Are you a GCSE or A-Level student interested in computing? Join us here at King's for our annual informics event! Michael Kölling, Professor of Computer Science, will showcase what life is really like working as a software developer, beyond the stereotypes you see in the media.

This event is aimed at those aged 16+, but younger students are welcome to attend. Bring a group of students, or come with your friends and family.

Schedule

15:15 - Event opens; registration, refreshments and activities

16:15 - Theatre doors open

16:30-16:40 - Theatre event starts; welcome and housekeeping

16:40-17:00 - Research talk; Mackenzie Jorgensen, Informatics PhD student

17:00-18:00 - Professor Michael Kölling talk and Q&A

18:00 - Event finishes

A day in the life of a software developer

In popular culture, software development – also known as coding – is often portrayed as a solitary activity, with a lone person sitting in a dark room in front of wall of computer screens, all displaying indecipherable code. The reality, however, is rather different. Join Professor of Computer Science Michael Kölling as he unpacks the creative, collaborative world of software development, drawing on examples from his varied career. Michael will explore aspects you might not have realised are key to life as a coder – from interdisciplinary working, thinking about how humans interact with computers and even considering ethics and art. Along the way Michael will also explain some intriguing technical computer science concepts which are key to this sector.

 

About Professor Michael Kölling

Michael Kölling is a Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Informatics at King’s. Michael’s research interests are in the areas of programming languages, software tools, computing education and human-computer interaction. He has published numerous papers on object-orientation and computing education topics and is the author and co-author of two Java programming textbooks.

Michael is the lead developer of BlueJ and Greenfoot, two educational programming environments. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a UK National Teaching Fellow, and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. In 2013, he received the ACM SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education.

 

About Mackenzie Jorgensen

Mackenzie Jorgensen is a Research Assistant at The Alan Turing Institute on the European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI (ELSA) project. She is also graduating with her PhD this summer from King's College London in the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe and Trusted AI. Her PhD research focused on evaluating and mitigating harm from classification systems deployed in high-stakes decision-making contexts which could have discriminatory impacts on affected people. She graduated magna cum laude with her BSc from Villanova University where she majored in Computer Science and minored in Philosophy. In addition, she is the Co-Founder and Co-President of Women Advancing Tomorrow's Technologists (WATT), a Washington state nonprofit, which aims to inspire young girls through coding.

Important information

This event is aimed at those aged 16+. Younger attendees are welcome, but attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For school groups, tickets are limited to 20 students per booking, to ensure a larger number of schools can attend. If you are aged 14–18 and booking for yourself, please check with a parent or guardian before booking your place. For in-person events we operate a policy of overbooking, to help manage on the day drop-out rates. Please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the day.

Registration for this event will take place in the main entrance to Bush House. This is the building A, marked in pink on this map - please use the entrance on the Strand, directly facing St Mary Le Strand Church.

Accessibility
This talk will take place in Bush House Lecture Theatre 1, on the first floor of the Bush House South Wing. The theatre is fully wheelchair accessible via lift, with designated spaces for wheelchair users. There are accessible bathrooms on this floor, and on the ground floor of the building. The refreshments and activities are taking place directly outside the theatre.

Wheelchair access is via lift. The nearest step-free underground station is Blackfriars, and a number of bus routes stop a short distance from the Strand Campus.

Photography and privacy notice
The event you will be attending will have photography and/or videography. If you do not wish to appear in any recordings or photographs, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk beforehand. Photographs and recordings taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available here.

We collect and process your personal information to help us manage and run the event. In accordance with the King’s College London Data Retention Schedule, we will keep your information until the completion of the event. To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights, please see the university’s core privacy notice. Your personal information will be transferred to the United States via Eventbrite. Please read this article where you can find out more on how Eventbrite protects your data.

This event is organised by the Department of Informatics at King’s College London, together with the Faculty Outreach Team. If you have any questions or would like any further details, please email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk.