By Kristi Kelly, CERP Senior Research Associate
When asked about their biggest motivations to apply to graduate school, participants in the first CSGrad4US cohort most often indicated that they wanted to make an impact on society with an advanced degree. Few participants cited reasons related to their current work situations.
By Dr. Nicki Washington
In 2011, my team of six instructors led a yearlong CS course for 120 Black/Latinx middle-school students in Washington, DC. After first-day introductions, we asked them to name a computer scientist. Despite six Black men/women in front of them, we heard only three names: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. It was then that I realized if they didn’t see us as computer scientists, then how would they ever be able to see themselves as one? We knew we had work to do.
We spent the entire year dismantling the narrative that CS was restricted to White and Asian men and reinforcing how not only were they computer scientists, but also change agents. Students learned much more than what CS was, but also whom it should represent and why these identities mattered.
We were fortunate to have a team that didn’t fit the “traditional” narrative leading that effort. However, this won’t always be the case. As we continue to make strides in CS education, the following strategies can help to ensure that the who and why are prioritized, regardless of the student or instructor.
By Patty Lopez & Soha Hassoun
As efforts to broaden computing have become more diverse, inclusive, and just, despite increasing enrollments in computer science, the percentages of historically excluded students have not changed much and many institutions are struggling to retain them. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) are designed to introduce undergraduate students to research and present active training opportunities that may lead to students pursuing advanced academic degrees. Students are exposed early in their academic careers to research as problem solving, and therefore can develop critical thinking skills independently of coding skills. REUs provide an alternative source of funding while engaging with faculty and mentors who can nurture their interests and provide encouragement to persist in their degree program, often prior to declaring a major. In addition to providing early research engagement opportunities for first year and second year students with insufficient experience to compete for cooperative and summer internships, applying to and participating in REUs provide experience navigating application requirements (including writing a personal statement and gaining strong letters of recommendation, which helps them get to know faculty and vice-versa), collaborating on a project, and building a set of skills that would make them an attractive graduate school applicants. REUs are especially beneficial for first-generation, community college, and non-traditional students who may have limited exposure and access to graduate school, the application process, and hands-on opportunities to explore the field more deeply.
By Burcin Tamer, CERP Director
Updated analysis shows that C/DREU participants are more likely to attend graduate school (36%) than students who participated in other REU programs (20%) and students who did not participate in an REU program (9%) at all.
The CRA Education Committee, with support from NSF, is organizing a Pre-Symposium Event for Teaching-Track Faculty at SIGCSE 2022. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 2 from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM EST. We are now accepting applications to the event! Click here for more information and a tentative agenda. 2021 event information is available here.
Apply to Attend
The number of attendants is limited, and an application is required. The application deadline is January 31. Applicants will be notified of a decision by February 14.
To apply to attend the event, please fill out the form here.
The following announcement is provided by the National Science Foundation.
PIs with active Medium and Large CISE Core programs awards funded in the last three years (specifically pursuant to solicitations NSF 20-591, 19-589. 18-569, 18-568, and 18-570) are invited to submit supplemental funding requests to engage more members of the CISE research community in significant BPC efforts as part of their projects’ BPC plans. These supplements will increase the participation of individuals underrepresented in the community participation in specific research areas. Supplemental funding requests for an existing BPC plan should either:
The supplemental funding request should also include the following information:
The current approved BPC plan must be uploaded as a Supplementary Document.
Supplemental funding requests must: (a) be less than 20% of the original award amount; and (b) not exceed $200,000. Supplements will not be given if they would require an extension beyond the expiration date of the original grant.
The deadline for submission is January 20, 2022.
The following announcement is provided by the National Science Foundation.
PIs with interest in piloting and evaluating programs to broaden participation in computing are encouraged to submit a BPC Demonstration Project (DP). Typical DPs pilot innovative programs that, once fully developed, could be incorporated into the activities of an existing or new BPC Alliance, or otherwise scaled up for widespread impact. Examples include projects proposed by a single institution or those that focus on a single underrepresented community, a single point in the academic pathway, or a single impediment to full participation in computing. Demonstration projects should contribute knowledge to our understanding of effective teaching and learning of computing for students from groups underrepresented in computing.
The deadline for submission is January 20, 2022.
Please refer to the CISE BPC solicitation (NSF 21-571) for more details. Send questions or concerns to cise-bpc@nsf.gov.
ACM recently released a video highlighting the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 recipients of the ACM Athena Lecturer Award.
CRA-WP Board Member Ayanna Howard, Dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering, is the 2020-2021 ACM Athena Lecturer. Howard is recognized for fundamental contributions to the development of accessible human-robotic systems and artificial intelligence, along with forging new paths to broaden participation in computing through entrepreneurial and mentoring efforts.
The 2019-2020 ACM Athena Lecturer Award is presented to Sarit Kraus of Bar-Ilan University for foundational contributions to artificial intelligence, notably to multiagent systems, human-agent interaction, autonomous agents and nonmonotonic reasoning, and exemplary service and leadership in these fields.
The ACM Athena Lecturer Award celebrates women researchers who have made fundamental contributions to Computer Science. Each year ACM honors a preeminent woman computer scientist as the Athena Lecturer. The recipient gives an invited talk at a major ACM conference of her choice. The award includes a $25,000 honorarium provided by Two Sigma.
The CRA-E Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentoring Award honors faculty members in computing who have made a significant impact on students they have mentored. It recognizes those who have provided exceptional mentorship and undergraduate research experiences and, in parallel, guidance on admission and matriculation of these students to research-focused graduate programs in computing.
Nominations are due Friday, November 22, 2021, by 5 PM (ET). Winners will be notified by early February 2022. Click here to view the 2021 award winners and here to view the FAQs.
An in-person Career Mentoring Workshop will be offered by the Computing Research Association February 24-25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The workshop application deadline is December 10, 2021.
