Girl Scouts explore computing fields at MSU
MSU Women In Computing conducted an on-campus workshop for the Girl Scouts of Michigan Capital Council on October 28, 2006. Girl Scouts designed web pages, learned about computing careers, and explored MSU research to earn a Computers in Everyday Life badge. Thirty Girl Scouts from troops around the Greater Lansing area participated.Scouts got a taste of the broad, interdisciplinary nature of computing fields by touring research laboratories in the College of Engineering and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. MSU graduate students and researchers demonstrated how computers are used to match fingerprints and 3-D images, develop and control robotic fish, and create video games. Lab tours included:
- Computer Science and Engineering -- Pattern Recognition and Image Processing Lab
- Electrical and Computer Engineering -- Smart Microsystems Lab
- Telecommunications, Information Studies, and Media -- Games for Entertainment & Learning Lab
The Girl Scouts, who were middle school and high school students, created their own personal web pages without the aid of user-friendly web design software: scouts chose a design template and edited HTML code directly using Notepad. They started the project with little or no experience and designed web pages in the space of an hour.
Women In Computing members Kira Johns, April Noren, Kirsten Partyka, Katie Simonds, Tania Yusaf, and Coco Zhang-Miske helped scouts create web pages and spoke about their experiences as students in computer science and electrical engineering fields.
To view web pages the Girl Scouts created during the workshop, please visit http://www.egr.msu.edu/~msuwic/cgi-bin/showcase.php.
Workshop photos are available at http://www.cse.msu.edu/gallery/main.php.
CSE thanks the MSU undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty who made this event a tremendous success!
(Date Posted: 2006-12-05)