Student Chapters

Computer Science

ACM

The student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery invites you to join! ACM is an educational and scientific society uniting the world's computer educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. Our student chapter participates in competitions, networks with professionals, and offers fun social events for students interested in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

Upsilon Pi Epsilon

UPE is Gonzaga's New International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines. Gonzaga students in Upsilon Pi Epsilon will enjoy networking events and social activities as well as service projects.  Students also participate in programming contests and are eligible for national scholarships.

Eligibility: 

• Pursuing a Computer Science, Math/Computer Science, or Computer Engineering major
• Completed 45 semester hours, including 15 hours of credit in CPSC and/or CPEN courses
• Hold and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 over all classes
• Hold and maintain a GPA of at least 3.3 in all CPSC/CPEN classes
•  

GUCEA

The Gonzaga Center for Evolutionary Algorithms (GUCEA) aims at advancing the knowledge of genetic algorithms (GA) in optimization problems. Optimization deals with seeking the best possible solution to a design problem. Often constraints are accounted for. The center was founded in the fall of 2005 as a result of a six year collaborative effort between Professor De Palma in the Department of Computer Science and Dr. Sara Ganzerli in the Department of Civil Engineering. Dr. Shannon Overbay from the Department of Mathematics joined us last year.

Genetic Algorithms imitate the natural selection process. The capabilities of this method are very attractive in that they can handle discrete variables. GA are also able to solve problems with high epistasis that present interaction and coupling between different parameters of the function to be minimized. Applications include structural engineering and mathematics. In particular, genetic algorithms are applied to the optimal design of trusses considering uncertainties in the load condition and to graph theory. This ongoing study at Gonzaga University strives to design and implement genetic algorithms that generate reasonable solutions to difficult problems in mathematics, engineering, and science.

Gonzaga's Software Engineering Senior Group Design (SESGD)

Seniors in the Computer Science program participate in the Software Engineering Senior Group Design Course.  Groups of three or four students are teamed with a corporate sponsor to work on a software design project that has real application value in industry.

A liaison engineer from the sponsoring company is assigned to the student team to monitor the project's progress and to participate in project decision-making. The liaison engineer also helps the students make the best use of the sponsor's resources and facilities.

The Software Engineering Senior Group Design Course is intended to enhance the design content of the computer science program at Gonzaga University by promoting interaction between the industrial and academic communities. The SESGD faculty's mission is to organize, support and provide guidance to student teams.

The student team functions in the same way that a design team functions in industry. Students with different technical, scholastic and cultural backgrounds must develop a strategy to bring a project to completion and present the results of their project. Together they must make effective use of their available resources to perform and manage the project activities.

The special value of the program to the student lies in the unique experiences of decision-making under risk, and working with a team and sponsor liaison engineer in contributing to solve a real software engineering problem.