Pioneering Perspectives on Computer Science
On April 22, I had the honor of moderating our webinar on computer science. Under the banner of our flagship training program Seeds for the Future, the webinar invited guest speaker and computer science pioneer John Hopcroft to discuss a range of topics with an expert panel, including two Seeds’ alumni.
Topics covered included the future of computer science, how it can help solve global issues, AI, and careers in the tech field.
John Hopcroft is the IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics in Computer Science at Cornell University. His research centers on theoretical aspects of computing, especially analysis of algorithms, automata theory, and graph algorithms.
Meet the Experts
John Hopcroft
Professor at Cornell University & Turing Award Winner
Heiko Schick
Chief Architect, Huawei Technologies
Holy Ranaivozanany
Head of Global Corporate Responsibility, Huawei Technologies
Charlotte Weever, Senior Technology & Business Integration Analyst, Accenture 
Mathias Jørgensen, M.Sc. in Computer Science & Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
Highlight Video
For information about future Seeds events and webinars, Seeds participants can join this LinkedIn group.
Topics & Quotes
1. Future Challenges
“In the future, we’re going to need to learn how to extract the function of an object.”
“Another thing we’re going to have to work on is including common sense.”
“We’re going to have to learn how to train these networks using one picture rather than the thousands of pictures that we’re learning today.”
John
“So many new things are possible now, and definitely we need a talented young workforce to address all the challenges ahead of us.”
Heiko
2. How to Solve Problems
“One of the things that makes data so important in solving global issues…as the data set gets bigger you can detect more subtle effects.”
John
“Data is the new gold.”
“We’re going to be focusing more and more on the consumer, the patient [in a healthcare setting].. whoever that end user is because ultimately they are most important.”
Charlotte
3. Career Inspiration
“If you work on something you really enjoy, you’ll work on it the entire time. But if you work on something told you to do, you’ll only work on it 8 hours a day.”
John
“The common ground is that they need a good understanding in STEM.. .because I can talk to a physicist and they can explain, but in my daily life, I need to put that into a mathematical message.”
Heiko
Read more:
4. The Power of Seeds for the Future
“I met a lot of other inspiring computer scientists from other parts of the world…they helped open my mind and globalize the concept of computer science because they had some very different tasks at hand compared to where I came from.”
Matthias
“The Seeds program was interesting for me because it gave me the insight into the importance of ICT for industrials from retail to life-sciences, and they are all underpinned by IT. Without it, the world wouldn‘t go around the way as it is – the speed, the efficiency…”
Charlotte
About Seeds for the Future
Seeds for the Future is Huawei’s flagship global CSR program. Launched in 2008, the program aims to help develop skilled local ICT talent and bridge communication between countries and cultures. By sharing our ICT expertise and experiences in the global business environment, young people from different countries can learn about advanced technologies in the ICT industry.
Visit the Seeds for the Future minisite to learn more and register on our ilearningx portal to watch the webinar in full.
Further Reading
Disclaimer: Any views and/or opinions expressed in this post by individual authors or contributors are their personal views and/or opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of Huawei Technologies.
