Computer Science Archives - Sattler College

Beyond the Algorithm

Hadassah Kaufman — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:58:54 +0000

The statement frequently attributed to Bill Gates, “A computer is like a violin. You can imagine it making beautiful music, but you have to learn how to play it,” highlights a central feature of computer science. The field contains deep creative and human potential, but that potential is realized only through disciplined study, practice, and sustained effort. The field of computer science offers a unique blend of imagination and logic that peers into the tapestry of the technology that shapes daily life, culture, politics, and the global economy, while providing the computer science graduate a wide array of creative, stable, and meaningful career paths. Computer science skills are in high demand across almost every industry, and developing these skills at Sattler provides a solid foundation for using them within a life of service in the kingdom of God. Abbot, a CS junior at Sattler College, represents an example of the unique life paths that studying CS can lead you on. In Kampala, Uganda, where he began his journey, sponsored academic pursuits are paramount to success. From age eleven through high school and A levels, Abbot dedicated himself to academic achievement as a means of providing for his education and future. His diligent study led Abbot to become a recipient of a government scholarship that he supplemented by attending an affordable school outside the city. Academic excellence became his main objective of these years and manifested itself through his intense study of chemistry, physics, and math, and developing an interest in mechanical engineering. However, his single-minded focus on academic goals shifted when Abbot was drawn to a church in Kampala. Here, he realized his desire to grow in discipleship and began to prioritize this alongside education. Through this searching, he discovered Sattler College, and after being awarded the William Carey Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship offered to one international student, he moved to Boston and entered the computer science major. Since then, through a combination of preparation, hard work, and connections, he secured an internship at Google and spent last summer working in their California offices. He is now completing his junior year at Sattler while continuing to be discipled by a local church here in Boston, which has connections with his original church in Uganda. Abbot discussed his experience with me of transitioning from a country school in Uganda to the computer science program at Sattler and then to an internship with one of the largest companies in the world. His journey can be defined by several key elements, including a clear vision. Abbot’s vision has helped him to avoid the trajectory he has observed of other CS students who may aspire to be admitted into schools like MIT or Harvard or land high-profile internships. He has seen, these students drop out if they lack the motivation and purpose required to drive and direct their studies and career. At Sattler College, even as the CS major sharpens critical thinking through rigorous coursework, students’ hearts and minds are being formed in a distinctively holistic way that guides their future path in computer science. Sattler’s core classes include Biblical languages and humanities classes that guide CS students in placing their analytical and technical skills into the context of a broken world. Abbot explained how these classes help define and shape how you will use your major. For him, “Concentration of studies moved from pure science and research to thinking about how these skills will be beneficial to the kingdom of God and the world.” The developing CS major’s mind benefits from Sattler’s humanities classes by gaining an ethical basis to address complex issues such as algorithmic manipulation, technology accessibility, and data privacy that arise in today’s digital environment. Supplementing CS study with Sattler’s core classes prepares them to enter this environment equipped with a Biblical foundation to ground and inspire the focus of their careers. Another element that defines Abbot’s experience is versatility. While Sattler’s computer science classes helped provide Abbot with the foundation and advanced skills needed to work effectively at Google, he also reflected on the way that working in computer science requires a certain extracurricular versatility, or combination of the creative, social, and technical spheres. In addition to a strong portfolio of academic records, Abbot focused on building a network of people and learning to solve problems, which enabled him to showcase his creative computer science skills and build valuable personal connections. Finally, a key element that Abbot has emphasized is the importance of discipline. Although working in computer science awakens the analytical and creative aspects of the brain through exposure to solving intricate and diverse problems, it requires commitment and determination. Both studying at Sattler and his involvement in the church have been instrumental in helping Abbot define the “why” that has kept him motivated. His commitment to following Christ continually shapes Abbot’s discipline. In addition to discipleship, routines of focus help to form this discipline into a lifestyle. Ultimately, although requiring discipline, Abbot has described computer science as a rewarding, exhilarating, ever-developing field to work in. “Computer science is the future… The future is determined by innovation and new things that are constantly coming out. Any area of computer science is needed and very relevant.” Inspired? You could be helping build Christ’s kingdom through a Computer Science degree too! Apply here.

