Chessboard separation problems are modifications to classic chessboard problems, such as the N qu... more Chessboard separation problems are modifications to classic chessboard problems, such as the N queens problem, in which obstacles are placed on the chessboard. The N + k queens problem requires placements of k pawns and N + k mutually non-attacking queens on an N -by-N chessboard. Here we examine centrosymmetric (half-turn symmetric) and doubly centrosymmetric (quarter-turn symmetric) solutions to the N +k queens problem. We also consider solutions in which the queens and pawns exhibit different types of symmetry.
In this feature of the Bulletin, we highlight members of the SIGCSE community. In this issue, Bul... more In this feature of the Bulletin, we highlight members of the SIGCSE community. In this issue, Bulletin co-editor Maureen Doyle interviewed Alison Clear, Associate Professor of Computing at Eastern Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Alison recently completed her term on the SIGCSE Board.
Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
In this session, members of the ACM Data Science (DS) Task Force will present the final draft of ... more In this session, members of the ACM Data Science (DS) Task Force will present the final draft of Computing Competencies for Undergraduate Data Science Programs. Drafting this document has been a three-year process, in which the task force has released preliminary drafts, sought input from the community, and responded to the community's helpful feedback. Our intent is that the session be an exchange that will clarify the contents of the report and provide participants with ways to put the report into practice at their own institutions. This session should be of interest to all SIGCSE attendees, but especially to faculty developing college-level curricula in Data Science.
The SIGCSE Symposium includes the presentation of SIGCSE's two major awards. The SIGCSE Award... more The SIGCSE Symposium includes the presentation of SIGCSE's two major awards. The SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service to the Computer Science Education Community was awarded to Barbara Boucher Owens, Emeritus Faculty from Southwestern University.
The first SIGCSE Technical Symposium was held 45 years ago on November 16, 1970 at the Astrodome ... more The first SIGCSE Technical Symposium was held 45 years ago on November 16, 1970 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. SIGCSE 1970 co-chairs were Dr. Peter Calingaert, at the time teaching for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dr. Edward A. Feustel from Rice University. Peter was responsible for the technical content, and Dr. Robert M. Aiken, from the University of Tennessee, served as Editor of the Proceedings. Over 40 papers were submitted; 18 were accepted.
Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education - SIGCSE '16, 2016
We describe and report on a study away course held in the spring of 2015 that brought computer sc... more We describe and report on a study away course held in the spring of 2015 that brought computer science students from a Midwestern university to visit companies in the Bay Area in California as part of their study of agile software development. While it may be a sufficient goal to offer study away as an encouragement for future participation in study abroad programs, study away has benefits in and of itself. In actuality, study away can build students' self-confidence, aid them in being accepting of different ideas, and help them to understand a different area of the world. The class was offered as a 1-credit computer science course and students met weekly leading up to the trip, then once again after. The class included a one-week visit to the San Francisco area, with visits to two universities and five high-tech companies. Eight undergraduates and one post-baccalaureate participated at a cost of $1700 each. Students were required to submit a five-page paper and were separated into two teams to develop and present posters at the university's student research symposium. The course was a success due to the investment of the Chief Information Officer of the university, the Office of Education Abroad, the department of Computer Science, and academic advising. Students reported upon immediate return-then once again three months later-that their interest in computer science had increased, that they had gained an understanding of a different region of the United States and that they were more accepting of different ideas.
2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings, 2014
The "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience" is a residential summer ... more The "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience" is a residential summer camp whose aim is to encourage female high school students to attend college, to consider computer science as viable major, and to pursue computing related degrees. The camp content is designed primarily around a user-centered design process, with the students gaining experience in the development of a zoo-themed mobile app. In addition to technical experience, students participate in sessions that educate them on campus life, the admissions process, and more importantly, what a computing-related career may hold for them. The camp was offered in two consecutive summers, with approximately 20 participants in each iteration. In this paper, we compare differences between the two iterations with the intent of identifying both lessons learned and avenues for improving the experience. We investigate whether the camp had an effect on attitudes towards computer science as a major, and on the careers available to computer science graduates. To this end, our analysis revealed a statistically significant effect upon raising awareness of the role of computer scientists and the relevancy of computing for solving real world problems.
