Foundation of computer science is the most important motivation for Asian academia to work with the UK researchers in computer science. University of Leicester has a good reputation of CS foundations and would be much less attractive without it. I hope it will be reconsidered.
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John Lapinskas
5 years ago
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the leadership at Leicester are the very worst kind of short-sighted paperclip-maximising "businesspeople". Take decisions that pay off in the short term and drive the university into the ground, then take a golden parachute into the next university to ruin just before it all starts *visibly* going to hell.
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Pawel Kerntopf
5 years ago
The idea to drop all but the most applied research in foundations of computer science is short-sighted and will cause long-term damage to the quality and reputation of the University of Leicester. Especially, because the Leicester researchers in the Foundations of Computer Science belong to world pioneers developing new frontiers in computing with many substantial practical applications!
Pawel Kerntopf, Professor of Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
D
Dr Felix Reidl
5 years ago
The very essence of universities is to grow our foundational knowledge of the world. These institutions have not persisted for so long because they gave in to short-term hypes and trends!
A
Arved Friedemann
5 years ago
I fear a world where even computer scientists are only trained in what they need tomorrow and not the next decade.
S
Stephen Brewster
5 years ago
Foundations of computer science is a fundamental aspect of computing. shutting it down seems short-sighted. How will we come up with the future game-changing topics of CS without it?
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Lecturer, University of Glasgow.
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Volker DIEKERT
5 years ago
The idea to give up basic research (for the gain of short term success) is a serious mistake: consider, for example, the disaster of Japan's 5th generation project. Such a stupid idea shows the frightening ignorance of the people in charge of making decisions, only.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Foundations of Computer Science are not redundant
E
Eleni Vasilaki
5 years ago
A strong department has a broad research profile and does not only run behind current research trends that could change over time.
I
Ichiro IDE
5 years ago
Think about the future of our society!
J
James Davenport
5 years ago
These suggesed changes aer ill-founded How does one do AI research without algorithms? And when I was at NYU, I saw AI gurus like Le Cun talking to functional analysts. So Leicester is clearly not aiming at being in the serious AI league either.
O
Oliver Kullmann
5 years ago
Computer science is more needed than ever -- in a diverse inclusive sense.
T
Thomas Streicher
5 years ago
It is not a brilliant idea to replace a department of astronomy by a department of astrology! The so called successes of AI are based on lowering expectations and not on fulfilling any of its original aims because they are based on a misunderstanding of what creative human activity is. By its very nature it cannot be mechanized.
Basic research on the contrary had been the source of various useful tools like functional programming languages or interactive theorem provers based on e.g. type theory. These are offsprings of theoretical CS and not of AI.
Turning Academia into a company is not a brilliant idea since at the end of the day there is no one left for doing the research on which new products are based.
Till 15 years ago UK was an Eldorado for people doing fundamental research in CS. It is very sad how quickly this was destroyed for ideological reasons!
P
Pooya Farshim
5 years ago
First they came for humanities, and I did not speak out. Then they came for mathematicians, and then for foundation researchers. We should stop this attack on the integrity and autonomy of UK academia.
W
William DeMeo
5 years ago
Logic and foundations are the basis for everything in cs. If you don't have good theory people around, things will become unhinged, ungrounded; very bad things can happen. I have witnessed it first hand.
R
Rob van Stee
5 years ago
This is a terrible idea. Another huge blow to the reputation of the University of Leicester. Who will ever go and work there now?
J
John V Tucker
5 years ago
Foundations research is the source of our knowledge about how every aspect of the digital world actually works - the data, the algorithms, the programming tools, the design methods, repositories, the communications, the applications that continually grow into whole new areas. It tackles stubborn problems, reveals unexpected technical causes and opportunities, and speculates on new areas of applications.
For an emerging example, the logical underpinnings of software engineering are now being used to explore social issues -- technical and ethical -- that are now primarily manifested in digital forms (e.g., surveillance and privacy; state, institutional, and personal security).
Leicester's idea for the future of CS is boring and clichéd.
The source of excellence and ambition in research is the individual researcher.
