In response, an interdisciplinary group of data science educators from multiple institutions put together the Data for Good in Education Workshop Series, a collection of intensive day-long workshops that convene data science educators to surface and promote strategies to face the obstacle of grounding data science education in people-centered community-informed practice. The first two workshops have garnered the participation of 75 educators and a third workshop is planned for 2025.  

Dr. Dharma Dailey, assistant teaching professor in the School of STEM, is among the organizers of Data for Good in Education Workshop series leading efforts in teaching data for good and shares highlights from the workshop series. 

The challenges of teaching data ethics 

Attendees gain the opportunity to network with and learn from their peers while workshop organizers map common opportunities and challenges Data for Good educators face. There are different challenges that are surfacing:  

• Instructors teaching technical topics feel pressure to minimize time devoted to ethics or considering societal impacts.ĚýĚý

• Educators don’t feel qualified to broach ethics in their classrooms.ĚýĚý

• Program and resource constraints limit community-engaged experiences and capstone experiences that tie data science to social good.ĚýĚý

• No field-level consensus has emerged yet for specifying learning objectives pertaining to the social and human dimensions related to Data Science, nor for designing relevant learning activities or assessing them.ĚýĚý

Despite these challenges, the workshops showcase the breadth of approaches to teaching data for good that are being spearheaded by Data Science educators.  

Inspiring talks and hands on sessions 

At the most recent workshop held at the in Ann Arbor in October, participants convened for a series of inspiring talks on teaching Data Science with a social good lens, interspersed with interactive sessions. Keynote speaker graduate director of the Master of Science Data Science Program and associate professor of Africana Studies at Howard University, provided insight into designing Howard’s Masters for Data Science and Analytics, an online program that substantively interweaves social good with data science. The program prepares students to engage in real-world data analytics that serve a purpose. For example, one recent student capstone identified analytic discrepancies in air quality assessment in the Mossville community in Louisiana. 

In another talk focused on change-making work within existing degree programs, , research associate at the Human-Robot Interaction Lab and lecturer at Tufts University, related his experience working in human-robot interaction and ethics to lead a one-year project to more systematically integrate ethics into all computer science courses in the Department of Computer Science at Tufts University.  

, director of the at the University of Michigan, reflected on how community-engaged, collaborative projects may be incorporated into data for good education, drawing on case studies from his current book project, Appetite for Data: Race, Neighborhoods, and Digital Recipes for Racial and Class Solidarity.  

Offering insights into what can be done at the course level, assistant professor at the University of Michigan, shared a framework he has devised for conceiving of and executing data-science for-good projects in his courses that help future data science practitioners view the work of data science as a milestone within a social good project, helping students to make clearer connections between the work that comes before and after a more successful data science intervention. 

In considering activities that can be incorporated into a class session or course module, of Trinity Christian College described how he makes use of ethics case studies in his classes. of Tufts University led participants through an assessment of case studies being curated and distributed through the Methods for Teaching Ethics in Data Science Workshop.Ěý

Workshop organizers & supporters 

Dr. Dharma Dailey of 56łÔąĎÍř’s School of STEM and , Technical Education Specialist and Data Science Fellow at the University of Washington’s eScience Institute, are among the organizers of Data for Good in Education Workshop series. Dailey and Alterman draw upon their experience as educators in the University of Washington’s Data Science for Social Good program and Dailey’s prior work through eScience Institute to identify and promote effective strategies for building out Data for Good programs including the Data for Good Growth Map — a resource being used by many educators in this space.  

The Data for Good in Education Workshop series is co-organized with faculty from Emory University, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, Montgomery College, Trinity Christian College, University of Notre Dame, and Washington & Jefferson College. Funding for the Data for Good in Education Workshop series has been provided by the National Science Foundation and the Responsible Computing Challenge, a partnership of Omidyar Network, Mozilla, Schmidt Futures, Craig Newmark Philanthropies and Mellon Foundation. 

Those interested in the 2025 workshop should contact the organizing committee at data4good.workshop@gmail.com.Ěý

The post Doing Better at Teaching Data for Good: The Data for Good in Education Workshop SeriesĚý Ěý appeared first on School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

Hovesepian realized during her undergraduate path that studying Biology and going into research probably wasn’t the right path for her and she didn’t really know where to go from there. 

“Basically, it was really just a combination of knowing that I needed to do something else — not knowing what that was,” Hovesepian said.  

From Biology to bytes 

As an employee at the University of Washington, she decided to utilize the and began taking entry level software engineering courses. She tried auditing and sitting in on an introduction to software engineering course but stopped attending two weeks into class. Her interest was sparked, but she lacked the belief in her abilities to be able to do the work. The following summer after chatting more with her friends who work in the software engineering industry, she found the motivation to enroll in the course.  

