2022 STARS Celebration of Broadening Participation in Computing
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
Marriott Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Meeting Level 1, Rooms Georgetown University and University of DC
Conference Program
| 8:00 AM | Registration & Badge Pickup | |
| 8:45 AM | Welcome & Opening SessionThe STARS Aligned: How Student & Faculty Leaders Can Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Computing Jamie Payton & Tiffany Barnes | |
| 9:15 AM | 1: Engaging and Inclusive Approaches to Support K20 CS Education & Outreach Richard Ladner, Kinnis Gosha, Jason Black, Felesia Stukes, Wanda Eugene | |
| 10:15 AM | Break | |
| 10:45 AM | 2A: Identity-Inclusive STARS Catalyst Initiatives Manuel Pérez Quiñones and John Porter III | 2B: Mindfulness in CS Outreach Jontue Hill, Aaron Warrick, Akil Parker and Tya Barnes |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch & Keynote: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Metaverse Dr. Kyla McMullen | |
| 12:50 PM | 3A: Building Partnerships with and for STARS Alumni Ebe Randeree and Faye Jones | 3B: Getting to Your Finish Line: Tips and Resources to Help You Meet Your Education and Career Goals April Curley, Siobahn Day Grady, Jamie Payton |
| 1:35 PM | 4A: STARS Inclusive Workforce Preparation Edward Dillon and Kinnis Gosha | 4B: Poster Session |
| 2:25 PM | Break & Poster Session | |
| 3:00 PM | 5: STARS Data Collection, Evaluation, and Impact Tom McKlin, Pascua Padró, Taneisha Lee Brown, Susan Fisk, Clarissa Thomspon, and Tiffany Barnes | |
| 3:35 AM | 6: STARS Leadership Corps: How to Take Action to Broaden Participation in Computing Jamie Payton and Tiffany Barnes | |
| 4:15 PM | 7: Student Awards & Closing | |
8:45am – 9:15am | University of DC
The STARS Aligned: How Student & Faculty Leaders Can Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Computing
Speaker: Dr. Jamie Payton | Temple University
Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Barnes | North Carolina State University
9:15am – 10:15am | University of DC
Engaging and Inclusive Approaches to Support K20 CS Education & Outreach
Speaker: Dr. Richard Ladner | University of Washington
Speaker: Dr. Kinnis Gosha | Morehouse College
Speaker: Dr. Jason Black| Florida A&M University
Speaker: Dr. Felesia Stukes | Johnson C. Smith University
Speaker: Dr. Wanda Eugene | University of Florida
Session Description: This panel features experts who will share their knowledge and experiences in designing and implementing engaging and inclusive approaches to support computing education. The panelists have expertise in designing approaches that are culturally situated to address the context of students with disabilities, Black students, and Hispanic/Latinx students, with programs that are geared toward preparing K12 teachers to apply equitable and inclusive practices in their CS classes, engaging college students in working with K12 students for equitable and inclusive CS learning opportunities, and engaging undergraduate students in culturally responsive entrepreneurship and data science programs.
10:15am -10:45am
Break
10:45am -11:30am | University of DC
Identity-Inclusive STARS Catalyst Initiatives
Speaker: Sarita E. Brown | Excelencia in Education
Speaker: Dr. Manuel Perez Quiňones | University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Speaker: Dr. John Porter III | Morehouse College
Session Description: We all want to recruit students from traditionally underrepresented groups in computing. Unfortunately, we often bundle all of these students under a single umbrella term, underrepresented, marginalized, or minoritized. The challenge we face is that students might not identify themselves with any of these terms. In this session we will explore the complexities of Latinx/Hispanic identity and how we can explore, define, and implement initiatives that are inclusive of the Latinx/Hispanic identity. We will present some data from our STARS partners that highlight regional information (where a STARS chapter exists), demographic decomposition of existing STARS student chapters (who is present), and briefly explore areas of opportunity for growth by exploring where there are other Latinx/Hispanic students that are not being connected with STARS initiatives. We will present some of the confounding details of the terminology in the Latinx/Hispanic community, are you a Latino? Latina? Latinx? Latine? Hispanic? Afro-Caribbean? If you are from Spain, are you a Latino? If you are from Brazil, are you a Hispanic? Even the definition of race is problematic within the Hispanic/Latinx community. Finally, with this information as a background, we will engage in a discussion of how to reach out to the Laitnx/Hispanic community. What strategies might we engage in? Where should we reach out to gain access to new students? And how can these initiatives be effectively used and replicated?
10:45am -11:30am | Georgetown University
Mindfulness in CS Outreach
Speaker: Aron Warrick | Reju, Inc.
