Preparing computer science students for a sustainable future (abstract only)

Computer science students graduating in the next decade will face the big energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century. According to current trends, an increasing number of them will be employed in "green jobs" and will contribute to promoting biodiversity, minimizing the consumption of energy and materials, or restoring environmental quality. It is our job to prepare them for the task ahead. While the vast majority of textbooks and materials used in different areas of CS are oblivious to these problems, many resources can be found at the boundaries with other disciplines (e.g., environmental science, architecture, agriculture, etc.). Moreover, new computer applications are created every day for the analysis of current environmental problems and the evaluation of their possible solutions, but these applications are normally not mentioned in CS classes. This is a lost opportunity for engaging our students in the real world challenges we are facing today. Environmental problems can be addressed in the CS classroom in a way that does not impede the learning of the technical content, but rather increases students' ability to think critically about complex systems. This BoF intends to brainstorm innovative resources, examples, activities, and assignments that can be incorporated into the CS classes, in order to raise students' awareness to current ecological problems and, at the same time, illustrate the role computer scientists can play in solving them. For this BoF session, a laptop is optional.