“The second time around, for some reason, things just started making sense,” Hovesepian said. “So I stuck with it. I finished it. Did pretty well.” 

Hovesepian looked into ways to further her education and pivot her career path, and she found the GCSDD program at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell.  

“It is an actual degree, even though it’s not a bachelor’s or a master’s,” Hovesepian said.  

“A lot of boot camps that I was looking at, they’re good in their own way and you get a different kind of experience,” she expanded. “But you don’t really get anything that you can show as a form of a degree, which tech doesn’t care about nearly as much as other industries.” 

Speed-running a tech transition 

The GCSDD is a part-time, nine-month curriculum intended for people interested in switching careers towards the software engineering industry. The program also provides a pathway for individuals to continue their education and pursue a Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering or Master of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering. 

The program’s structure offered a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, tailored for individuals from non-traditional backgrounds. Hovesepian said that the courses gave her an understanding of the basics of a software engineering degree in a very short time frame which helped her to land a job in the field.  

“There’s only so much you can teach people in a part-time program in nine months,” Hovesepian said. “You get the basics of a software engineering degree, and a good amount of preparation for what you need to know to be able to interview for a job.” 

Community impact on career changes 

Despite the long hours of commitment to both the program and working a full-time job, Hovesepian said the greatest thing she gained from the program was her connections to her classmates. They all became a support system for each other, creating study groups and friendships to last much longer than nine months.  

“You’re just all in the same boat together, but you also are coming from similar backgrounds,” Hovesepian said. “I met at least two other people there who were also from Biology or basic science backgrounds who are now trying to switch into tech.” 

The study groups she and her peers formed supported each other through the classes and switching to the technology field in general.  

“It’s really hard to switch from any career to another, but tech especially is difficult to learn; it’s difficult to do,” Hovesepian said. “It’s so easy to get discouraged. Just being able to talk to people who have gone through the same thing or something similar was so huge for me.” 

Looking to the future 

Upon finishing her graduate certificate program, Hovesepian enrolled in the Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering. She completed two quarters of the program before putting it on hold to invest all her time in a software development engineer position at Amazon. She didn’t want to stress about managing a new program while starting a new job and learning how to be a better engineer in a workplace was her priority.  

“I might come back to it,” Hovesepian said. “That just really depends on how work goes and how my goals change.” 

Hovesepian acknowledges that while formal education is incredibly helpful, practical experience can often be just as crucial. Her ability to adapt and prioritize her career goals has been key to her success following the GCSDD.  

Hovesepian’s journey underscores the impact that educational programs like the GCSDD at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell can have on career transitions. While the path from Biology to software engineering held challenges, Hovesepian’s story highlights the importance of perseverance, practical experience and the support from community. As she continues to navigate her career her experience reflects a broader truth: with dedication, belief in yourself, and the right resources, career shifts can lead to fulfilling new opportunities.  

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Enter the Founded in 2013 by Dr. Ambareen Siraj of Tennessee Tech University, WiCyS aims to recruit, retain, and advance women in cybersecurity, providing a platform for networking, mentorship, and professional development. As a leader in cybersecurity research and education, the 56łÔąĎÍř School of STEM Division of Computing & Software Systems (CSS) sponsored three students and one faculty member to attend the 2024 WiCyS conference in Nashville, Tennessee.  

Forging new paths  

Among the attendees was Anne Ha, a former medical resident and 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell alumna of the bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Software Engineering, Information Assurance and Cybersecurity option. Ha found reassurance in her academic journey as she noted the diverse backgrounds of the other attendees and speakers. 

“I realized that there are so many other women that have come to the field with different backgrounds, and that’s inspired me a lot,” Ha said. 

As Ha continued through her undergraduate journey, she became more interested in cybersecurity and landed her current internship in a security engineer role. She decided that she should take some cybersecurity classes to help prepare her for the internship when she received the invitation from the CSS division to apply for the WiCyS conference. 

Comprised of keynote speakers, workshops, resume reviews, and socials, the conference offered attendees valuable career insights and networking opportunities. Ha highlighted that this conference was unique in that connections with professionals didn’t feel transactional. She was able to speak with people for up to an hour about her resume, career tracks, interviewing skills, and more — an experience that she felt was unique to the WiCyS conference.    

Ha noted that she’s generally an introverted person but the genuine kindness and encouragement from industry professionals at the conference helped grow her confidence.  

“This conference made me more open to other people,” Ha said. ”And I’d like to offer the same help to other women, to other students, if I have a chance to.” 

Expanding expertise  

Graduate student Rithi Afra Jerald Jothi was working in a computer science role when she applied to 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell’s Computer Science & Software Engineering master’s program. While in the program, she took classes to dive deeper into the cybersecurity side of computer science since she was already doing some of the work in her job. Seeking more guidance about career and academics paths, Rithi applied for the CSS scholarship to attend the WiCyS conference because she felt like it would be a good opportunity to learn more about the security side of the computer science field.  

