Fall 2026 · Session 1

Welcome to Computational Expression

Let's find out what this field actually is.

What Is Computer Science, Really?

• Not just "typing code"
• Problem-solving with precise, step-by-step thinking
• A language for expressing ideas a machine can act on
• As creative as it is logical

Where It Shows Up

• The apps and games you use every day
• Data that predicts, recommends, diagnoses
• Robots, sensors, the physical world — hi, Pico!
• Every field now touches code: biology, art, journalism, medicine

This Semester

• Python, from zero
• A Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W — LEDs, buttons, sensors
• 8 labs building toward a project you design
• You'll leave able to build real things

Let's Move

Silent Line-Up

No talking. No phones. Just you and your birthday.

• Line up in order by birth month and day (Jan 1 → Dec 31)
• You may not speak or write anything down
• Find your spot using only gestures
• Go!

What Did You Just Do?

• Compared yourself to your neighbors, one at a time
• Swapped places when you were "out of order"
• Kept going until the whole line was sorted
• That's a sorting algorithm — you just ran one, by hand

See You Friday

Syllabus, department values, and Q&A.