| Department Outreach |
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By Allie Terrell Everyone knows that programming is just for mathematically-inclined, antisocial nerds and involves sitting at a computer, alone, in the dark, for hours on end. Right? Wrong. Three groups in Rose-Hulman’s Computer Science and Software Engineering department are out to share their passion for their field with kids ranging from elementary through high school, letting them know that this rapidly growing field requires a multitude of skills outside of the stereotypical ones. The Girls in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (gEECS) has been involved in a number of outreach activities in the Terre Haute community since its inception. The group aims to dispel some of the myths about what it takes to be a computer scientist and how diverse the job opportunities really are. Typically presented to elementary school children, the group teaches about some of the jobs programmers fill and what skills it takes to be successful in the field. They also use a program developed by MIT called Scratch (http://scratch.mit.edu/), which markets itself as “a programming language for everyone”. With Scratch, the members of gEECS lead their students through the process of programming a simple world (like Super Mario, or Finding Nemo), as well as encountering some of the bugs that demonstrate the type of innovative thinking programming requires. Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) is an international honor society for computing and information disciplines, the only organization of its kind. Rose-Hulman’s chapter was the first established in Indiana, and they’re currently working on hosting a programming competition this spring for high school students in the Indiana/Illinois area. Their hope is to establish a yearly event where students can come to test their programming skills, as well as see the practical side of pursuing a career in computer science. The competition is organized so that teams of two or three students can enter to solve multiple problems with a range of difficulties. For a long term program for those kids looking for some introductory programming experience, Rose typically advises at least one First Lego League (FLL) team each year during the fall. FLL is available for elementary and middle school kids and involves programming LEGO Mindstorms kits to complete specific tasks set forth each year. These tasks reflect a common theme, and points are awarded for a research project involving that theme, as well as teamwork. Professor David Mutchler and Professor Matt Boutell jointly coached a team together during this past season, and there have been classes offered at Rose in the past that involve working with a team as a mentor. FLL is a manifestation of the FIRST organization, so those students who fall outside of the FLL age range have a host of other robotics-oriented programs to choose from. All three of these groups target different demographics and provide a variety of opportunities for students to get involved in helping eliminate some of the misconceptions about programming, as well as inspire people to become involved in the computer science and software engineering fields. |