“I was a little confused if I have to direct my career toward the software development side or security,” Rithi said. “So, I was just looking out for opportunities which would enhance my ideas on these domains so that it would give me a clearer picture.”  

At the conference, Rithi connected one on one with industry professionals and received a lot of advice on her career — valuable wisdom that she says she would not have been able to receive had she not attended.   

“All of them were able to give me insights on how to find professions which would combine both of these fields,” Rithi said. “So that was the first benefit, the biggest benefit, which helped me to shape my career at this point.”  

“I want to see more women in cybersecurity in my own classrooms and then in the industry and so on.”  

Dr. Geethapriya Thamilarasu

Empowerment through community  

For Dr. Geethapriya Thamilarasu, associate professor in the CSS division, the conference offered more than just professional development; it provided a sense of community and support.  

“I’m the only female faculty in cybersecurity here, so sometimes meeting with other women in the cybersecurity field provides that sense of community and support in a way that I don’t usually find here,” Thamilarasu said. 

Thamilarasu attended the conference twice before but shared that it’s always an inspiring experience because of all the different keynote speakers sharing their stories. 

“No matter what stage of career you are in, hearing from these successful women in cybersecurity can be extremely inspiring, motivating and empowering,” Thamilarasu said. “And then you come back ready to pass the torch on to get more women in the field. I want to see more women in cybersecurity in my own classrooms and then in the industry and so on.”  

Elevating voices  

Gender diversity in cybersecurity is something that resonates deeply with Thamilarasu as she is currently the only female faculty in cybersecurity at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell. She believes that recruiting and encouraging women to join these fields of study will be “extremely important for the growth of the industry as a whole.”  

Thamilarasu notes that a diverse workforce brings a broader range of perspectives and experiences to the table — essential for developing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies.  

“You don’t know if this is a field for you unless you go and see people who look like me, who talk like me, who think like me are leading this field in so many different ways,” Thamilarasu said.   

Thamilarasu’s commitment to diversity echoes the broader efforts at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell, where initiatives like sponsoring student conference attendance are championed to support women in STEM fields. The university’s investment in fostering diversity and inclusion is further demonstrated by the proactive actions of students like Lily Aguirre and Margaret Lanphere, the president and vice president of the , who secured funding through the Student Academic Enhancement Fund to attend the WiCyS conference. Their initiative underscores the importance of empowering students to take ownership of their learning and professional growth.

The students and professors who attended the conference all echo the same sentiment— they gained so much from their attendance.   

“The feeling of the inspiration and the empowerment that comes from the conference is unmatchable,” Thamilarasu said. “I think that is something everybody should experience.” 

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As a university that primarily serves underrepresented student populations — comprised of about 40% first-generation, 72% students of color, and 44% eligible for federal Pell Grants — imposter syndrome is a common feeling amongst 56łÔąĎÍř students.

Michael Cho, a 2022 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell alumnus knows this feeling exactly.

“I struggle with it a lot still myself,” Cho said regarding imposter syndrome. “But it is just about having the confidence in yourself that you can do these kinds of things.”

Second chance

Cho began his journey into academia from a prison cell through the This experiment grants people who are incarcerated eligibility to receive the Pell Grant for postsecondary programs. Cho was part of one of the six pilot programs through Centralia College and was the first graduate for Washington State Prisons. Following his release, Cho was admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering program at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell.

“I realized that education’s really a great way to get out of the system and transformational for your life,” Cho said. “I was always learning, growing and I liked the academic environment.”

As an undergraduate student, Cho engaged in research with Assistant Professor Afra Mashhadi, focusing on federated machine learning. This research utilized edge devices – mobile phones – to collaboratively train a machine learning model to mitigate biases. This process allows for more diverse user-driven data, which ultimately can lead to more comprehensive research.

“He’s been a very inspirational person with the way he challenges himself, like really being motivated to learn more,” Mashhadi said. “When he said he wanted to do a Ph.D., I was just so happy because I think it really fits his personality of craving to be on top of research and learn more.”

Pursuing excellence

Cho accepted an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. offer from the University of Georgia Institute of Technology after completing his degree at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell and is now working in a research lab focusing on the use of biosignals. More specifically, Cho is working on denoising, or making clearer, the signals from devices like smart watches and chest monitors. When the devices move on your wrist or chest, it can interrupt the signal and make it more difficult to interpret.

Inspired by his current work and the research he did as an undergraduate student, Cho decided to submit a research proposal to the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The NSF GRFP is the country’s oldest fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in various STEM fields. It provides students with a three-year stipend and access to opportunities for professional development. NSF GRFP fellows can become knowledge experts who significantly contribute to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell my story and try to apply for things that would make more of an impact,” Cho said.

