On Friday, September 16th, close to 100 high students and their parents visited Stony Brook University (SBU) with a particular interest in the computer science program. The Department of Computer Science hosted the young adults at the brand New Computer Science building as part of the 3rd Annual CS Tech Day.
The event was planned in response to parents mentioning that they attended a general campus tour but did not get to see the CS department. This was the only opportunity this year for high school students to actually talk with grad students and get advice from faculty members and Admissions on applying to the CS program.
The students began their visit by convening in a lecture hall in the New Computer Science building. That same day, the building was also hosting 65 companies who were visiting the campus for a job fair, showing the attendees that SBU students are actively recruited and sought after. Dr. Robert Kelly, Co-Chair and faculty member of the department, started the talk with specific details about the program including specializations, requirements for acceptance, and career options.
Gerome Bell, LMSW, Admissions Advisor at SBU, presented “College Planning 101” which offered advice to parents and students on how to determine if SBU is right for you. Bell went on to give information about expected SAT scores and cumulative GPAs. Other crucial information given to the students was in reference to Stony Brook’s admission deadline and requirements; including the fact that admission is on a rolling basis, and that one can apply to the University on either the SUNY Application or the Common Application. 
After the initial presentation, attendees were divided into two groups as they toured the new building. The first stop was in the Augmented Reality laboratory, where CS grad students showed off the fascinating technology that they get to work with each day in the Center for Visual Computing. The high school students seemed very interested in this the equipment in the new buildings and asked many questions regarding the role of the building’s servers and its industry-leading CAT-7 wiring.
CS Tech Day was a great success and many of the students in attendance appeared very excited about the prospect of returning to our beautiful campus as undergraduates. The Department of Computer Science wishes all applicants the best of luck in their college application process!
By Michael Curatola