Speaker: Jontue Hill | Urban Technology Project
Speaker: Tya Barnes | Temple University
Speaker: Akil Parker| All This Math
Session Description: As Technology Advances, it is important to identify the social contributions, economic inclusivity, and Transferable computing knowledge successes. Pedagogical learning strategies are becoming a high priority in education paralleling STEM studies and CS4ALL program initiatives. Mindful: Stress and Trauma induced behavioral combative practices ISTE: “Instructional Design and Delivery” hot topic segment acknowledges the positive impacts of pedagogical Education and its impacts within STEM studies. “The pedagogy and learning strategies are rising to the top more than the technology topics,” Gagliolo said. “It shows that awareness that learning comes first, and tech tools are there to support.” As Education progresses towards pedagogy learning, Mindful STEM aligns with transgressive technology; implementing practices highlighted as positive engagement responses from not only students but excluded professionals. Who Does Mindful STEM Include?Mindful STEM may be practiced based on results of historically underrepresented gender, race, and disability groups. Examining results of historically predominant gender, race, and non-disability groups inclusivity efforts, Why practice Mindful STEM? Incorporating pedagogical developments that benefit learning space should also be implemented into CS (Computer Science), STEM programs. Examining STEM through a Mindful transformative education lens, Mindful STEM Curriculum Building is currently a theoretical practice. How can this conversation solidify Mindful STEM’s creditable inclusivity & equity impact? collaborating professionals establish a curriculum foundation and resources to integrate into classroom and corporate culture as Mindful STEM.
11:30am – 12:45pm | University of DC
Lunch & Keynote: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Metaverse
Speaker: Dr. Kyla McMullen
12:50pm – 1:35pm | University of DC
Building Partnerships with and for STARS Alumni
Speaker: Dr. Ebe Randeree | Florida State University
Speaker: Dr. Faye Jones | Florida State University
Session Description: Establishing a national network of alumni can be a valuable resource for educational entities. Use of outcome performance metrics can provide important information about program success, what employers are looking for, what salaries the schools alumni generate, what skills are in demand, the strength of the program preparation, as well as the benefits of the program in working with students (now alumni). Data collected can be used for marketing, institutional and state reporting, mentoring contacts, as well as fundraising and future engagement. In this workshop, we detail elements of alumni tracking and obtain feedback of such a program for targeting underserved students in STEM.
12:50pm – 1:35pm | Georgetown University
Getting to Your Finish Line: Tips and Resources to Help You Meet Your Education and Career Goals
Speaker: April Curley | Last Mile Ed Fund
Speaker: Dr. Jamie Payton | Temple University
Speaker: Dr. Siobahn Day Grady | North Carolina Central University
1:35pm – 2:20pm | University of DC
STARS Inclusive Workforce Prep
Speaker: Dr. Edward Dillon | Morgan State University
Speaker: Dr. Kinnis Gosha | Morehouse College
Session Description: In the field of Computer Science (CS), the demand to fill job vacancies is high. Yet, the supply of CS candidates to fill these vacancies remains low, which is also a prominent issue as it pertains to the representation of underrepresented groups in these settings. Upon approaching graduation, CS majors are expected to demonstrate their developed skill-sets in a way that impresses upon a hiring manager that they are worthy candidates for a job/career opportunity, especially in corporate opportunities.
One practice that has been used by hiring managers to screen the potential of a candidate’s skill-set is technical interviews. This practice examines a candidate’s ability to solve technical problems during an interview. Likewise, it provides hiring managers insight on the candidate’s critical thinking and interpersonal skills, respectively. This introduces the question of how CS and related departments are preparing their majors to be successful at meeting the requirements imposed during a technical interview?
The objective of this session is to discuss current efforts that the speakers are conducting first-hand in the classroom to address this question, and to introduce a faculty-based workshop series that looks to prepare CS faculty, especially those who reside at minority-based and underserved institutions, to implement practices in their classrooms and departments at large to prepare students for the technical interview process. The idea is to take the participating faculty through a series of workshops that directly exposes them to the technical interview process, the potential challenges that students are facing during this process, and practices they can personally implement to assist their students’ preparation for technical interviews.
1:35pm – 2:20pm | Georgetown University
Poster Session
2:25pm – 2:55pm | Georgetown University
Break & Poster Session
3:00pm – 3:30pm | University of DC
STARS Data Collection, Evaluation, and Impact
Speaker: Tom McKlin | The Findings Group, LLC
Speaker: Pascua Padró | The Findings Group, LLC
Speaker: Taneisha Lee Brown | The Findings Group, LLC
Speaker: Dr. Susan Fisk | Kent State University
Speaker: Dr. Clarissa Thompson | Kent State University
Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Barnes | North Carolina State University
Session Description: This session reviews the methods used to research and evaluate the STARS SLC. We briefly review the major findings and contributions from a decade of STARS efforts, describe the timeline for measuring SLC participants and the events they will lead. We will also describe the methods used to collect data for SLC-led events. This includes the methods to help SLC students register the event, collect data from participants (including STARS K12 outreach events), and suggest ways to analyze that data. These evaluative efforts help our community to better describe the immense reach of SLC participants and contributes to a growing body of evidence used to improve CS education at all levels.
3:35pm – 4:15pm | University of DC
STARS Leadership Corps: How to Take Action to Broaden Participation in Computing
Speaker: Dr. Jamie Payton | Temple University
Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Barnes | North Carolina State University
Session Description: The STARS Leadership Corps is the flagship program of STARS, where faculty mentor student-led teams in activities to broaden participation in computing. A panel of STARS faculty will reflect on successes and challenges in leading the SLC at their institutions, and then attendees will be asked to share their own BPC-related leadership experiences. Finally, small groups will collaborate to make plans to ignite STARS Leadership Corps at their own institutions.
4:15pm – 4:30pm | University of DC
Student Awards & Closing