Computing For Good (C4G)
The computer science department at Colorado School of Mines supports this Computing for Good summer program that enables students to directly give back to the amazing communities around them.
Being able to utilize technical skills, work collaboratively, and communicate well in teams are vital and essential traits of successful computer scientists. However, these aspiring students accomplish more than that; they use these powerful skills to make a positive impact on society.
Computing for Good is “an organization of technologists, designers, and thinkers passionate about maximizing the benefits of technology and mitigating its harms” (cs4good.com). Using this mindset, CS@Mines’ summer interns complete a 5-week project, of their choosing or one provided, to represent the intersection of technology and social impact. The engagement with guest speakers, Mines undergraduates and faculty, allow student participants to expand their realm of knowledge and imagination.
CS@Mines is enthusiastic about this “real-world” opportunity for students to be exposed to teamwork and new ideas to better the future, and we are excited to present the completed work of our Summer 2020 participants!
Schedule
| Dates | Weekly Meetings | Individual Teams | Guest Speakers and Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 21-25 | Overview of C4G workflow (need to have a weekly meeting with Mines students) Intro to Agile and Waterfall Overview of potential languages for projects (Javascript for web, python for application, C++ for backend etc.) |
Brainstorming for projects or pick a Mines project suggestion Email Christine and Collette to get project confirmed Decide agile or waterfall Create overall project objective |
Tracy Camp - Introduction to C4G |
| June 28-July 2 | Talk about Architecture/Design | Begin working on project Assign team roles Set mini-goals and deadlines |
Wendy Fisher - Workflow |
| No Meeting for the Week of July 4th | –––– | –––– | –––– |
| July 12-16 | Ethics discussions Technical assistance from Mines faculty and students as needed |
Continue to work on project Incorporate ethics into project |
Ruchen Wen - Ethics |
| July 19-23 | Testing and reflecting Expected cases, edge cases, invalid inputs |
Update goals and track progress Work on project Test, reflect, and improve project |
Jennifer Ryan - Quality |
| July 26-28 | Delivery to client/audience Suggestions for improvement |
Work on final presentation Complete peer/self evaluations |
Richard Blumenthal - Social Projects |
| July 29 | Final Presentations (3pm - 5pm) Present the Final Product and Potential Benefits/Impacts |
Guest Speakers
Tracy Camp, PhD
Tracy Camp is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science at the Colorado School of Mines. She is the Founder and Director of the Toilers (http://toilers.mines.edu), an active ad hoc networks research group.
- Dr. Camp joined as a guest speaker the week of June 21-25
- Dr. Camp presented on introductions and greetings to the Computing for the Good team!
- Tracy Camp, PhD Profile
Wendy Fisher, PhD
Wendy Fisher is a professor at Mines in the computer science department, where she teaches python sensor systems, programming concepts, data structures and data science.
- Dr. Fisher joined us as a guest speaker the week of June 28 - July 2
- Dr. Fisher spoke about general software architecture and design, and how to figure out what will work best for your project.
- Wendy Fisher, PhD Profile
Ruchen (Puck) Wen
Ruchen (Puck) Wen is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Computer Science at the Colorado School of Mines, where she works as a Research Assistant at the Mines Interactive Robotics Research (MIRROR) Lab.
- Ruchen joined us as a guest speaker for the week of July 12-16
- Ruchen spoke about ethics while developing a computing project
- Ruchen Wen Profile
Jennifer Ryan
Jennifer is an experienced Software Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in telecommunications, application development, and high performance computing. She has recieved a recent Master’s degree in Computer Science from Colorado School of Mines, which focused upon high-performance computing, computer vision, machine learning, and networking. Currently, she is a software engineer at Google
- Jennifer joined us as a guest speaker the week of July 19-23.
- Jennifer spoke about testing software and more.
- Jennifer Ryan Linkedin
Richard Blumenthal, PhD
Dr. Blumenthal is the head of the Computer Science Department at Regis University. Prior joining Regis, Dr. Blumenthal worked in Artificial Intelligence research at AT&T Bell Laboratories and US West Advanced Technologies. He also developed workflow and e-commerce applications for various businesses. Dr. Blumenthal has a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where he developed workflow technology for supporting unstructured activities.
- Dr. Blumenthal joined us as a guest speaker the week of July 26-28.
- Dr. Blumenthal spoke about SIGCAS Newsletter editor, ACM National Computing for Social Good Activities and his experience in the computer science field, as well as other computing for the good programs.