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Designing for Human Flourishing with Dr. Derrick Tate – Episode 003

Sattler College — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:59:13 +0000

Derrick Tate wanted to start his own car company, but he helped start several universities instead. He shares with President Johnson his experience teaching in Texas and China before joining Sattler College. They also discuss the role of design, engineering, and computer science in the church. Learn more about Computer Science at Sattler College Don’t miss a future episode. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts! Mentioned in this episode: Chapters: 0:04 – Dr. Tate’s Academic and Career Journey10:08 – Cross-Disciplinary Computer Science Capstone Projects21:04 – Christian Computer Science and Human Flourishing36:05 – Christians in Technology and Science Full Description Our conversation takes a deep dive into the world of cross-disciplinary computer science capstone projects at Sattler College. We uncover the vibrant, collaborative atmosphere that enables students to create and innovate. We discuss the structure of these projects and the innovative applications that students are developing. From faith-based coding to the intersection of biblical languages and computer science, these projects exemplify the potent synergy of faith and tech. In the final segment, we explore how Christian principles can influence and drive technology. We discuss the potential of Christian applications in the tech world, how traditional audiences can be engaged with computer science and existing products that have made a meaningful difference in people’s lives. If you ever wondered about the crossroads of faith and technology, this conversation promises intriguing insights into how Christian principles can shape technological development for human flourishing. Full Transcript *Auto-generated and may contain errors. Zack Johnson: 0:04 Good morning. It is October 20th in the morning and I’m here with Dr Tate. Thanks for joining me, dr Tate, right now. I’m going to kick off by reading your bio and then we’ll just have a good conversation. How does that sound? Sounds great, all right. So Professor Derek Tate is the Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Sattler College. He received a BSME degree from Rice University and his SM and PHE degrees in mechanical engineering are from MIT and the areas of manufacturing and design. I’m going to pause. Can you tell us what BSME? What is that? Dr. Derrick Tate: 0:40 That’s Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Good. Zack Johnson: 0:42 And then SM, master of Science, and then I think PHG is familiar in IF. Prior to joining Sattler College he was Senior Associate Professor at okay, okay, one more time. Dr. Derrick Tate: 0:56 Xi’an Jiao Tong Liverpool. Zack Johnson: 0:59 University and founding head of the Department of Industrial Design. Dr Tate has also held positions as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University and Associate Professor of Beijing. One more time. Dr. Derrick Tate: 1:13 Beijing, jiao Tong. Zack Johnson: 1:14 University. Yeah, thanks for helping with the pronunciation there. Professor Tate’s industrial experience includes working as a manager of applications engineering at Axiomatic Design Software Inc. A Boston-based startup company. And then I’m going to read this next part too. That’s fine. Do you want to add or subtract anything from that initial bio there? Dr. Derrick Tate: 1:35 No, no, that’s fine. Zack Johnson: 1:36 Okay. Dr. Derrick Tate: 1:37 We may come up again some of it. Zack Johnson: 1:39 Yeah, hopefully we can hone in on it. Professor Tate has been involved with Christian groups in China and America. He aims to impact society by bringing design thinking to areas of strategic importance and to integrate and understanding of human flourishing into design of new products and services. His calling is to make space for Christians in academia, to bring Christian ideas into academic discourse and to mentor a new generation of Christian researchers and professionals. Thanks so much for being here with me. Dr. Derrick Tate: 2:09 Yeah, thanks for having me. Zack Johnson: 2:11 I thought we could just start by. I know that bio is very condensed in academic and nature. Would you mind just sharing a little bit more about your life story, about where you were born and how you got to where you are now, so we can understand your trajectory and chronology there a little bit? Dr. Derrick Tate: 2:33 I mean, my career trajectory has been, I guess, a little bit unusual in the sense that, as you can tell from the bio, I’ve been cut up all over the place geographically. I guess growing up is a little bit like that as well. So, yeah, grew up in the South, went to college in Houston and came to Boston for grad school and then left Boston in 2001, went to Colorado, beijing, lubbock, then back to China and Suzhou and then here, so I came back to Boston in 2019. That’s right, I’ve been gone for about 18 years and then I’ve kind of moved around in terms of discipline, in terms of what I’ve been teaching, because I shifted from mechanical engineering to industrial design and then now I’m doing computer science. But there are, I guess, some themes and connections in there that kind of explain how that happened. In terms of the program I was doing at Texas Tech, for example, was a master’s and PhD of transdisciplinary design process and systems. So I had a lot of students that had backgrounds in software engineering and as well as other engineering disciplines, and so then I ended up with a bunch of publications that were related to artificial intelligence and data mining and natural language processing and things like that, as well as my experience of working for the software company previously. So when you look at my CV or bio, it’s cut all over the place. But the themes that tie it together one, I guess, is this emphasis on being cross-disciplinary. The other would be doing things related to entrepreneurship, whether it’s the startup institutions I’ve been working for or trying to connect entrepreneurs with the university and design. And then the other would be this focus on kind of design thinking and applying that to general problems in society. […]

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Sattler Capstones: Computer Science

Sattler College — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:27:16 +0000

Seth Howell and Stephen Taylor, two computer science 2022 Sattler graduates, share how they contributed to software that aids the devotional life of followers of Jesus.

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