Cho’s proposal for the fellowship combines his research in biosignals with his undergraduate work in federated machine learning. With enough user-generated data from a system like the one Cho proposes, the hope is that these biosignal watches or patches could more accurately detect things like cardiac diseases.

“It’d be cool to have a system that would be able to gather data from different sources and train it on these phones,” Cho said. “You can get more diversity of data and have the system more inclusive to other populations and demographics.”

Upon learning that he had received the fellowship, Cho recalled feeling excited, surprised, and very fortunate that he would be able to make his professors and advisors who helped him along the way proud.

Embracing the past, shaping the future

Previously, Cho stated his plans to one day teach science behind bars, and while that is still a goal, he is not entirely sure of his path going forward. While he completes his doctorate and fellowship, Cho has begun looking locally for opportunities to give back. One nonprofit he reached out to is Common Good Atlanta, an organization that provides people who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated with access to higher education.

“I definitely want to bring back some of the things that I learned and some of the benefits I have from my academic career to places where I’ve come from,” Cho said. “I still kind of don’t know exactly where I want to go, like whether it’s industry or academia, but I definitely want to try some volunteer opportunities, especially for prisons.”

Cho wasn’t immune to the imposter syndrome that challenges a lot of young academics, but his journey through academia is a testament to the resilience and determination of underrepresented students in academia.

“I always have that imposter syndrome, even at 56łÔąĎÍř, but if you keep working at it and you’re passionate about what you do and you’re genuinely like a nice, friendly person, then I think that you’ll make it pretty big if you just keep trying,” Cho said.

Cho was honored by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Sharon Jones for his fellowship at the 56łÔąĎÍř Student Academic Showcase on May 16, 2024 – Mashhadi accepted the award on his behalf.

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Three students traveled to Orlando, Florida, to attend the 2023 in person and ten students logged on virtually. Students heard inspiring keynote speeches, attended workshops, expanded their network, met with company and higher education sponsors during the Career & Expo Hall, and felt empowered surrounded by a community of women and allies in the tech.

Increasing access and inspiring belief

The reality of attending a conference like GHC, especially out of state, feels out of reach for many students once they consider the costs to attend. Knowing this and recognizing the impact the GHC experience has on students is one of many reasons why the Division of CSS continues to sponsor the GHC conference every year and award full student scholarships to attend the conference in person or virtually.

For Greeshma Sree Parimi, a current Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering (MSCSSE) student who attended GHC in person, the scholarship made the trip accessible. “It meant that I could fully immerse myself in the conference without the financial burden that often comes with attending such events,” she said.

Attending a large conference can also feel a bit overwhelming and intimidating. When Breanna Powell, a current MSCSSE student who graduated from the Graduate Certificate in Software Design & Development (GCSDD) bridge program at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell, learned she’d been awarded an in-person scholarship she felt a sense of validation.

“For me, it feels like people believe in me and my potential, even when I doubt myself,” said Powell.

“It gave me the push that I needed to go out there and search for jobs and apply,” she said. “It also encourages me to keep hosting events on campus through the 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) club and the Alliance 4 Sustainability club, because making connections is vital.”

For me, it feels like people believe in me and my potential, even when I doubt myself.

Breanna Powell, current MSCSSE student and GCSDD alumna

Opportunity through conversation

Networking at conferences specializing in a student’s major can create opportunities and propel their career forward.

Powell met a woman at GHC who was developing a VR application to help women practice tough work conversations and saw the potential in following up with them to see if they’d be willing to test it out with 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell students.

“It was wonderful how open everyone was to just starting up a conversation, about anything they are doing, and how everyone really listened and seemed invested in connecting,” said Powell.

Shree Parimi had the chance to connect with several employers, exploring potential career opportunities and learning about the exciting projects and initiatives they’re working on.

“It was an invaluable experience to engage with these organizations and gain insights into what they are looking for in candidates,” she Shree Parimi.

One of Powell’s networking conversations led to an interview with the Los Alamos National Laboratory the next day. She fondly remembers that it was the least scared and most relaxed she had ever felt going into an interview because of their conversation the previous day.

Sustainability-focused sessions

GHC had a lot of sessions, so many that attendees had to prioritize what they wanted to attend (which was no easy choice!). Powell is very interested in green tech, so she was thrilled to see that there were several sustainability-focused sessions.

“Farm-to-Plate AI” from MathWorks was her favorite. It gave her an opportunity to use MATLAB for the first time and brought her together with a new friend, a student at the University of Missouri – St. Louis who shares her same interests.