- Richard Blumenthal, PhD Profile
Expectations
As CS@Mines launched the first ever Computing for Good project, we were thrilled to see all the wonderful projects the summer interns created. The overall goal for each project displays the intersection between technology and social impact. With guidance from Mines undergrads and faculty, each team had their own undergrad Mines lead. From technical skills to teamwork strategies, CS@Mines was committed to making a memorable, challenging, fun summer experience! Each group presented their final project during the sixth week to the CS@Mines summer team. The group demonstrated:
- Project Objective
- Design Process
- Team Framework
- Weekly Goals
- Takeaways from Guest Speakers
- Integration and Consideration of Ethics
- Biggest Challenge
- Greatest Self-improvement
- End Product
As creativity is one of the main aspects within thier summer project, each group was be able to take their project in their own direction. We were proud to see all of the amazing things each CS@Mines summer intern team has created!
2021 Team Leads
Jessica Gregory
Jessica is a sophomore at Mines studying Computer Science and Space and minoring in Teaching. Jessica is from the small town of Kremmling, Colorado.
Project: C4G for Education
- Email : jgregory1@mymail.mines.edu
Elijah Mt. Castle
Elijah is a Senior in computer science with a special interest in robotics and intelligent systems and a minor in Digital Systems. Elijah is a three time director for Mines Little Theater and spends many long days in the theater shop working on various shows.
Project: Dr460nized/Cyber Security Game
- Email : mtcastle@mymail.mines.edu
David Ochoumare
David is a Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science, General Track 2023
Project: Psyche - Chatbox
- Email : dochoumare@mymail.mines.edu
Shriya Biddala
Shriya is going to be a junior at Peak to Peak Charter School. Growing up with parents who work in the Computer Science industry, Shriya was exposed to the fascinating and intricacy of Computer Science and AI from a young age. She aspires to major in Computer Science focusing in AI and work as a Software Engineer.
Project: Team Seven - Mutual Aid in the Community
- Email : shriyarbiddala@gmail.com
Julietta Rozin
Projects: Dr460nized and Psyche
- Email : juliettarozin@gmail.com
2021 Projects
Sprinkler Watering Tracker
- Track water used and the impact of using sprinkler systems.
Kitty Litter Tracking and Management
- Track and store data about Kitty Litter use across entire cities.
Dr460nized - Cyber Security Game
C4G for Education
- Calendar for Students to help better organize classes and assignments.
Psyche
- A Chatbox to help people with mental health and communication.
Compile with Style
- Relationship Management App
Team Seven
- Mutual Aid assistance within local communities
Archive: 2020 Team Leads and Projects
Teams Leads
Keith Danielson
Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science, Focus in Data Science 2022
Project : Mental Health Tracker
- Email : keithdanielson@mymail.mines.edu
Kevin Grant
Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science, Focus in Computer Engineering 2022
Project : Sentiment-Aware Micro-Journaling App
- Email : kgrant@mymail.mines.edu
Collette Haberland
Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science, Focus in Data Science 2022
Project : Carbon Footprint Calculator
- Email : chaberland@mymail.mines.edu
Elija Mt. Castle
Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science 2022
Project : Audio Translating
- Email : mtcastle@mymail.mines.edu
Heather White
Mines Undergraduate Student, BS. Computer Science, Minor in Business/Entrepreneurship 2022
Project : Non-Profit Website
- Email : hlwhite@mymail.mines.edu
Contacts
Christine Liebe, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, CS Education Research
C4G Falculty Advisor
Collette Haberland
C4G Mines Student Advisor
2020 Projects
Mental Health Tracker
Team name : [insert group name]
“Our goal is to create an application focused on personal growth that tracks mental health over a long period of time. It will be customizable based on the user, and have the ability to supply resources for users to find the assistance they need.”
Sentiment-Aware Micro-Journaling App
Team name : Sentiment
“We would like to create a micro-journaling app which collects brief journaled fields from the user via a mobile or web application, then identifies temporal patterns regarding sentiment and predicts times of day in which certain sentiments arise, either for analysis by the user or for the app to provide sentiment boosters via push notifications.”
Carbon Footprint Calculator
Team name : Carbonators
“Our goal is to design software that takes input of electricity and natural gas usage and then calculates an individual’s carbon footprint. With this information, it recommends ways in which individuals can work to lower how much carbon they contribute to world.”
Audio Translating
Team name : Voicelle
“We are developing a free opensource tool to transcribe videos for the hearing impaired. This tool would time when voices begin and end and convert to timed audio transcriptions for video sites, e.g. Youtube.”
Non-Profit Website
Team name : Coders for Social Service (CSS)
“The goal of our project is to successfully connect with a local non-profit who is in need of a website, or an update to their website. We will then update and develop a new website for our non-profit. This will help our community to know more about the non-profit, as well as achieve a seamless communication network for them.”