<p>We often heard the phrase “Science & Technology”, so do you think computer scientists have contributed in both “Science” and “Technology”, or just “Technology”.</p>
<p>If you think computer scientists also contribute in “Science”, please explain in what way.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help on my coursework research, I know the question’s stupid.</p>
<p>The reason that “science” and “technology” are so often mentioned together is because they’re so closely aligned, and the difference between the two is often subtle, arbitrary, or nonexistent.</p>
<p>You already posted about this. Read the replies to your other thread.</p>
<p>Very often, people think computer scientists only contribute to fields in terms of “Technology”, even science competitions don’t recognise “Computer Science” as a eligible subject.</p>
<p>Let’s put this easier, may I ask in what way could computer scientists help to conduct research in NASA?</p>
<p>I intern at a robotics research lab at the University of Washington. In robotics, revolutions in ways of approaching robotics tasks, learning, decision making, and artificial intelligence are all fields of computer science. This is undeniably research, and science.</p>
<p>On the topic of NASA:
NASA computer scientists have to program the communications channels for communicating with NASA robotics, they have to code the fine and accurate processes of launching space shuttles perfectly. They have to program all of the autonomous processes that NASA’s rovers undertake, from landings on mars to analyzign rocks, recognizing when to go to hibernate, when to send signals to earth. In fact, NASA would be nothing without computer scientists.</p>
<p>How do you think that NASA is able to plan its missions with extremely precise numbers? For example, New Horizons, which is on its way to Pluto now, had to be launched very precisely, so that it passes by Jupiter at the perfect angle in order to use Jupiter’s gravity to “throw” it faster into space (without getting sucked down by it). These missions require systems of tons of equations with tons of variables; it would be impossible for a human to do it. Computers have to do it.</p>
<p>There are plenty of people with computer science backgrounds who specialize in applying their skills to research in natural sciences like physics or biology. So yes, I’d say there are computer scientists who directly contribute to science.</p>
<p>Science and technology are tied at the hip. Science drives and benefits technology, which in turn drives and benefits science. How much slower would modern-day science progress without the ability to run computer models and simulations, many of which are written by computer scientists with deep and intimate knowledge of what it is they’re modeling ?</p>