Y
Yehia Abd Alrahman
5 years ago
As a person who works on foundational subjects in CS (and a former employee of the University of Leicester), I feel very disappointed to hear about such radical reform.
A
Anna Philippou
5 years ago
The University of Leicester is on the worldwide map for its research on the Foundations of Computer Science. This is a disturbing and inconceivable development and I sincerely hope that it will be reconsidered.
Foundation of computer science is the most important motivation for Asian academia to work with the UK researchers in computer science. University of Leicester has a good reputation of CS foundations and would be much less attractive without it. I hope it will be reconsidered.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the leadership at Leicester are the very worst kind of short-sighted paperclip-maximising "businesspeople". Take decisions that pay off in the short term and drive the university into the ground, then take a golden parachute into the next university to ruin just before it all starts *visibly* going to hell.
The idea to drop all but the most applied research in foundations of computer science is short-sighted and will cause long-term damage to the quality and reputation of the University of Leicester. Especially, because the Leicester researchers in the Foundations of Computer Science belong to world pioneers developing new frontiers in computing with many substantial practical applications! Pawel Kerntopf, Professor of Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
The very essence of universities is to grow our foundational knowledge of the world. These institutions have not persisted for so long because they gave in to short-term hypes and trends!
I fear a world where even computer scientists are only trained in what they need tomorrow and not the next decade.
Foundations of computer science is a fundamental aspect of computing. shutting it down seems short-sighted. How will we come up with the future game-changing topics of CS without it?
Lecturer, University of Glasgow.
The idea to give up basic research (for the gain of short term success) is a serious mistake: consider, for example, the disaster of Japan's 5th generation project. Such a stupid idea shows the frightening ignorance of the people in charge of making decisions, only.
Foundations of Computer Science are not redundant
A strong department has a broad research profile and does not only run behind current research trends that could change over time.
Think about the future of our society!
These suggesed changes aer ill-founded How does one do AI research without algorithms? And when I was at NYU, I saw AI gurus like Le Cun talking to functional analysts. So Leicester is clearly not aiming at being in the serious AI league either.
Computer science is more needed than ever -- in a diverse inclusive sense.
It is not a brilliant idea to replace a department of astronomy by a department of astrology! The so called successes of AI are based on lowering expectations and not on fulfilling any of its original aims because they are based on a misunderstanding of what creative human activity is. By its very nature it cannot be mechanized. Basic research on the contrary had been the source of various useful tools like functional programming languages or interactive theorem provers based on e.g. type theory. These are offsprings of theoretical CS and not of AI. Turning Academia into a company is not a brilliant idea since at the end of the day there is no one left for doing the research on which new products are based. Till 15 years ago UK was an Eldorado for people doing fundamental research in CS. It is very sad how quickly this was destroyed for ideological reasons!
First they came for humanities, and I did not speak out. Then they came for mathematicians, and then for foundation researchers. We should stop this attack on the integrity and autonomy of UK academia.
Logic and foundations are the basis for everything in cs. If you don't have good theory people around, things will become unhinged, ungrounded; very bad things can happen. I have witnessed it first hand.
This is a terrible idea. Another huge blow to the reputation of the University of Leicester. Who will ever go and work there now?
Foundations research is the source of our knowledge about how every aspect of the digital world actually works - the data, the algorithms, the programming tools, the design methods, repositories, the communications, the applications that continually grow into whole new areas. It tackles stubborn problems, reveals unexpected technical causes and opportunities, and speculates on new areas of applications. For an emerging example, the logical underpinnings of software engineering are now being used to explore social issues -- technical and ethical -- that are now primarily manifested in digital forms (e.g., surveillance and privacy; state, institutional, and personal security). Leicester's idea for the future of CS is boring and clichéd. The source of excellence and ambition in research is the individual researcher.
As a person who works on foundational subjects in CS (and a former employee of the University of Leicester), I feel very disappointed to hear about such radical reform.
The University of Leicester is on the worldwide map for its research on the Foundations of Computer Science. This is a disturbing and inconceivable development and I sincerely hope that it will be reconsidered.