F.E.A.T. Workshop

A workshop funded by the National Science Foundation was hosted on the Georgia Tech campus on August 29 and August 30, 2019. The purpose of this workshop was to address the fairness, ethics, accountability, and transparency (FEAT) in computing-based research, practice, and educational efforts. The workshop was organized by PI Ayanna Howard, School of Interactive Computing and Co-PI Jason Borenstein, School of Public Policy and Office of Graduate Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Co-PI Kinnis Gosha, Division of Experiential Learning and Interdisciplinary Studies at Morehouse College. The final report can be found here .

2020 ACM Southeast Conference

The CRCL research paper titled, “Exploring Computing Career Recruitment Strategies and Preferences for Black Computing Undergraduates at HBCUs” was recently accepted into the Association for Computing Machinery Southeast (ACM Southeast) 2020 conference, which will be held in Tampa, FL from April 2-4. The paper focuses on the research done by the Culturally Relevant Computing Lab, which involved a focus group made up of undergraduate Black computing student participants. The purpose of the focus group was to learn the current needs of HBCU students pursuing a computing degree and what recruitment retention approaches are helpful to current students in the major. 

Dell Roundtable Discussion

For Black History Month, Dell Technologies hosted a roundtable discussion at Morehouse College on how they  can build a more representative technology industry in Georgia. Dell Technologies’ Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Brian Reaves, was  joined by HBCU faculty, Atlanta influencers, state/city government leaders, former HBCU students that are now working in the technology industry and journalists to discuss how, with HBCUs at its nexus, Georgia can build an inclusive, thriving technology sector and drive economic growth in the state by collaborating with the public and private sectors. The event was held on Febuary 2, 2020 in Morehouse’s African American Hall of Fame. 

Broadening Participation in Computing

For the 2020 Spring Semester Morehouse will be offering a 400 level course called Broadening  Participation in Computing. The Broadening Participation in Computing course is the first course in the nation of its kind.  The goal of this course is to introduce students to current methods and recent advances in broadening participation in computer science (CS) and computational thinking(CT). In addition, students will focus on designing, developing, and piloting instructional materials that integrate CS and CT into middle school classrooms. 

Boeing Grant Award

In 2019 Morehouse College  launched the first  and only undergraduate Software Engineering Program at an HBCU. Recently This February, Morehouse was awarded a grant from Boeing TMCF HBCU Strategy Team to fund the growth and development of the  Software Engineering Degree program. This grant will provide funding for accreditation fees, a robust tutorial program, student organization support, and classroom enhancements.   

Special Topics: Intro to Cybersecurity

The CRCL is partnering with Dell Technologies to instruct a Special Topics course titled “Intro to Cybersecurity” for the spring semester at Morehouse. This course will be co-taught by guest lectures who are local cybersecurity and technology professionals that work in a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, SecureWorks. Topics such as Cybersecurity Basics, Security Tools and Threat Intelligence will be covered. The students taking the course will have exposure to full-time and internship opportunities with SecureWorks.

Coding with Lee County’s Youth

The CRCL partnered with The Lee County Youth Development Center in Opelika, AL and the Razor Foundation in a three-day workshop that used Sphero robotics to introduce students to basic coding concepts using block programming and Java Script. The workshop ran from January 11-13 where there were 27 participants, a mix of boys and girls ranging from junior high to high school age. The lab had undergraduate students from Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University teaching the coding concepts. A competition was held on the last day, which gave participants an opportunity to showcase everything they had learned. 

New Grant Alert

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a trio of investigators, including Culturally Relevant Computing Lab Director Kinnis Gosha, $100,000 (Award Abstract #1903909) to host a workshop that assist in the development of strategies that address fairness, ethics, accountability, and transparency (FEAT) in computing-based research, practice, and educational effects. The  workshop will be developed to bring together diverse researchers with FEAT-related expertise to explore best practices and integrate disparate approaches. The workshop will be hosted at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on August 29-30th. Click here to read more about the grant

Kevin Tolliver Seals the Deal

Kevin Tolliver, an undergraduate researcher in the Culturally Relevant Computing Lab (CRCL) , participated in the 2019 Dell Technologies Sales Competition at Morehouse College. The competition required students to act as a Sales Engineer and close a deal with a multinational consumer electronics retailer  in a modern scenario. Out of 20 teams, Kevin’s group placed third in the competition. Kevin is thankful for the experience and describes it as beneficial because he was able to experience being a Sales Engineer and that the opportunity provided him with skills to prepare a proper presentation. He also accounts that the program improved his researching skills regarding potential client preparation. For the Fall semester of 2019, Dell Technologies collaborated with Morehouse College in the instruction of a Special Topics course in Sales Engineering under Dell’s Project Immersion Initiative.

OHUB Facebook Workshop Series

Throughout the fall semester the CRCL will host Opportunity Hub (OHUB) Facebook workshops that will focus on teaching technical interview behaviors, problem solving skills, and writing code to insure students have the best chances to succeed in future technical interviews.