Phd program was approved. The Computing Centre and the Department of Computing Science became separate units in 1970.

The department had several different homes in the General Services Building, Assiniboia Hall, and the Central Academic Building before the Computing Science Centre opened in 2001. The department connected to the internet in 1990.

Significant areas of research conducted in the department have included artificial intelligence, robotics, software engineering, networks, databases, graphics, and computer chess. Chinook, a computer checkers program created in the department, won checkers championships in 1989 and 1994 and was recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records.

Directors: 1960-1964 Donald Burton Scott.

Heads: 1964-1971 Donald Burton Scott.

Chairs: 1971-1972 John Penny (Acting); 1972-1977 Arthur Wouk; 1976-1977 John Tartar (Acting); 1977- 1981 John Tartar; 1981-1982 L. Wayne Jackson (Acting); 1982-1983 Wayne A. Davis (Acting); 1983-1988 Lee J. White; 1988-1989 Robert Crawford (Acting); 1989-1994 Paul Sorenson; 1994-1995 Tamur Özsu (Acting); 1995-1998 Paul Sorenson; 1998-2003 Randy Goebel; 2003 Paul Sorenson (Acting); 2004 Renée Elio (Acting); 2004 Randy Goebel; 2005-2008 Jonathan Schaeffer; 2008-2013 Mike MacGregor; 2013-[20--] H. James Hoover; [20--]- Joerg Sander.