“We got to see how to simulate a drone’s flight through a field and how computer vision and AI can help with every step of a mango’s journey to the table,” said Powell. “The strides that are being made in agrotech are going to have a huge impact on climate change initiatives.”

Growth experience

Students that attend GHC end the conference with new skills, inspiration, confidence, connections, career strategies, and a reinforced belief in the importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.

When Powell thought about her experience, she realized it was not so scary to attend big conferences filled with software developers competing for jobs. Her experience got her thinking about how much of a difference it makes that these events exist.

“It made me even more excited to plan this year’s 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell ACM student hackathon,” said Powell. The hackathon is a wonderful way for students to not only gain hands-on experience in programming and solving problems as a team, but it’s an opportunity to build their network and create something useful and fun.

Just like Powell, Sree Parimi would love to go back to GHC in the future.

“It’s an amazing event that fosters a sense of community and empowerment,” said Sree Parimi. “I believe it’s essential to continue attending such conferences to stay connected with the dynamic tech landscape and meet like-minded individuals.”

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“New technologies like AI are not only opportunities to make systems more robust against attack; they are also tools that can make the bad guys’ jobs easier,” Stiber tells Fortune. “Cybersecurity is our defense against such things and cybersecurity professionals are the digital makers and first responders keeping our increasingly digital lives safe.”

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This year’s symposium hosted presentations by undergraduates from across the three 56łÔąĎÍř campuses. The 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell students presented 20 different research projects and topics, ranging from “Nostalgic Analysis of Tweets During Crisis Events” to “Motivation in Non-Profit Organization Workers.”

The symposium featured research across a wide array of academic disciplines — from business to STEM — with the projects covering data and information from as far away as black holes in other galaxies to as close as the 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell’s campus wetland.

In opening remarks for the symposium, Ed Taylor, 56łÔąĎÍř’s vice provost and dean of undergraduate affairs, also recognized the faculty support that makes this depth and breadth of student research possible. He then announced and congratulated seven recipients of theĚýĚý— including Dr. Paola RodrĂ­guez Hidalgo, an assistant professor in 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell’sĚýSchool of STEM.

Supporting their students

Students presenting in the symposium each year can nominate mentors who have had a profound impact on their education and research. A small committee of faculty and staff then reviews the nominations to select the award recipients.

“It was one of the most beautiful awards,” Rodríguez Hidalgo said. “It’s nice being recognized by the University, but it’s also thanks to my students — and that’s just so beautiful.”

She was nominated by two students from her quasar research group, Easton Robert Pierce and Alex Vong.

“Paola has been an amazing mentor. She has consistently pushed me to go beyond and motivated me to continue even when I’ve hit a wall,” said Pierce in his nomination for Rodríguez Hidalgo.

“Between her meetings, giving talks and writing papers, I’m not sure where she finds the time for it all,” he said. “She truly deserves to be recognized for all the hard work she puts into not only teaching classes but also mentoring students and leading the quasar research group.”

Understanding stars in the universe

Pierce is a senior majoring in physics at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell. He first developed a love of astronomy when his parents bought him a starter telescope when he was nine years old. He is now a NASA Space Grant scholar.

“What drew me to astronomy is the pure absurdity of the scale and energies of the objects in which we study,” he said.

At this year’s symposium, Pierce presented “” Quasars are a phenomenon where gas and dust from extremely luminous galactic cores fall into a supermassive black hole. This can sometimes produce winds known as outflows. Whether these outflows affect the evolution of their host galaxies remains unknown and continues to be a point of interest in ongoing research.

“Because of the large energies found in extremely high velocity outflows, we believe they may play a large role in the evolution of galaxies, specifically on their ability to form stars,” Pierce said.

Looking at ancient fires and fuels

In her presentation, “” Haley Brooks (Conservation & Restoration Science ’23) sampled 34 modern plant species from 56łÔąĎÍř Herbarium collections to study charcoal morphometry — the measurement of sedimentary charcoal particle shape attributes — after burning the samples at 500 degrees Celsius.

Brooks investigated if charcoal aspect ratio is a valid method for determining fuel type. If this method can be used when looking at modern-day plants, she noted, it may provide important insights into ancient fire regimes. Her mentors for this research were both in the 56łÔąĎÍř’s Department of Biology on the Seattle campus: Dr. Caroline Strömberg, professor; and Dr. Christopher Schiller, postdoctoral scholar.

With the rapidly changing climate, Brooks said it’s become a priority to gain a better understanding of how the changes will affect plant life to strategize conservation practices for the near future. “We’re in a climate crisis right now where we’ve never been in this climate zone, but the world has previously.

“So if we’re able to look at the climate zones of ancient fires and look at what burned at that time,” she said, “we can put that into our conservation practices and have retroactive success in protecting those plant species that are used for fuel — before it happens.”

