Award Abstract # 0540484
Collaborative Research: BPC-DP: New Voices and New Visions for Engaging Native Americans in Computer Science

NSF Org: CNS
Division Of Computer and Network Systems
Recipient: TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: February 27, 2006
Latest Amendment Date: July 27, 2006
Award Number: 0540484
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Janice Cuny
CNS
 Division Of Computer and Network Systems
CSE
 Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Start Date: March 1, 2006
End Date: February 28, 2010 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $0.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $306,435.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2006 = $306,435.00
History of Investigator:
  • Glenn Bresnahan (Principal Investigator)
    glenn@bu.edu
  • Jennifer Teig von Hoffman (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Erik Brisson (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Trustees of Boston University
1 SILBER WAY
BOSTON
MA  US  02215-1703
(617)353-4365
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: Trustees of Boston University
1 SILBER WAY
BOSTON
MA  US  02215-1703
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): THL6A6JLE1S7
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): WORKFORCE,
ITR-BROADENING PARTICIPATION
Primary Program Source: app-0106 
Program Reference Code(s): 9218, 9251, HPCC
Program Element Code(s): 171300, 758400
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.070

ABSTRACT

The University of New Mexico (UNM) and Boston University (BU) propose a pilot program that develops curriculum combining Native American culture and art with a high-technology, computer-rich environment as a vehicle to engage Native American students in computer and computational science. The project employs the Access Grid (AG), virtual reality technologies, and BU's Deep Vision Display (DVD) Wall to create a culturally and technologically compelling educational experience. The AG will be used as the communication infrastructure to create a cyber-classroom between UNM, the Jemez Department of Education and BU, as well as the primary mechanism for collaboration between the researchers in the three states. The development of a culturally relevant, virtual reality experience displayed on the DVD wall will be a centerpiece of the curriculum, serving as a motivation for the computer science goals of the project. The project targets high school and college students who will take a two semester course, cross-listed and cotaught by faculty from Computer Science and Native American Studies. A summer camp will introduce the high school students to computing and prepare them for the course. The students will be supported with study groups, mentoring, and monthly socials. They will have access to Native American faculty, and a Native American artist assisting with the project. The proposed project also has outreach events and activities at BU, UMN, and Jemez Pueblo. These events and shows of the student work are intended to influence the larger community, change the image of computing in culturally relevant ways, and attract the Native American students to computer science and careers.

The project creates a new model, based on a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, that incorporates Native American pedagogy, culture and virtual aesthetics, computational applications (digital media, VR, 3D animation, DVD wall, and AG), and computer science concepts. The model is implemented as a new curriculum partnership between Computer Science and Native American Studies. The curriculum will be delivered to both undergraduates and high school students, hopefully inspiring many of them to pursue a degree in computing.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Glenn Bresnahan, Arthur Maccabe, Maria Williams, Arlan Sando, Erik Brisson, Jennifer Teig von Hoffman T. "New voices and new visions for engaging Native American students in computer science" Proceedings of the 2006 ACM/IEEE Conference on Supercomputing , 2006 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1188455.1188780

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