2008 CREST Summer Computer Science Programs

The NMSU Department of Computer Science hosted three successful summer programs this year: Young Women in Computing, the College Program, and the High School Bioinformatics Program. Each of these programs is designed to introduce different groups of students to the fundamentals of computer science, the Computer Science department at NMSU, and NMSU itself. Young Women in Computing and the College program specifically target underrepresented groups of students in the field of CS.

Recruitment

Recruitment for the summer programs took place during the spring semester. To recruit for the two high school programs, Young Women in Computing and the High School Bioinformatics program, we compiled information packets, which included applications for both programs, for every math and science teacher, as well as administration and AES facilitators and sent them out by mail. We have made an effort to maintain a contact person at each school and we used them to help us set up a presentation at all area high schools (Mayfield, Las Cruces, Onate, and Mesilla Valley Christian School). Young Women in Computing also recruited from the Gadsden District as they are in the process of expanding the program to include this district. We scheduled lunch time presentations and provided pizza and soda so more students would have an interest in attending and would not have to miss their lunch. This was very successful and we were able to draw in a very large pool at each school, with the exception of Mesilla Valley Christian. We showed a PowerPoint presentation and gave away last years’ bags and pens. For the college program, we followed the same basic plan. First, information packets were sent out and then contact was made at each targeted school. The targeted schools were Dona Ana Community College, El Paso Community College, Dine College in Shiprock and Tsaile, and San Juan College. Rachel visited Dine and San Juan College to present and provide materials. We have found that interested students tend to apply based on teacher recommendation rather than the campus visit. That does little to influence or persuade the students. The students that were selected from these schools had submitted their applications well before the campus visit. El Paso Community College prefers to do their own recruiting and selection and then forward the applications to our office. Jessica presented information at nearly every CS class at the DACC.

Young Women in Computing

The Young Women in Computing Program received 58 applications for Summer 2008, from all targeted schools. From these, 17 were selected, including 3 students from previous summer programs that worked as student aides. Curriculum included Programming with Alice, Web Programming, Robotics, and Bioinformatics. Students also received presentations from Financial Aid and the College of Business. These students also participated in a challenge course, climbed the rock wall, and took a class in self-defense to aid in team building. These activities also gave the students an opportunity to experience the different amenities available to students at NMSU. Of the 17 participants, 5 students self-identified as Hispanic, 9 students as White/Non-Hispanic, 1 student as Asian, 1 student as Native American, and 1 declined to self-disclose.

College Program

Twenty-four applications were received and 8 students were accepted. Of these students, 2 self-disclosed as White/Non-Hispanic, 4 as Hispanic, and 2 as Native American. Students of the College program took Java, Web Programming, and Bioinformatics. They also heard presentations from CS professors and others on current research topics in CS. Presentations were given by Financial Aid, the Center for Academic Success, the Library, and Admissions. These presentations were provided to show students available services were they to transfer to NMSU to pursue a BS in CS. Of the 8 students, we had 3 males and 5 females. Two students were from San Juan College, 1 student came from NMSU-Grants, 1 student from EPCC, and 4 from DACC, including one CREST Scholarship recipient. Three of the students stayed on campus in the residence halls for the duration of camp.

High School Bioinformatics

Thirty-seven applications were received from all targeted high schools. We accepted 12 students: 8 males and 4 females, including 4 White/Non-Hispanic, 4 Hispanic, 1 Asian, and 3 that chose not to self-disclose. These students participated in the Bioinformatics portion of camp. This year, we moved the Bioinformatics portion of camp to the last 2 of the 5 weeks and we found it to be quite successful. This gave students an opportunity to keep the energy going the whole 5 weeks and the High School Bioinformatics students the opportunity to participate in the final banquet, whereas in the past, scheduling had excluded them from this final event. Extras In addition to their scheduled curricula, we scheduled weekly, optional events to bring students and staff together to have fun and build a sense of community. These events included 2 movie nights (The Goonies and Bend It Like Beckham), Trivia Night, Swing Dancing lessions, and Water Games on the Horseshoe! These events were well attended and we received many compliments on the events. We also scheduled 2 Tea’s With the Faculty, one for the college students and one for the high school students. These were mildly to moderately successful, as the majority of the CS faculty were out of the country during camp. After the final banquet and presentation session, we also planned a swim party. On the final evening of camp, we also had a final dinner for camp staff and associated professors.