Philosophy
The Center for Computational Sciences - C3, was founded in September 2008, with Computing as the core of academic activity. It identifies with the three structuring dimensions of work in a higher education institution: teaching, research, and extension.
In Teaching
The action of the Center for Computational Sciences, as a space for building competencies at the higher level, is guided by the awareness that training in Computing, in any of its areas, requires a theoretical foundation that goes beyond the mere acquisition of operational skills related to tools used intensively at a given moment, which can be identified by the explicit demand when offering jobs or services to be performed. It is commonplace to say, though still true, that technological evolution in this area is very fast. Therefore, even before a generation of graduates from a higher-level course is completed, training given could have become inadequate regarding certain products. Hence, the fundamental premise in education, especially at the higher level, in Computing, is that the fundamentals of the area must be provided from a scientific perspective, and not just a series of trainings.
In Research
The Center for Computational Sciences engages with Computer Science, Information Technology, Automation, and Scientific Computing, which are the knowledge areas it identifies with.
In Extension
Considering that the Center for Computational Sciences deals with providing competencies in Computing in all its sub-areas, as mentioned earlier, it is natural to aggregate its possibilities of action in the global effort that the entire Institution must make to positively and actively insert itself into the various dimensions of the communities in its area of influence. The growth of the Computing area and its consolidation, as well as its requalification from an institutional point of view, through an academic unit, places us in the commitment to effectively comply to the dimension of university extension, through the definition and implementation of projects of interaction and social intervention in spaces such as digital literacy, cyberculture, digital art, distance education, digital inclusion, provision of computerization services for community spaces, and others, in addition to the transfer of knowledge and technology generated at the University for the society's use.
Mission
The Center for Computational Sciences meets the demands for teaching, research, and extension in the areas of Computer Science, Automation, Information Technology, and Scientific Computing, necessary to fulfill the mission of the Federal University of Rio Grande. It encourages collaborative activities among professors, technicians, and students from the entire University and the community, in the scope of the interfaces between Computer Science, Automation, Information Technology, Scientific Computing, and all other knowledge areas. It is the reference point of FURG for carrying out such interactions, both in terms of human and laboratory resources.
Objectives
Having presented brief definitions of the knowledge areas with which C3 identifies, encompassed by the large area called Computational Science and Engineering (CSE), its objectives can be described in a more contextualized manner, in line with the objectives of FURG, as stated in Resolution CONSUN 014/87. They are as follows: to seek education in its fullness, developing creativity and critical thinking and providing the knowledge necessary for social transformation; to educate culturally, socially, and technically capable human beings; to promote harmonious integration between human beings and the environment. To this end, C3 aims to:
- Provide the disciplines and the academic-administrative structure, in the areas of Computational Science and Engineering: Computer Science, Automation, Information Technology, and Scientific Computing, that enable FURG students to acquire the necessary knowledge to obtain the academic titles they propose, whether at the undergraduate, postgraduate, or extension level;
- Provide laboratory infrastructure in the areas of Computational Science and Engineering, as well as the necessary training and services for their use, to students, teachers, and technical-administrative staff from the entire University, as well as to the community where FURG is inserted;
- Establish the appropriate location for research and development and provide the necessary resources for this, in the areas of Computational Science and Engineering.
Videos about the laboratory are available on C3's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@C3Furg/videos