Brooks noted in her presentation that continued research into the verification of charcoal morphometry as a means to verify fuel type could also help increase confidence in paleo reconstructions of ancient fuel types.

Examining learning during the pandemic

In his project, “” Eric Yoon Jae Shin analyzed student learning in a statistics course in both a pre-pandemic and pandemic setting. Dr. Caleb Trujillo, assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, oversaw this research as Shin’s mentor.

“The main thing we wanted to find out was whether or not the COVID-19 disruptions affected students learning,” Shin said, a senior majoring Mathematical Thinking & Visualization.

Searching for answers, he looked to concept models — hand drawn models students use to write statistics concepts — to measure student learning. He analyzed 180 models from two different experiences and quarters: an in-person learning environment in a pre-pandemic quarter and an online learning environment during the pandemic.

“The key finding that we made was that students in the online quarter were adding concepts to their models at a lower rate than students in the previous quarter, which was before the coronavirus pandemic,” Shin said. “We came to the conclusion that the COVID-19 disruption had a major impact on a student’s learning in the statistics course.”

What makes this kind of research so important, Shin noted, is that it can be used by professors to better understand and assist college students as they learn in different spaces.

Discovering the possibilities

The presentations in this year’s symposium represent the broad range of research, scholarship and creative practice projects that students can undertake during their undergraduate studies.

Here is a small sampling of additional oral, poster and visual arts presentations 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell students gave at this year’s symposium:

• “Fairness and Biases in Mobility Models”
  • presented by Daniel Wang, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• “Missing Maps: Identifying Remote Communities Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning”
  • presented by Inkar Kapen, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering and a Mary Gates Scholar; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• “The Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature”
  • presented by Ali Mirzazadeh, a senior in Biology; mentored by Dr. May Reed, associate professor in the 56łÔąĎÍř’s Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

A complete list of the research projects presented by 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell students this year can be found on the .

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It is vital to have skilled cybersecurity professionals to help keep data and information safe from hackers and other external threats. Demand for information security analysts and security engineers are projected to grow 35% from 2021-2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and show no signs of slowing down. 

Building a stronger gender-diverse workforce  

The  strives to ensure that more women are a part of this important need for cybersecurity professionals.

Cybersecurity Ventures reported that . WiCyS is on a mission to “help build a strong gender-diverse cybersecurity workforce by facilitating recruitment, retention & advancement for women in the field.” Part of these efforts include an annual Women in Cybersecurity conference to help bring together current experts in industry and those aspiring to grow as professionals in the field.  

Industry leaders, students, and faculty come together at WiCyS to connect, learn, and grow professionally through workshops, panels, networking opportunities, career connections, resume clinics, mock interviews, and more. 

This year, five computer science & software engineering students were awarded scholarships from the 56łÔąĎÍř School of STEM to attend this premier cybersecurity conference. 

Student scholarships to attend the WiCyS conference 

For Tammy Le (pictured to the right), a senior bachelor’s student, the WiCyS conference was her first solo trip and experience at a conference.

“Being surrounded by a global community of women, allies, and advocates in the field of cybersecurity was a very empowering and inspiring experience for me,” said Tammy.  

“I gained valuable insights, and also got to learn about the experiences of others and develop a sense of community and support.”  

Many of the students who attended are thinking of a career in cybersecurity after graduation. Master’s student Margaret Lanphere reflects on how “it was very valuable to have this experience at this critical time with just a year left of my master’s degree.” 

WiCyS was the first women-focused professional event Margaret has been to. “It’s great to see that 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell is investing in the success of its students by sending us to conferences to learn and network.” 

This was also the first computer science conference that master’s student Chloe Ma attended with a scholarship.  

“This means a great deal to me as it signifies validation, support, and empowerment for my journey in computer science. This recognition enhances my belief in my potential to succeed in the new field as I’m going through my career transition from civil engineering,” said Chloe.  

Making industry connections  

During a conference dinner, Chloe connected with a keynote speaker who shared their similar experience pivoting from the construction industry to the technology field. “Hearing from someone who has been there and achieved success is really encouraging.” 

Chloe’s favorite part of the conference was the Career Village where sponsors offer one-on-one resume reviews and career advice. She got the chance to speak to companies who were looking for cybersecurity talent, such as Amazon, Adobe, Google, Bloomberg, and Asurion.  
 
“This is a unique opportunity for me to ask all my questions and learn from experienced professionals and hiring managers.”  

Lily Aguirre, a senior bachelor’s student (pictured with Tammy to the right), got the opportunity to network with the Palo Alto company to discuss future job opportunities and ways they could be part of a WiCyS student chapter at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell. 
 
Lily also got some advice from them on how students with a computer science background can still pursue a career in cybersecurity. “I think this will be very helpful for our coming members in the club here at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell.” 

