INSPIRED learning in computer science

6/5/2009
Lamar University’s INSPIRED team is hosting several computing workshops for local middle school and high school students this month.

INSPIRED – Increasing Student Participation In Research Development - is supported by a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing grant and seeks to increase the number of women and minorities who earn computing degrees to help meet the demand for computing professionals in today’s high-tech society.

“This is important because the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that computing careers will be among the fastest growing in this country,” said Peggy Doerschuk, professor of computer science at Lamar University and director of the INSPIRED program.

INSPIRED academies are designed to engage students in fun applications of computing. The support from the science foundation grant enables Lamar to host these academies at no charge to the student participants.

Two middle school academies will be hosted in June and will be similar to the March 28 INSPIRED middle school academy that introduced more than 30 students, most from Central High School in Nederland, to computer science. More than 85 percent of the students said that participation in the academy increased their interest in computer science, Doerschuk said.

The one-day academies for middle school students will be held June 6 and June 20. Harmony Science Academy will participate in the June 6 academy, and Woodrow Wilson Pre-K through Grade 8 Technology Theme School will partner for the June 20 academy. During the day, the middle school students will learn to program Lego NXT robots, create simple animations and design their own Web pages.

The students will work in teams, and each team will receive hands-on help from Lamar computer science students and faculty on the INSPIRED team, Doerschuk said. Although the June 6 academy is full, there may be some openings for the June 20 academy. Application forms can be downloaded from http://cs.lamar.edu/inspire/onlineapplication/Brochure_Middle_School_2009.pdf.

“Robotics, animation and Web page development are just a few fun applications of computer science that enrich our lives,” Doerschuk said. “Robots are used in search and rescue, delivering medicine in hospitals, vacuuming our homes and cutting our lawns. Video games and movies use animation to provide entertainment, and the Web puts a world of information at our fingertips. These hands-on labs will give students a taste of computing in these areas.”

The INSPIRED team will host a five-day academy for high school students June 8-12, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This academy will teach high school students to program IntelliBrain robots using Java, a popular mainstream programming language, in a series of hands-on labs. Students will also learn to create their own Web pages. No prior programming experience is necessary. Guest speakers from the computing industry will talk to the students about computing careers in different fields, such as medicine, business and engineering, and about how to prepare for college. About 20 students are expected to participate in the academy.

In addition to hosting academies on the Lamar campus, the INSPIRED team is available to visit middle schools and high schools in the Beaumont area. In these “Road Shows,” the INSPIRED team of Lamar computer science faculty members and students engage middle and high school students in hands-on demonstrations of robotics and other applications of computing.

More information on INSPIRED, the Road Shows, and the summer academies is available on the INSPIRED website at http://cs.lamar.edu/inspired, by email at inspired@cs.lamar.edu, from Doerschuk at (409) 880-8782 or from Jane Liu, assistant professor of computer science, at (409) 880-7741.