New summer program wraps up

The new Access for Computing Equity (ACE++) program completed its pilot run this past summer and received much encouraging and positive feedback from the students who participated.

The ACE++ program was designed and produced by diversity program administrator Edward Alexander, who supports the Departments of Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering and works in Tufts’ Center for STEM Diversity.  As a summer enrichment program, ACE++ served a select group of Tufts first years who were interested in pursuing a major in computer science but did not come to Tufts with significant preparation in the field. Students in this program were afforded the opportunity to remain on campus during the summer to take two intro sequence courses in order to springboard them into the computer science major. Twelve students were selected to join ACE++ from a competitive application pool.

Professor Lenore Cowen served as a faculty mentor to the new program. She taught a section of CS 61: Discrete Math to the ACE++ students as a cohort, spoke at the ACE++ seminar series, and held one-on-one advising sessions for the program participants. According to the organizer Alexander, the students were “engaged, fortunate, and happy” to take CS 61 in a small in-person class setting.

The program also benefited from having David Zabner, EG20, as the ACE++ Fellow. Currently a PhD student in the Tufts Department of Education, Zabner earned his MS in Computer Science at Tufts. As another key mentor to the ACE++ students, he assisted them with tutoring, resume building, coding, and created projects for the students to add to their coding portfolios.

In addition to classes and mentoring, ACE++ students also participated in other co-curricular events. Those included weekly meetings at the Center for STEM Diversity and a trip to Venture Café in Kendall Square, where their goals included making at least one contact, securing a business card, and scheduling a time to meet again. In addition, Tufts CS External Advisory Board members Ariel Hamlin, E13, and Elena Jakubiak, EG05, EG09, visited campus to give guest lectures about their experiences at Tufts and in the tech industry. Students also attended industry talks with the DIAMONDS REU program and enjoyed other social activities.

Alexander and the Department of Computer Science report that feedback from participating students has been overwhelmingly positive. Most students said the ACE++ program made them feel a greater sense of belonging in the field of computer science. The biggest takeaway students reported was learning how many resources are available at Tufts, and they credited the program with helping them develop the instinct to be proactive and seek out those resources.

The department offers congratulations to all those involved with the ACE++ program, and hopes to repeat the program next summer.