Berkeley

Diversifying Computer Science

Published

7 years ago

August 10, 2016

By Ed Carpenter, USF News

USF computer scientists have joined the national Computer Science For All movement to train 10,000 public school teachers to teach under-resourced high school students computer programming. It’s an effort supported by President Barack Obama that aims to educate a new generation of computer coders.

Joining the movement was an easy decision, says Professor David Wolber, who, along with Assistant Professor Alark Joshi, is teaching a four-week course on campus and online to San Francisco high school teachers.

Half a dozen science, math, and language teachers, along with a couple of support staff — most of whom have never tried programming before — are learning to code using AppInventor.org, a leading site for teaching beginners how to invent smartphone and tablet apps. The teachers will design lessons for their students beginning this fall.

The course is supported by the National Science Foundation and Google’s Computer Science for High Schools initiative.

“This new approach of teaching computer science to non-computer science teachers is a way of reaching underrepresented groups and it’s key to 21st century education,” says Wolber, founder and director of AppInventor.org and director of Democratize Computing Lab.

USF computer science students and data science students Courtni Wong ’17, Anaelia Ovalle ’17, Thomas Simpson ’17, and Sarah Lopez ’18 are part of the effort as well, and will tutor high school students in the classroom when teachers begin the new curriculum this fall.

“The high school teacher training is just one way the Computer Science Department helps open tech industry doors for women and other under-represented groups,” Wolber says. “USF has a long history of such programs, including putting on Girl Tech Power app workshops for middle and high school girls each summer.”

Women comprised just 23 percent of the tech industry workforce in 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. African Americans and Latinos comprised just 14 percent.

“Diversifying tech is about inclusiveness and fairness, but it will also lead to better software and products to help society,” Wolber says.

Jennie Lyons, a computer science coordinator who’s among the district teachers and staff taking the course, says learning to code prepares students for successful careers in an economy that’s projected to add 1.4 million computing jobs by 2020.

“Thanks to USF, we have a phenomenal opportunity to have experts like Dave and Alark train us and answer our questions,” Lyons says. “This training is a great opportunity for teachers to form learning communities where they can exchange ideas and get help with the new material when the class is over. That’s particularly helpful for computer science teachers who are often the only CS teacher at their school.”

Cindy Cheung, an algebra teacher at San Francisco’s International School, which serves students who have immigrated to the U.S. in the past three years, is taking the course because she wants to build students’ interest in programming so they feel more confident using computers and are more likely to consider computer science and other STEM-related fields as careers.

“I want my students to see themselves as technology creators, not just technology consumers,” Cheung says. “I hope they can see that computer science is not just for a certain type of person and that we actually really need people with diverse backgrounds and varied interests for it to continue to grow.”

For more information, go to www.usfca.edu/news/diversifying-computer-science

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Bay Area

The Multicultural Institute Honored as 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond. The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Representatives of the Multicultural Institute hold the resolution given to them by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. Photo courtesy of the Multicultural Institute.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond.

The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

MI is “one of the nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve,” said the nonprofit in a statement.

The nonprofit—which has offices in Richmond, Berkeley and Redwood City—envisions a community where immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, are valued in their live/work communities, per the statement.

To this end, MI provides an array of services including job placement assistance for day laborers and domestic workers, immigration/health support, weekly food distributions, after school tutoring, adult education courses, day laborer housing and more centered on serving immigrant families.

Cervantes, said that “The Multicultural Institute’s staff and Board of Directors work daily to improve the lives of day laborers, domestic workers and their families and we are deeply humbled to be recognized by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks as a 2023 Nonprofit of the Year.”

Learn more about the organization at https://mionline.org/

Bay Area

Renew your residential parking permit before July 1

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire. Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Renew online, in person, or by mail; existing permits expire June 30, 2023.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire.

Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Residents with a 2023 permit should have received a renewal notice letter by May 1 with instructions. If you did not receive a notice, use the parking permit portal to renew an existing permit or apply for a new one.

If you do not renew your permit before July 1, 2023 you’ll need to submit a new permit application, including your photo ID and current vehicle registration.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your existing permit, apply for a new permit, or get one-day digital visitor permits. One-day digital visitor permits are valid for 24 hours from the time of activation. A hangtag visitor permit for a single day or 14 days can be purchased in person at the Customer Service Center.

RENEW YOUR PERMIT ONLINE

Most residents can use their existing login information to renew parking permits on the portal.

Some residents may need to use a link code from their renewal letter to renew their permits. If you lost the letter, request the code by calling 311 inside Berkeley limits or (510) 981-2489.

If your renewal has incorrect information, such as listing the wrong RPP area, use the portal to apply for a new permit online. Likewise, residents whose permits are labeled “Suspended” in the online portal must re-apply to verify residency.

New online applications will be approved in 5-7 business days, and you will receive a confirmation receipt via email when your application is submitted and again once it is approved. Permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received.

RENEW BY MAIL OR IN-PERSON

To renew by mail, fill out the payment coupon included with your renewal letter, enclose payment by check or money order, and send it to the address listed in the letter, City of Berkeley RPP Permit Renewal, PO Box 29, Berkeley CA 94701.

To renew in person, bring your renewal letter to the Customer Service Center to complete the purchase.

In-person purchases may be completed by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

APPLY FOR A NEW PERMIT

If you need to re-apply for a permit, you may do so via the parking permit portal, in person, or by mail.

If applying by mail, download the application and mail the completed forms with your supporting documents and payment by check or money order to:

City of Berkeley Customer Service Center
1947 Center St, 1st floor
Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

If applying in person, bring your proof of residency documents to the Customer Service Center to fill out an application and purchase a permit by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

Note that permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received. A mailed application will take longer to process.

Online or in-person renewals are the safest ways to avoid a ticket.

ENFORCED THROUGH LICENSE PLATES, NOT STICKERS

Once your application has been approved, your license plate will be your permit. You will not receive a sticker in the mail.

Parking enforcement officers have been using license plate readers since 2016. This database is a closed system, not linked to any other database, such as DMV databases. Violation data is kept for one year. Our privacy policy is that no data is kept for more than 30 days unless we act, such as through a citation or violation found.

Be sure to renew your permit online, by mail, or in person by June 30.

Bay Area

National Night Out 2023

National Night Out is back for 2023. This event is planned for Tuesday, August 1st and registration is now open. This year the event is planned for its usual day, the first Tuesday in August. For 2023 that means Tuesday, August 1st. We have updated the registration process this year with a new interactive map to assist you in finding an event in your area.

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2023

Oakland Post

National Night Out 2023

National Night Out is back for 2023. This event is planned for Tuesday, August 1st and registration is now open.

This year the event is planned for its usual day, the first Tuesday in August. For 2023 that means Tuesday, August 1st. We have updated the registration process this year with a new interactive map to assist you in finding an event in your area.

To register for this year’s event, visit: https://berkeleypd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/aaf21f4d73ff47f8a258896cd1cefb0a

If you register an event, make sure to also apply for a block party permit if applicable. A link to directions to apply is in the registration.

We are looking forward to another great event. We hope to see you on August 1st for National Night Out 2023!

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