Welcome to the Department of Computer Science at Colgate University! Computer science is the study of algorithmic processes and the machines that carry out these processes. It is a mix of theory, application, design, and experiment. Methods and ideas drawn from computer science are increasingly important in other scientific disciplines as well as the humanities and social sciences.
Our energetic faculty have active research programs and involve student researchers during the summer and the academic year. Colgate computer science students continue on to successful careers in a wide variety of fields.
See our About page for more information!
The Department hosted a panel of technologists from the local Hamilton, NY area across various fields, including healthcare intelligence, backend/cloud solutions, aerospace and defense, geographic intelligence, and energy and sustainability. The panelists shared their thoughts about how AI has, or has not, affected their and their companies’ workflows, how they have adapted, and which of their skills continue to be important to their success. The panel was moderated by Prof. Vijay Ramachandran.
Prof. Elodie Fourquet’s new course, “Playful Thinking, Serious Coding,” was featured in Colgate News. In the course, first taught in spring 2026, students designed and programmed 2D platform games with three levels of increasing difficulty. Several games were based on students’ interests outside of computer science. For example, one game was adapted from Homer’s The Odyssey, and another was inspired by Colgate’s Linsley Geology Museum. Students presented their games at a public event in Bernstein Hall and received feedback from guests in the game industry. The development of the course was made possible in part by Prof. Fourquet’s tenure as Arnold A. Sio Chair in Diversity and Community.
Prof. Noah Apthorpe led a two-day workshop, “AI-Powered Machine Learning for Research Across the University,” in which more than 20 faculty members and several students from across the disciplines learned to apply machine learning techniques to their own research. Participants practiced data preparation, model training, and evaluating results, bringing tools from computer science to fields ranging from biology to political science. The workshop was organized with Prof. Ahmet Ay (Biology and Mathematics), director of the Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute, and Tolga Dincer of Colgate’s Information Technology Services, and was supported by the Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute. Read Colgate’s coverage of the workshop here.