SAC professor wins $18,000 Google exploreCSR award to promote research careers in computing

A grant from 谷歌的explorresr项目 will help introduce SAC engineering students to artificial intelligence, 可穿戴计算, virtual and augmented reality and other advanced technologies.

SAC is the first community college to receive the Google exploreCSR award. The $18,000 grant will support Engineering Program Coordinator Dr. 亨利·格里菲思’s work in exposing students to research computing through an engineering platform.

格里菲思 and SAC are among approximately 50 Google exploreCSR recipients from around the world, 包括美国各地的四年制大学.S.欧洲和亚洲.

格里菲思, an assistant engineering professor who is also actively involved in research, 首席研究员在接受资助吗. The funding is a step forward for the engineering department, allowing students to learn about emerging technologies, 他说.

“It’s providing equivalent opportunities to access emerging technologies like edge computing, wearables and artificial intelligence that traditionally haven’t been here,格里菲斯说. “Students will learn advanced content including what AI is, 什么是边缘计算, 什么是研究, 什么是好的出版物.”

The funding will be used to update engineering program curriculum, to purchase hardware and to support a peer mentorship program that pairs selected SAC engineering students with students from UTSA. 

The peer mentorship program is a key part of successfully introducing careers in computing research to students, 尤其是拉丁裔和其他少数民族, 格里菲思说. Studies show that Latinx students may be less likely to pursue a research computing pathway due to a lack of self-efficacy and identity. 在很多情况下, students don’t realize the field is even a possibility for them because they don’t see role models in that field.

“Whoever participates in this ideally sees that research can be for them,格里菲思说, who conducts research with universities including UTSA, 德克萨斯州立大学和密歇根州立大学. “A lot of what we’re trying to do is make students aware what a research pathway looks like, 至少在基本层面上是这样, 给他们培训，让他们知道他们可以做到.”

The program will pair SAC engineering students with juniors, seniors and early graduate students at UTSA who are involved in applying computing to engineering research. The exploreCSR award will fund a stipend for both mentors and mentees in the program. 

“最终目标是他们什么时候出来, they know they can do research and have basic skills to go further with their studies in research computing,格里菲斯说. 

谷歌的explorresr项目, 通常授予四年制大学哪个学位, promotes research computing as a career to students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

格里菲思, who is also a lecturer in UTSA’s Department of Electrical Engineering, implemented the program at UTSA last year with successful outcomes, 是什么帮助SAC获得了拨款.

The award will help SAC engineering students access the same research and advanced hardware that engineering students at four-year institutions have, 格里菲思说. 

“The first step is to 关闭 the innovation gap and make sure our students have equitable exposure to these engineering technologies that their counterparts have,他说. “Everyone should have the same access to technologies in the innovation ecosystem.”

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