WiCyS student chapter coming to 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell 

Plans are in the works to make a bigger impact and develop a student chapter at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell to better support women and allies in cybersecurity.  

“As vice president of the WiCyS club that we’re starting at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell, along with the other club officers, it was really helpful to attend to learn from the national organization on how we can help other female students succeed in this male-dominated field,” said Margret. 

Associate Professor Marc Dupuis is helping students create a Women in Cybersecurity chapter at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell. Dr. Dupuis attended the 2023 WiCyS conference along with the student scholars. “The WiCyS conference was unlike anything I had experienced before,” said Dupuis.  
 
“Observing the future WiCyS club officers attend an event that focused on the advancement and empowerment of women in cybersecurity was particularly powerful, especially as I think about the opportunities I want to make sure exist for the women of the future, including my own daughter.” 

The role of a WiCyS chapter is to “help decrease the gender disparity in the field, while providing support, mentorship, training, networking opportunities and access to industry and academic leaders.” The upcoming 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell WiCyS chapter has submitted club formation paperwork and expects it to be formalized in the coming weeks. 

“56łÔąĎÍř Bothell is well-positioned geographically and academically to serve the high demand for cybersecurity professionals in our region and beyond,” said Dupuis. 

The School of STEM Division of Computing & Software Systems’ goal is to always be responsive to the changing cybersecurity landscape and the challenges it poses. “One of the best ways to do that is to ensure we are empowering those that have been traditionally under-represented in the computing disciplines as they bring important and unique perspectives required to effectively meet these challenges,” Dupuis continued.  

“The formation of a WiCyS chapter at 56łÔąĎÍř Bothell is an important step in that direction.” 

The post Recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in cybersecurity — WiCyS 2023 appeared first on School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

Tyler Choi was studying political science and economics to prepare for law school, but as graduation neared, he wasn’t sure if this was the right path. He started to ask himself big life questions: Is this something I want to do? Am I being pressured down this path?

After realizing he wasn’t committed to law school Tyler went to work as a financial advisor for a few years while figuring out his next step. While working in finance Tyler became aware of how technology was shaping our future society.

“I thought, maybe if I’m going to make a career switch and jump into tech that now might be the time to do so,” said Tyler. “Of course, I was riddled with anxiety and doubt because doing anything like that is very scary.”

Support network to make the switch

Having a brother and father working in the field of computer science gave Tyler the knowledge that it would be a tough switch, but the confidence that he could do it. In his exploration of programs, he found the nine-month Graduate Certificate in Software Design & Development with a pathway for admission into a master’s program.

Before Tyler could apply, he had to complete a few prerequisite courses in programming I, programming II and college-level calculus at a local community college. Being new to tech and starting at zero, Tyler fought through the anxiety of doing something new. He knew the industry was competitive and felt like he was one of many jumping into tech, but even though the barrier to entry was high he knew the tech industry had a lot to offer.

Tyler recognized that he was making the switch in the greater Seattle area and felt fortunate that this area is so tech responsive. A few of his friends working at Microsoft and Amazon gave him some advice: find an internship your very first summer.

Being new to tech with barely a few prerequisites courses complete, Tyler didn’t think that advice was going to work. While looking for internships, he completed the prerequisites courses and applied to the graduate certificate for autumn 2020.

Landing his first NASA internship

As someone fascinated by space, stars and the moon, Tyler applied to several different National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) internships and only heard back from one that he’d been selected: software engineer at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
“Having applied to the graduate certificate gave me a boost in my application. But what I noticed is that NASA really values not just academic experience, but community experience and how involved you are in your school community,” said Tyler.

“The most important thing I recognized that is different with NASA, and perhaps the private sector, is that NASA really values nurturing people who aspire to become future leaders and those who are generally interested in space.”

Virtual mentorship across five centers

Tyler’s first internship at Ames went so well that it set the stage for continuing to work with NASA over the coming years. NASA leaders motivated Tyler to apply to intern at other centers. The pivot from on-site to virtual internships during the pandemic made it possible for Tyler to stay in Washington and experience working at five different centers all over the country: (Ames Research, Kennedy Space, Langley Research, Marshall Space Flight, HQ) all over the country and collaborate with NASA partners worldwide.

“I genuinely enjoyed the work experience, and just being able to work on specific missions that will support the future of space endeavors,” said Tyler.

NASA hosted virtual gatherings to encourage intern networking and invited speakers to give seminars. Tyler remembers an incredible seminar presented by the chief principal of the James Webb Space Telescope, listening to astronauts share their space and training experiences, and watching presentations on the failures and mistakes NASA has made.

“There was a balance of intellectually intriguing presentations, but also these somber, important lessons and reflections that all emphasized the point that NASA doesn’t give up,” said Tyler. “If you fail, you fail, and you figure out what went wrong and try to do it again.”

