During National Computer Science Education Week, December 9-15, 2012, Drexel University will be joining the nation and many colleges and universities across the country to honor Computer Science’s vital contribution to society and raise awareness of its fundamental roles in education, economic growth, and innovations in technology.
The CS Department, its computing student organizations, and Drexel’s iSchool, are continuing the effort to increase awareness of Computer Science by hosting events and activities November 28 to December 5, 2012 for the campus and surrounding community. The week’s activities provide guests with a wider understanding of what the field and industry offer.
Also, for the first time during National Computer Science Education Week, the CS Department and a group of freshmen Honors students from CS 164 Intro to Computer Science are working with St. Francis de Sales, a local K-8 school in Philadelphia. Drexel students, under the guidance of Dr. Jeff Popyack, CS professor and class instructor, are developing a year-long technology assistance program that will begin during CS Education Week and progress throughout the academic year. Workshops and tutorials will include topics like online resources, website development, technology support, network management, and iPad instruction, among others.
“I have been overwhelmed by their enthusiasm,” Dr. Popyack said. “The main idea of 'civic engagement' is not simply to do something for your community, but to be truly an engaged participant in that community. These students are really showing what that means.”
A full list of Drexel University events for its celebration of National Computer Science Week include:
Distinguished Lecture: Dr. Christopher Soghoian, Privacy Researcher
Wednesday, November 28
5 to 6 p.m.
Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, room 120
To kick-off the celebration, the Department of Computer Science and iSchool welcome Dr. Christopher Soghoian for a special privacy lecture. Dr. Soghoian is well-known in the privacy and security field and currently working as the Principal Technologist and a Senior Policy Analyst with the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Video Game Party
Friday, November 30
4 to 6 p.m.
University Crossings 151 and 153
Drexel Game Developers Group will be hosting a video game night to celebrate CS Education Week and share the excitement of true gaming. Join members and guests for two hours full of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and various other games. Whether you're interested in making games or not, playing them can be enjoyable for everyone.
Random Hacks of Kindness Philadelphia
Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2
9 a.m. (Saturday) to 5 p.m. (Sunday)
ExCITe Center (3401 Market Street)
Random Hacks of Kindness Philadelphia is back for its fourth event at Drexel University. Work alongside local, regional, and national technology experts, programmers, hackers, and designers to create immediately applicable solutions to real world problems. RHoK is a competition where groups will choose one of the many social impact problem-definitions available and create the solution by the event's conclusion. The best project will be featured around the globe. Register at RHoK.org.
WellsCap Lecture and Workshop
Monday, December 3
4 to 5 p.m.
Papadakis Integrated Science Building, room 106
Drexel's Women in Computing Society welcomes Wells Capital Management (WellsCap), a multi-boutique, asset management firm focused on institutional clients. WellsCap has a number of areas within Technology: Fixed Income Investments Technology, Equity Investments Technology, Enterprise Technology, Systems Architecture & Data Warehouse, Infrastructure and Strategic Projects & Initiatives. Simon Bass, Director of Fixed Income Investment Technology, is the guest speaker and running the workshop.
Movie and Discussion Featuring Revolution OS
Monday, December 3
6 to 8 p.m.
Disque 108
Upsilon Pi Epsilon will screen the documentary "Revolution OS" that examines the genesis of the Open Source Movement, which is centered on the belief that computer software should be free both in the economic and intellectual senses of the word. Before the movie, Dr. Jeff Popyack will lead a discussion about the movement and its impact on the future of computing and society. In addition to this film and topic of conversation, food and drinks will be available. Open to the public.
Website and Mobile Device Protection
Tuesday, December 4
4 to 5 p.m.
University Crossings 153
Drexel's Math and Computer Science Society welcomes Mayunk Jain, a manager at Vanguard, who will discuss how to protect websites while conducting secure transactions, as well as multi-factor authentication for websites and mobile devices. Free pizza and beverages will be provided.
Upsilon Pi Epsilon Induction Ceremony
Wednesday, December 5
4 to 6 p.m.
Behrakis Grand Hall (Creese Student Center)
Drexel's Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering and Information, Science and Technology students will be inducted in Upsilon Pi Epsilon, honor society for computing and information disciplines. All current UPE members, plus faculty and staff, are welcome to attend.
Pictures of all events will be posted on Drexel's Computer Science Facebook and Flickr pages.
In 2009, Congress declared a week in December National Computer Science Education Week to recognize the importance this transforming industry, encouraging interest and participation in the field. The particular week in December was chosen to honor Grace Hopper, a pioneer in the field of computer science. She was one of the first programmers, co-created one of the first programming languages and coined the phrase “debugging.” Hopper was born December, 9, 1906. She was also the 1987 Commencement speaker at Drexel, following her nomination by the Math and Computer Science Society.
Click here for more information about National Computer Science Education Week. You can find more news about the week on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.