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe projects that engage Hispanic middle-school age students with... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe projects that engage Hispanic middle-school age students with computing, and cast these projects within the ECC ("Engagement, Capacity, Continuity") framework. Our projects were undertaken in the Midwestern United States, where recent heavy immigration from Latin America has caused rapid demographic shifts. We have conducted computing workshops that are cognizant of the cultural milieu of recent immigrants, in that they are family-based, are offered at familiar sites in the community, and give participants a chance to be constructors of technology rather than mere "end-users." We present these efforts as forces that generate a flow that carries immigrant youths up to the point of beginning an undergraduate major in computing.
Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education - SIGCSE '13, 2013
Abstract An early undergraduate research program for rising sophomores and juniors at risk of lea... more Abstract An early undergraduate research program for rising sophomores and juniors at risk of leaving STEM degree programs is described. Students are paid a stipend to work part-time, at a maximum of twenty hours per week, as part of a research team. Faculty researchers are not financially compensated for working with students. The program successfully brings together STEM departments to target students who are at risk of leaving their major. Initial results demonstrate a positive influence of undergraduate research in ...
Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education - SIGCSE '13, 2013
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our experience running "Girls on the Go:... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our experience running "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience." We decided to do a residential summer camp for HS-age girls to achieve two goals: to encourage our campers to attend college and to interest them in computer science as a possible career option. We centered the camp around the design of a zoo-themed research tool where campers designed a mobile application to be used by researchers to document and study animal behavior. Post-camp surveys gave statistically significant results indicating that the camp increased the girls' confidence in performing computer science and understanding what computer scientists did.
Chessboard separation problems are modifications to classic chessboard problems, such as the N qu... more Chessboard separation problems are modifications to classic chessboard problems, such as the N queens problem, in which obstacles are placed on the chessboard. The N + k queens problem requires placements of k pawns and N + k mutually non-attacking queens on an N -by-N chessboard. Here we examine centrosymmetric (half-turn symmetric) and doubly centrosymmetric (quarter-turn symmetric) solutions to the N +k queens problem. We also consider solutions in which the queens and pawns exhibit different types of symmetry.
In this feature of the Bulletin, we highlight members of the SIGCSE community. In this issue, Bul... more In this feature of the Bulletin, we highlight members of the SIGCSE community. In this issue, Bulletin co-editor Maureen Doyle interviewed Alison Clear, Associate Professor of Computing at Eastern Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Alison recently completed her term on the SIGCSE Board.
Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
In this session, members of the ACM Data Science (DS) Task Force will present the final draft of ... more In this session, members of the ACM Data Science (DS) Task Force will present the final draft of Computing Competencies for Undergraduate Data Science Programs. Drafting this document has been a three-year process, in which the task force has released preliminary drafts, sought input from the community, and responded to the community's helpful feedback. Our intent is that the session be an exchange that will clarify the contents of the report and provide participants with ways to put the report into practice at their own institutions. This session should be of interest to all SIGCSE attendees, but especially to faculty developing college-level curricula in Data Science.
The SIGCSE Symposium includes the presentation of SIGCSE's two major awards. The SIGCSE Award... more The SIGCSE Symposium includes the presentation of SIGCSE's two major awards. The SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service to the Computer Science Education Community was awarded to Barbara Boucher Owens, Emeritus Faculty from Southwestern University.
