CSC120H/A20H: Winter 2008

Computer Science for the Sciences

Welcome to the course webpage for the Winter 2008 term of CSC120H/A20H, Computer Science for the Sciences. The instructors (Anna and Jen) on the UTSC and St. George campuses are collaborating on the course in order to provide you with a uniform offering. The navigation menu to the left contains links to general information, as well as campus-specific details.

Course description

An introduction to computer science for students in other sciences, with an emphasis on gaining practical skills. Introduction to programming; web programming; database design; software tools; examples and exercises taken from the sciences. At the end of this course you will be able to develop computer tools for scientific applications, such as the structuring and analysis of experimental data. Practical (P) sections consist of supervised work in the computer laboratory. No programming experience is necessary.

The course is delivered through 2 lecture hours a week and labs. For St. George students the labs are bi-weekly for 2 hours, and for UTSC students, the labs are weekly for 1 hour.

Contact Information

Instructor	Email	Office
Anna Bretscher (UTSC)	bretscher [at] utsc.utoronto.ca	H418
Jennifer Campbell (St. George)	campbell [at] cdf.toronto.edu	BA4238

Instructor Bios

Jennifer Campbell
Jen received a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Prince Edward Island in her hometown, Charlottetown. She studied at the University of Waterloo where she received an MMath degree in CS, and a Certificate in University Teaching. At the end of 2003, she joined the CS Department at the University of Toronto as a Lecturer (teaching faculty). In her spare time, Jen likes to keep active and she has run a marathon and a few half-marathons. She also enjoys making a fool of herself practicing astanga yoga.

Anna Bretscher
Anna received her BSc in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario; a long way from her hometown of Saskatoon. She then switched departments to complete an MSc in Computer Science at Queen's. Not sure about which direction she wanted to follow, Anna worked for two years at a small startup company on a Y2K solution. She then decided to go back to university and did a PhD in Computer Science at U of T. In 2004, she joined UTSC as a Lecturer. Anna loves to run, cycle (you may see her bicycle in her office) and play hockey. Most of her spare time however, is devoted to looking after her 18 month old daughter.