If you look back at the world of computer science 30 years ago, that world was primarily male and white.
Diversity gaps in computer and informational science — as well as other science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields — have existed since the rise of the information age of the early ’90s, and while academic institutions and software companies have made strides to improve representation, there’s still more work to be done.
That’s where Jamie Tucker, a North Farmington High School graduate of 2019 and current Google Student Training in Engineering Program intern, decided to step in. Tucker is a sophomore at Ohio State University studying computer science engineering.
“We all thought of a way to give back to the community,” Tucker said of his 12-week internship experience. “Me and the two other interns, we came up with an interactive educational website directed toward underrepresented communities — Black, Latinx, Native American, etc.
“A lot of kids going into computer science in those communities don’t start learning about computer science until college, and then they’re playing catch-up. We wanted to create a resource for them to learn about software engineering vs computer science at an earlier age.”
According to a 2016 Gallup poll, only 47% of Black students polled said they had classes at school dedicated to teaching computer science, whereas 58% of white students had such classes. Black and Hispanic students were less likely, 58% and 50%, respectively, to use a computer on most days, potentially influencing a lack of confidence in their ability to learn about computer science.
The project is still in the alpha phase of design and development, Tucker said, but fully fleshed out, the web application would provide students with access to lessons on basic coding of conditional statements, looping within coding and real-world applications they may find in the field.
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