The first SIGCSE Technical Symposium was held 45 years ago on November 16, 1970 at the Astrodome ... more The first SIGCSE Technical Symposium was held 45 years ago on November 16, 1970 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. SIGCSE 1970 co-chairs were Dr. Peter Calingaert, at the time teaching for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dr. Edward A. Feustel from Rice University. Peter was responsible for the technical content, and Dr. Robert M. Aiken, from the University of Tennessee, served as Editor of the Proceedings. Over 40 papers were submitted; 18 were accepted.
Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education - SIGCSE '16, 2016
We describe and report on a study away course held in the spring of 2015 that brought computer sc... more We describe and report on a study away course held in the spring of 2015 that brought computer science students from a Midwestern university to visit companies in the Bay Area in California as part of their study of agile software development. While it may be a sufficient goal to offer study away as an encouragement for future participation in study abroad programs, study away has benefits in and of itself. In actuality, study away can build students' self-confidence, aid them in being accepting of different ideas, and help them to understand a different area of the world. The class was offered as a 1-credit computer science course and students met weekly leading up to the trip, then once again after. The class included a one-week visit to the San Francisco area, with visits to two universities and five high-tech companies. Eight undergraduates and one post-baccalaureate participated at a cost of $1700 each. Students were required to submit a five-page paper and were separated into two teams to develop and present posters at the university's student research symposium. The course was a success due to the investment of the Chief Information Officer of the university, the Office of Education Abroad, the department of Computer Science, and academic advising. Students reported upon immediate return-then once again three months later-that their interest in computer science had increased, that they had gained an understanding of a different region of the United States and that they were more accepting of different ideas.
2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings, 2014
The "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience" is a residential summer ... more The "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience" is a residential summer camp whose aim is to encourage female high school students to attend college, to consider computer science as viable major, and to pursue computing related degrees. The camp content is designed primarily around a user-centered design process, with the students gaining experience in the development of a zoo-themed mobile app. In addition to technical experience, students participate in sessions that educate them on campus life, the admissions process, and more importantly, what a computing-related career may hold for them. The camp was offered in two consecutive summers, with approximately 20 participants in each iteration. In this paper, we compare differences between the two iterations with the intent of identifying both lessons learned and avenues for improving the experience. We investigate whether the camp had an effect on attitudes towards computer science as a major, and on the careers available to computer science graduates. To this end, our analysis revealed a statistically significant effect upon raising awareness of the role of computer scientists and the relevancy of computing for solving real world problems.
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe projects that engage Hispanic middle-school age students with... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe projects that engage Hispanic middle-school age students with computing, and cast these projects within the ECC ("Engagement, Capacity, Continuity") framework. Our projects were undertaken in the Midwestern United States, where recent heavy immigration from Latin America has caused rapid demographic shifts. We have conducted computing workshops that are cognizant of the cultural milieu of recent immigrants, in that they are family-based, are offered at familiar sites in the community, and give participants a chance to be constructors of technology rather than mere "end-users." We present these efforts as forces that generate a flow that carries immigrant youths up to the point of beginning an undergraduate major in computing.
Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education - SIGCSE '13, 2013
Abstract An early undergraduate research program for rising sophomores and juniors at risk of lea... more Abstract An early undergraduate research program for rising sophomores and juniors at risk of leaving STEM degree programs is described. Students are paid a stipend to work part-time, at a maximum of twenty hours per week, as part of a research team. Faculty researchers are not financially compensated for working with students. The program successfully brings together STEM departments to target students who are at risk of leaving their major. Initial results demonstrate a positive influence of undergraduate research in ...
Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education - SIGCSE '13, 2013
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our experience running "Girls on the Go:... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our experience running "Girls on the Go: The Mobile Computing College Experience." We decided to do a residential summer camp for HS-age girls to achieve two goals: to encourage our campers to attend college and to interest them in computer science as a possible career option. We centered the camp around the design of a zoo-themed research tool where campers designed a mobile application to be used by researchers to document and study animal behavior. Post-camp surveys gave statistically significant results indicating that the camp increased the girls' confidence in performing computer science and understanding what computer scientists did.
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