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The Computer Science for Fun Project

cs4fn is a global campaign to enthuse both students and others about inter-disciplinary computer science research. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) it is also supported by industry including Google, ARM and Microsoft. It consists of a free magazine sent twice yearly to schools, live interactive shows and a webzine that gained 14.9 million hits in the last year. cs4fn articles and shows present interdisciplinary computer science research in a fun, accessible and offbeat way.

cs4fn provides a unique channel for researchers to engage with the general public and communicate the excitement of their research. It provides a non-traditional way to make a big global impact.

Through our events at science festivals and in schools, participants have the opportunity to get actively involved in learning more deeply about the research by having a dialogue with the researchers themselves.

In addition to actually exciting people about the subject, as part of the cs4fn project we are investigating what works and what doesn't to enthuse people about computer science as well as science and engineering research more generally. This has led to a series of research publications disseminating our results.

Project directors

  • Paul Curzon
  • Peter McOwan
  • Jonathan Black

Research Publications

  1. Bell, T., Curzon, P., Cutts, Q., Dagiene, V., and Haberman, B. (2011) Introducing students to computer science with programmes that don't emphasise programming. In Proceedings of the 16th annual joint conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education (ITiCSE '11). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 391-391. DOI=10.1145/1999747.1999904
  2. Black, J., Curzon, P., Myketiak, C., and McOwan, P.W. (2011) A study in engaging female students in computer science using role models. In Proceedings of the 16th annual joint conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education (ITiCSE '11). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 63-67. DOI=10.1145/1999747.1999768
  3. Curzon, P., Black, J., Meagher, L.R. and McOwan, P.W. (2009) cs4fn.org: Enthusing students about Computer Science, Proceedings of Informatics Education Europe IV, Eds. Christoph Hermann, Tobias Lauer, Thomas Ottmann and Martina Welte, pp73-80, November. preprint (pdf)
  4. Curzon, P., McOwan, P.W., and Black, J. (2009) The magic of HCI: Enthusing kids in playful ways to help solve the Computer Science recruitment problem. Invited Keynote at HCI Educators 2009 - Playing with our Education, Dundee, April 2009.
  5. Curzon, P., Peckham, J., Taylor, H., Settle, A. and Roberts, E. (2009) Computational Thinking (CT): on weaving it in, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 41 (3), 201-202. DOI: /10.1145/1595496.1562941
  6. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W., Cutts, Q. and Bell, T. (2009) Enthusing & inspiring with reusable kinaesthetic activities, ITiCSE 2009, The 14th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, July, Paris. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 41 (3), 94-98. DOI: 10.1145/1595496.1562911
  7. Curzon, P. and McOwan P.W. (2008) Engaging with Computer Science through Magic Shows, SIGCSE Bulletin 40 (3), pp179-183. ACM. ITiCSE 2008, The 13th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, DOI: 10.1145/1597849.1384320
  8. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W. and Black, J. (2008) Securing the Future of Computer Science: Computer Science for Fun, Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Information and Computer Sciences Annual Conference, Liverpool, August.
  9. Curzon P.(2007) Serious Fun in Computer Science ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 39(3) p1, September. Invited Keynote at the 12th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, organised by the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) DOI: 10.1145/1269900.1268785
  10. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W., Burton, E. and Gould, M. (2006), Engaging with Computer Science through Play and Performance, Presented at Designing the Not-Quite-Yet: Ideas and Methods for Engaging the Public in a Digital Future of their Choice, Workshop at HCI 2006: Engage, September.
  11. Curzon, P. (2000) Learning Computer Science through Games and Puzzles. Interfaces 42, pp14, Spring.

Outreach Publications

  1. Curzon, P (Ed.) (2009) Audio!, Issue 2, Queen Mary, University of London.
  2. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2009) The Magic of Computer Science II, Book 2: now we have your attention, Queen Mary, University of London.
  3. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W. and Black, J. (Eds.) (2009) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 10: computing goes mobile, Queen Mary, University of London.
  4. Curzon, P (Ed.) (2009) Audio!, Issue 2, Queen Mary, University of London.
  5. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W. and Black, J. (Eds.) (2009) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 9: programmed to save the world, Queen Mary, University of London.
  6. Curzon, P (Ed.) (2008) Audio!, Issue 1, Queen Mary, University of London.
  7. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W. and Black, J. (Eds.) (2008) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 8: computer science in space, Queen Mary, University of London.
  8. Curzon, P., McOwan P.W. and Black, J. (Eds.) (2008) Artificial Intelligence...but where is the intelligence?, Queen Mary, University of London.
  9. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2008) The Magic of Computer Science, Book 1: card tricks special, Queen Mary, University of London.
  10. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2008) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 7: computer science and the image, Queen Mary, University of London.
  11. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2007) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun Annual, Issue 1, Queen Mary, University of London.
  12. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2007) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 6: computer science everywhere, Queen Mary, University of London.
  13. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2007) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 5: the perception deception, Queen Mary, University of London.
  14. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2006) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 4: computer science and biolife, Queen Mary, University of London.
  15. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2006) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 3: computer science and entertainment, Queen Mary, University of London.
  16. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2005) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 2: magic of computer science, Queen Mary, University of London.
  17. Curzon, P and McOwan P.W. (Eds.) (2005) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Issue 1: Sodarace special, Queen Mary, University of London.

Downloads

We make most of the our magazines and science festival handouts available for free pdf download. They are listed here.

Teachers Conferences

  1. Curzon P. (2009) Inter-disciplinary Computer Science, fun and thinking skills for Science, Pan Berkshire Science Subject Leaders' Conference, Reading.
  2. Curzon P. (2009) Fun science the cs4fn way, West Midlands STEM Conference - STEM Subjects Working Together, Embracing the Big Picture, Science Learning Centre, Keele University, June.
  3. Curzon P. (2009) CS is magic, First Computing at School Teacher Conference, Birmingham, June.
  4. Curzon P. (2009) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, West Berkshire Head of ICT Teachers Workshop, March.
  5. Curzon P. (2009) cs4fn and the Magic of Computer Science, Glasgow University Teachers Workshop March.
  6. Curzon P. (2008) cs4fn: Computer Science for Fun, Glasgow University Workshop of Workshops

Science Festivals

  • Facial perception: Facing up to faces: perception from brains to robots The Royal Society Summer Exhibition The Royal Society, London, July 2011.
    1. The Magic of Computer Science and Sodarace, The Brighton Science Festival Brighton, March 2011.
    2. The Magic of Computer Science and Sodarace, The Brighton Science Festival Brighton, February 2010.
    3. The magic of computer science Manchester Science Festival Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, October 2009.
    4. The sweet computer, Brain in a bag and Sodarace Walking with Robots at the Manchester Science Festival Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, October 2009.
    5. The magic of computer science and The mind of the machine: artificial intelligence, The British Science Festival University of Surrey, Guildford, September 2009.
    6. The magic of computer science: now we have your attention, The Royal Society Summer Exhibition The Royal Society, London, June 2009.
    7. Sodarace, The Brighton Science Festival Brighton, February 2009.
    8. Sodarace, The Brighton Science Festival Brighton, February 2008.
    9. The perception deception, The Royal Society Summer Exhibition The Royal Society, London, July 2007.
    10. Sodarace, The Royal Society Summer Exhibition, The Royal Society, London, July 2005.

    Podcast Lectures

    1. McOwan, P.W. (2009) The maths of the mind University of Manchester