Exploring the Moon, science and Mars

During the first Ames internship, Tyler helped build a 3D map of the Moon—imagine Google Earth, but for the Moon. The map gives astronauts a 3D visualization of lunar terrain to help them better explore the Moon and navigate around mountains and creators.

Not only was it a fun experience working with lunar data sets, but Tyler could also see that everyone working at NASA wants to be there and is positively motivated. “There’s something really empowering when people know that what they’re trying to do is advance human civilization,” said Tyler.

Tyler wanted to continue being a part of the NASA community with great mentors on different projects, so he continued to apply to be an intern at NASA. The next internship Tyler did was as a software engineer for the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, where he was a part of their launch control systems.

Each rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center requires a lot of data to be processed and examined before, during and after launch. “I was part of the launch control systems team handling some of that data in the firing room to help mission organizers and scientists understand what was going on,” said Tyler. “I contributed to the Artemis rocket software refactoring and software code to the firing room systems that handles reading and monitoring data collected during the rocket launch.”

Next, Tyler interned with the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where he aided in building a VR training simulation of landing a lunar lander as part of the Artemis missions. The training simulation is a mixed reality experience where people can use a controller to practice landing a ship on the moon.

From there Tyler continued his software engineering internship experience at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he worked on a data visualization room in VR. “That opportunity came about because of my VR experience at Marshall,” said Tyler. At Langley, Tyler transitioned from working on space missions to machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

“There are a lot of scientists at NASA who understand the value of machine learning and AI, but they don’t understand how it works since it’s still a relatively new field.” Tyler’s role was to design a VR system that could help them understand how machine learning reaches its decisions.

To conclude Tyler’s internship experience he worked as a technical researcher at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was part of the Mars Reconnaissance team. This team focuses on how humans are going to get to Mars and collaborates with Mars experts all around the world from different space agencies. This internship was very different because it didn’t involve any software development, rather it was more about technical research and presentations.

“This was great to have the opportunity to work with distributed teams around the world from vastly different cultural backgrounds and perspectives,” said Tyler. “But we were unified under the same goal—how are we going to get to Mars and how do we work together to become a multi-planetary species?”

“I’m truly proud to have made a small contribution to a diverse set of missions that may have a positive impact at NASA, and mentors that I can stay in touch with for future opportunities,” said Tyler.

Graduate research assistant in master’s program

During Tyler’s internship experience he was awarded the graduate certificate in spring 2021 and applied to the Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering for autumn 2021. This opened doors for research opportunities.

Tyler’s two years at NASA ended up giving him the experience needed to be awarded a graduate research assistant (RA) position with Dr. Kelvin Sung, professor in the School of STEM, Division of Computing & Software Systems.

“The research work that I’m doing is only possible because of my first internship at NASA—visualizing lunar terrain,” said Tyler. As a research assistant, Tyler is playing a key role in visualizing earth terrain in virtual reality for a system to assist emergency service responders in search and rescue missions. The work Tyler is doing as a RA relates to his culminating master’s defense.

“Professor Sung is great. He’s not only a great advisor, but it has been a positive work experience that I feel has allowed me to make substantial progress as a software developer,” said Tyler.

What’s next? Don’t let the fear and anxiety stop you.

As Tyler approaches graduation in spring 2023, he has found himself on a path of working in virtual reality and doing visualization of geographic information systems (GIS). “I’ve realized that mapping apps are so integral to society today,” said Tyler. “Working with these mapping systems gives me more appreciation and I’ve come to learn that mapping tech is actually really interesting.”

“Being where I am today now, I am so glad I decided to go down the graduate certificate to master’s degree path,” said Tyler.

The master’s program was very challenging for Tyler, and at one point he didn’t think he could finish, but he persevered and is so grateful he embarked on this journey. He wants others to know that “you might be full of fear and anxiety, but you just have to go for it. Be honest and diligent. Don’t try to take unnecessary short cuts and good things may come.”

Tyler hopes to inspire any students who are remotely interested in the stars, the Moon, and space, and who want to experience an enthusiastic and fun working environment, to look up NASA and give it a shot.

The post Career switch to software engineering led to five NASA internships appeared first on School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

CBIT, envisioned by physical sciences professors Hyung Kim and Lori Robins with Leslie Cornick, Dean of the School of STEM, is a collaborative partnership including support from computing & software systems faculty Mark Kochanski and David Socha, along with Surya Pathak from the School of Business. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray were instrumental in ensuring the funding of this initiative. Cantwell said, “The Puget Sound region is a national hub for biotech research and development…56łÔąĎÍř Bothell’s new Center of Biotech Training and Innovation will provide high-tech training for tomorrow’s biotech workers and help develop the next biotech breakthroughs.” (“”)

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