Things are happening in Massachusetts on the Computer Science education front. First, Dot Diva, a program sponsored by WGBH and ACM to promote the field of Computer Science for high school girls. The Dot Diva launch is September 27 in Cambridge, MA.
Another upcoming event to promote Computer Science for high school students is being sponsored by the Tech Hub Initiative, a group of industry and academic leaders focusing on mobilizing efforts and enhancing awareness of the need of computational thinking and STEM in education. This event, called the Tech Youth Summit, will take place on October 16 in Cambridge, MA. Students (and their teachers and parents) are encouraged to attend to learn more about paths in computer science. Hopefully, an additional outcome of this event will be a fuller understanding of students’ perspectives on computer science. Perhaps the students can give us some insight on ways that CS can be promoted to people their age.
Lastly, the founding of a local CSTA chapter in Massachusetts is in the works! Several people have been working on this and are planning an organizational meeting at the end of October.
As the school year gears up, it is energizing and motivating to me to see all these events taking place. I am excited to see where this will lead on the local front. What CS events taking place in your area? What has you excited as you start your new school year?
Karen Lang
CSTA Board Member