In her 15th year of teaching at NDSU, Simone Ludwig, professor and chair of the computer science department, said the most rewarding part of her job is engaging with students in the classroom.
Simone Ludwig is passionate about the rapidly evolving software industry and ensuring students are provided the skills they need to enter an in-demand career.
That passion is noticeable to faculty in the department, the College of Engineering, as well as students who have had Ludwig as a professor.
The path to teaching wasn’t straightforward for Ludwig. After earning a bachelor’s in engineering, she worked as a software developer for several years. Ludwig’s desire for learning and research prompted her to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science. Pursuing a career in teaching afterwards was a path she has enjoyed taking.
“I really wanted to become a faculty member because I think it’s nice that you can teach students and we all learn. I really like this aspect of forever learning,” Ludwig said. “And then I love doing research, too, and there is this opportunity to continue doing research.”
In her 15th year of teaching at NDSU, Ludwig said the most rewarding part of her job is engaging with students in the classroom.
“I really like when students are also really interested in learning, and you can kind of see how they're responding when you look at their faces when teaching. You can see who gets it, who doesn't get it. Then you can provide feedback, teach it from a different angle or describe things a different way to help students learn,” she said. “I love the energy. I love teaching, I love learning and once you see this happening in the classroom, I think that's rewarding.”
Ludwig has worked with countless students over the years who want to get involved in computational intelligence including evolutionary computation, swarm intelligence, neural networks and fuzzy reasoning.
This past summer Ludwig advised 10 students who participated in a special Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, which concluded after being offered for the past three years. Through the program, students learned about big data analytics and machine learning and took a trip to Chile to broaden their perspectives.
With the rapidly evolving technology sector, students need the most up-to-date industry-focused education to enter the workforce. The computer science department has implemented new degree offerings, minors, certificates and online options over the past year to ensure students are gaining the skills they need to be successful.
Ludwig said it has been a team effort to ensure everything is running smoothly.
“I think in the department, we are a nice little family. Everybody's helping each other and we all want to advance,” she said. “Now we have so many different programs, so everybody is really helping to put it all together, going the extra mile.”
The department now has a total of five programs: computer science, software engineering, cybersecurity, Information Technology and data science, and two minors: Artificial Intelligence and computer science. Stackable certificates, which were introduced last fall, allow students to build a strong set of skills across the department’s various degree programs.
The new programs wouldn’t be possible without collaboration across colleges. For instance, the computer science department worked with the other departments in the college to make software engineering possible. The data science program was made possible through collaborative work with the College of Business and the statistics department.
“I think it's great that we can partner up to offer different degrees. We’re providing more opportunities for the students,” Ludwig said.
Ludwig said her department is working with the communications department to work on an AI certificate that will be applicable to students of any major who want to learn more about AI and how it’s being utilized in their specific field.
As she thinks about the future of the department, Ludwig is excited to see new students entering the field and the opportunities they’ll be provided.
“I think everybody is really interested in growth and we’re interested in growth, too. So hopefully, with all these different programs, we can attract more students,” she said.
