Outreach for Computer Science

The Computer Science program works with the MEC Pipeline Program to provide training for primarily minority students in elementary, middle and high schools in the Brooklyn area. The program also provides training for teachers to develop classroom-based curriculum and motivate student interest in pursuing academic studies in Computer Science for the purpose of joining the high tech workforce.

While the curriculum is developed by Computer Science faculty, the actual training is done by a dedicated student team which ignites student interest by sharing their passion for Computer Science. They are effective role models since they live in the same neighborhoods as the students they serve. Over 200 students participate in the workshops during the academic year and another 60 or so participate in summer programs.

Initially, resources from CSUnplugged, code.org, MIT Scratch, and Google CSFirst were used for the training workshop. These resources have been expanded with a Google Community award through the Tide Foundation. The award includes 3D printers, LittleBits kits, Arduinos with sensors, Raspberry Pisa and more. For middle school and high school students, these resources will be integrated in an Edge of Space exploration supported by a NASA NY State Space Grant award for undergraduate students. The student team has also been the recipient of a Google IgniteCS award through the Tide foundation that provides undergraduate student stipends, Google mentorship as well as extras for the K-12 workshops that they conduct.