Computer Science

Paid Summer Research

Gain experience conducting hands-on, intensive research with a faculty mentor in a topic area of your choice through the University Fellowship Program. Research can take place on campus, across the country, and around the world. You’ll make unexpected connections and be equipped to make unprecedented discoveries.

Conferences and Programming Contests

Attend regional conferences and put your collaborative skills to the test with your classmates as you compete against teams from other colleges and universities. A popular competition is the annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northeast Regional.

Senior Year Experience

As a capstone to your education, you will have opportunities to work closely with a faculty member as you conduct original research on a topic of your choice. 

Festival of Science

St. Lawrence comes together each April to learn about and celebrate the research students conduct on campus everyday. Share your research during a community day focused on what you and your peers have accomplished.

Peterson Quantitative Resource Center

Encouraging and developing quantitative reasoning, skills, and applications, the QRC provides walk-in peer tutoring for students across all majors. You can gain help (or help others!) preparing for a quiz or exam, analyzing data, calculating and interpreting statistics, using quantitative software, designing an experiment, or anything else that would support your academic success.

Meet Professor Ed Harcourt

With decades of experience as a software engineer, a passion for hands-on learning, and a penchant for diving deep into the zeros and ones of computing, Charles A. Dana Professor of Computer Science Ed Harcourt brings the digital world to life for St. Lawrence University students. 

How do students get hands-on experience in your classes? 

In Computer Organization, we use wallet-sized computers called Raspberry Pis. Students get real, hands-on experience building and troubleshooting these systems, which makes abstract concepts tangible. 

What keeps you inspired as a professor? 

Students challenge me constantly! They come in with fresh perspectives and evolving views of the world. Just recently, during student hours, a group of students taught me some current slang—I had no idea what they were saying, but it was fascinating to learn their language. 

What’s a favorite memory from your teaching career? 

I once taught a course where students built the University’s computer labs from scratch. They assembled the hardware, networked the systems, and installed software. Then we used those machines to dive deeper into the Linux operating system. It was incredible to see their confidence grow as they brought the lab to life. 

Internships

In the past, our majors have explored career possibilities with startups, financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and government agencies during semester breaks and off-campus study, including: 

• Dow Jones 
• IT Solutions Consulting
• The Hotchkiss School
• Crossbeam data escrow service
• St. Lawrence Summer Research Fellowship
• Nature Up North
• Student Conservation Association
• Navajo National Monument - National Park Service
• Esri

Campus Jobs

Many of our students hold hands-on positions right on campus that enhance their classroom learning. In addition to faculty-mentored research, students also serve as:

• Peer tutors
• PQRC mentors
• Teaching assistants
• GIS lab technicians
• IT Helpdesk support

Global Perspectives 

In addition to seven St. Lawrence-run programs found in places like France, Kenya, London, and Spain, you can choose from more than 30 affiliate programs in over 20 countries to challenge your perspective and expand your worldview. Popular destinations for computer science majors include Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, New York City, and the United Kingdom.

Q-Club

Short for Quantitative Club, this departmental student organization will give you the chance to share research, internship, and summer program experiences, listen to faculty give talks on related areas of interest, and even connect with alumni who study and work in quantitative fields. Pizza and drinks provided. 

Among the 150+ other clubs and organizations at St. Lawrence, computer science majors have enjoyed opportunities to participate in activities to round out their collegiate experience, including: 

• Esports (varsity and club teams)
• Sports Analytics Club
• Quantitative Club
• The Hub
• The Thelomathesian Society
• International House
• Ives Society
• Laurentian Singers