Computer Science Fact Page

The Field of Computer Science

  • Computer Science is a wonderful and exciting field with many opportunities. Even with national downturn in economy and outsourcing, there are many jobs available; will continue well into the future.
  • Study in computer science also provides excellent background for careers in many diverse areas, including business and management, linguistics, graphic design, neuroscience, operations research, and missions.

Computer Science in the Context of the Christian Liberal Arts

  • Students gain technical knowledge and are also challenged to grow in communication, problem solving, and group interaction skills.
  • Computing field today: large teams of professionals work together to solve complex problems (communication and group skills extremely important).
  • Small class sizes allow for lots of interaction and discussion.
  • Opportunity for individual interaction with faculty (both in academic areas and personal time with professors in their homes for various functions such as Bible studies and dinners).
  • Christian faculty members challenge students to develop a Christian worldview and to integrate faith and learning.

Special Opportunities

  • Participate with faculty in research (distributed systems research or artificial intelligence research)
  • Internships in the local area (usually more potential employers that would like to have interns than we have students to fill those positions).
  • Summer employment both within and outside of the local area.
  • Opportunity to work with the Westmont information technology staff in managing the campus computer system.

Combining Study in Other Fields

  • Major with emphasis in a second field is available

Sample of Positions Currently held by Westmont Computer Science Graduates

  • Software developer / project manager at Microsoft
  • Computer science faculty member at Kansas State University
  • Area director for Wycliffe Bible translators in Chad, Africa
  • President and founder of ProdOP, a software development / operations research firm in Colorado
  • Security Consultant at Fishnet Security in Seattle

Faculty Members

Dr. Wayne Iba joined the Computer Science faculty in 2003. His studies in information and computer sciences at UC Santa Cruz (B.A.) and UC Irvine (M.S. and Ph.D.) concentrated on the areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence, cognitive science and experimental psychology. His research at NASA Ames, the FBI, and ISLE (a non-profit research institute in Palo Alto, CA), has focussed on developing computational assistants that learn how to help users by unobtrusively observing their natural behavior patterns. From 2000 until 2003, Dr. Iba worked in private industry applying machine learning techniques to problems of practical and commercial significance. While continuing his interests in machine learning, his most recent research interests involve exploring the interactions between machine learning and the philosophy of mind. He embraces the joy of learning and desires to involve students in all areas of his research. He and and his wife, Frances, regularly open their home to students for meals, discussion, and life. Dr. Iba's other interests include piano, archery, cycling and ultimate frisbee.

Dr. Kim Kihlstrom is a graduate of Stanford University, and also received a master's degree from Stanford in electrical engineering. She completed a Ph.D. in computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also taught in the engineering-physics department at Westmont before completing her Ph.D. Her area of research is survivability, security and fault-tolerance in distributed computer systems. Her approach to security goes beyond simply trying to keep the "bad guys" out of a system, and focuses on designing systems that can continue to operate even after the "bad guys" have gotten into the system. One application of the system that she developed is a secure auction service that she implemented in Java. She has published a number of research articles, and has set up a research lab to continue this work, which will involve Westmont students. She and her husband (Dr. Ken Kihlstrom in the physics department) love having students over to their home (which is very near campus) for superbowl parties, movie nights, barbecues, and time in the spa. She also enjoys baking, reading, music, and attending numerous sporting events.

Dr. David Hunter is a graduate of the University of Illinois and has an M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Virginia. He has published journal articles in the field of homotopy theory, and he continues to do research in algebra and topology. He employs computers in his current research, both in the visualization of topological objects and in the computation of algebraic and combinatorial quantities. His forthcoming textbook, Essentials of Discrete Mathematics, will be published by Jones & Bartlett.