Scott Spurlock

About Me

I am an associate professor in the Computer Science Department at Elon University. I received my Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

After receiving my bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, and before pursuing my doctorate, I worked in industry for several years as a software engineer, project manager, and consultant. I developed websites, databases, and business applications for a variety of large companies.

Research

My research tends to fall into 3 areas:

• Computer Vision, focusing on applying machine learning to extract meaning from images
• Machine Learning, particularly investigating generating synthetic data to reduce bias and improve fairness
• Computer Science Education, considering ways to improve learning and student attitudes about learning

I enjoy cross-disciplinary collaborations; past projects have included work with biologists studying biomechanical motion, anthropologists studying the use of spaces, and architects studying hospital design. I am always on the lookout for a new collaboration, so please get in touch if you have an interesting problem.

I also enjoy mentoring undergraduate researchers and have several potential project ideas. I'm also happy to discuss new ideas. Projects typically involve writing Python code, and are often more successful when students have previously taken CSC 4422 Data Mining and Machine Learning or CSC 4466 Computer Vision (or both).

Teaching

At Elon, I've taught a variety of courses, including:

• CSC 1100 Data Science and Visualization
• CSC 1300 Computer Science I
• CSC 2300 Computer Science II
• CSC 3123 Web Development
• CSC 3211 Database Systems
• CSC 3300 Algorithm Analysis
• CSC 4422 Data Mining and Machine Learning
• CSC 4466 Computer Vision