We are very happy to report that Alexander Noll, PhD student at the department’s Institute for the Science of Cities, has been rewarded with the 2019/2020 Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence for Postgraduates who Teach. As a commendee, the recognition of his teaching comes in addition to a £200 teaching endowment. Alexander, who comes from an interdisciplinary academic background and has been teaching on several undergraduate modules of our department as well as the Department of Sociology, commented:

The thought that I was able to contribute positively to somebody’s learning and their time at Warwick in general sparks great joy. It is a great honour to be recognised for my tiny contribution to a community of teachers who work hard on creating a positive learning environment.

WATE seek to recognise outstanding teaching and support of learning across the University. Since 2003, the Awards have helped showcase innovation and commitment from across Warwick's teaching community. Nominations can be made by both students and staff and a panel of judges then creates a shortlist of up to ten nominees. Based on additional personal statements, 10 winners are selected from the shortlist, split into five awards and five commendations.

The last week has seen a number of industrial engagements throughout the department.

On Tuesday, October 15th, Bank of America came in to announce their sponsorship of both CS118 Programming for Computer Scientists module and CS241 Operating Systems and Networks. Representatives from Bank of America were here all afternoon, including University of Warwick alumni, to tell our students what a career in finance technology is like, and how to shape their CVs for internships and graduate positions.

The day after, Citrix arrived to help some keen students develop a security based mindset. The students were split into groups of defenders and attackers, and had to out-think each other in order to either secure or steal valuable resources.

Then, on Friday, JP Morgan took over the atrium with their Technology Showcase. They spent the day demonstrating all the ways in which they use technology and even research new ideas, and not always in relation to finance. They also discussed with our students how their experiences and skills translate to a career in JP Morgan.

If you missed any of these events, there's still plenty of chances to get involved. We have a number of events coming up, so please keep an eye on the DCS calendar!

Making sure that our students have a high-quality experience in the department will be a top priority for Dr Sara Kalvala, Dr Ramanujan Sridharan and Adam Alcock. They will work with our students, the department's academic and professional services staff, and colleagues in the wider university to address issues, make improvements, and develop initiatives that will improve students' satisfaction and benefit their future careers.

We are happy to welcome to the department Dr Ian Saunders as a new Senior Teaching Fellow, and Dr Jonathan Foss and James Atkinson as new Teaching Fellows. In addition to all being accomplished scholars and teachers, Ian brings us a wealth of entrepreneurial experience, Jonny has expertise in working with industry in an interdisciplinary context, and James has recently won a prestigious Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence for Postgraduates who Teach. Professor Ranko Lazic, the head of department, has commented:

We are looking forward to the exciting enhancements that Ian, Jonny and James will be making to the department's teaching and learning, to the lasting benefit of our students.

Many congratulations to Dr Adam Chester on his election to a Fellowship of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy.

A WIHEA Fellowship recognises and rewards outstanding achievements in learning and teaching and is an exceptional opportunity to engage with colleagues across the university, improve the student experience and make a genuine difference to Warwick through research, debate and policy formation.

We welcome our new students who have joined the department this week and congratulate them for their excellent results prior to coming here! For the first time ever, they are joining us for a Welcome Week before lectures start next week. We are excited to have so many outstanding new students and are looking forward to seeing them become excellent Computer Scientists in the coming years!

Many congratulations to Dr Claire Rocks on her election to a Fellowship of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy.

A WIHEA Fellowship recognises and rewards outstanding achievements in learning and teaching and is an exceptional opportunity to engage with colleagues across the university, improve the student experience and make a genuine difference to Warwick through research, debate and policy formation.