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Foundations of Computer Science are not redundant

1,046 Comments

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Andrea Bracciali
5 years ago

The idea that foundations of CS are not directly linked with applications would be __very difficult__ to sustain by providing any sort of evidence. All major, event recent, advances in applications are rooted in foundations.

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Sami Khuri
5 years ago

Applied Science, such as Artificial Intelligence, emerged from theoretical work that created the foundation of these applications. No progress can take place without a deep understanding of the underpinning theoretical concepts behind the application. "If we only did applied research, we would still be making better spears" (by G. Smoot).

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Graham Farr
5 years ago

Theoretical Computer Science has *lots* of applications! They tend to be far-reaching, but may take time to emerge. Any institution calling itself a "university" should nurture the foundational disciplines and look to the long term.

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Anonymous
5 years ago

Universidad de la República, Uruguay

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Antonia Estero-Botaro
5 years ago

Foundations of Computer Science are essential for applied sciences.

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Francisco Palomo-Lozano
5 years ago

Utilitarianism in Science? No, thanks.

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Juan Jose Dominguez Jimenez
5 years ago

If basic science is eliminated, there will soon be little to apply

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Trevor Brown
5 years ago

Foundations of computer science is a crucial research area that provides the necessary underpinning to support systems research with the principles necessary to build upon.

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Nela Brockington
5 years ago

This is short-sighted. Where do the core intellectual advancements in AI, data science and modelling come from if not from the theoretical basis of Comp Sci and Mathematics? Trading short term profit/publications for longterm contribution will ensure this university loses status in future.

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Yolenda
5 years ago

Informatics are not redundant

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Solomon Eyal Shimony
5 years ago

Firing people in CS nowadays is nothing short of lunacy. However, by all means, do shut down foundations of computer science at Leicester (who? never heard of them. what "excellence?"), and send all people made redundant with a strong record, theoretical or otherwise, to us, we will hire them! Better yet, shut down Leicester U, or perhaps just fire the management?

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Alexandre Nolin
5 years ago

Postdoc, Reykjavik University

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James V Rauff
5 years ago

One cannot anticipate the eventual applications of pure reasearch.

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Reiner Hähnle
5 years ago

The proposed merger shows utter and complete ignorance on the side of the decision makers of what Computer Science is about.

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Chengbo liang
5 years ago

Support education

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Alin Bostan
5 years ago

Inria, France

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Professor David Harel FRS
5 years ago

This is clearly a scandal. Alan Turing, Kurt Godel, Alonzo Church and Robin Milner, turn in their grave. And, if I may be excused the pun, this is indeed a grave issue and a terrible mistake.

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Martin Strecker
5 years ago

A decision of a management whose strategy consists in running behind currently popular fashions and that can only imagine a monomaniac concentration of all resources on one topic and one method. Apparently, it has not learned from similar projects in the past (just in the area of AI) that pretended to solve all problems of mankind and finally failed miserably, like all monocultures.

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Diego Vallespir
5 years ago

Redundant? Really?

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Fernando Carpani
5 years ago

This is a very good example of how to destroy a University.