Hey students, its hip to be square!!!

Posted by Jim Stroud

June 2, 2006

“You don’t have to be a nerdy white guy to be a computer geek. In fact, you can be a woman, a minority, a person with a disability or someone who is downright cool.”

That’s the message of a group of Florida State University professors who are participating in a 10-member university consortium. The consortium, called the STARS (Students and Technology in Academia, Research and Service) Alliance, has received a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to recruit a diverse group of students to earn college degrees in information technology (IT), computer science and other computing fields.

“We want to encourage more peopleÃ¢â‚¬â€?particularly women, underrepresented minorities and people with disabilitiesÃ¢â‚¬â€?to pursue careers in computer science and information technology,” said College of Information Dean Larry Dennis. “This program also helps FSU serve as a proving ground and model for best practices in computing instruction.”

National reports show that broadening the appeal of the computer science field is essential if the United States is to remain a world leader in technology and science, according to information professor Mia Lustria, a member of the FSU team along with Dennis, computer science professor Lois Hawkes and research associate Anthony Chow.

“This is an issue of critical, national importance,” Chow said. “The alliance can make a significant, permanent impact by changing attitudes and building the necessary support to recruit a more diverse computing student body and faculty. Diversity is cool and essential for our future.”

READ: From geek to chic: The changing face of computing