Building Minds and Computers

“One of the goals is to spark interest in computer technology among middle school students, in particular among female students.”

The second Kids In Technology and Science (K.I.T.S.) event was held in November 2010 with more than 200 middle school students from eight local schools attending the daylong event at Champlain College. More than 30 Champlain College Information Technology and Sciences Division students helped lead groups and assist students building computers and robots. Many members of the faculty and staff worked side by side with the students to create a great hands-on fun day for the students as they learned how to build computers, how to build Lego Mindstorm robots and program them to do things, to realize that mathematics is fun, how hydrogen fuel cell cars operate, and how computer and digital forensics are used to solve crimes. The Division of Information Technology and Sciences also offered a free computer programming course for middle school students this year - a six-week program to teach the beginning software “Alice Programming.”

“One of the goals is to spark interest in computer technology among middle school students, in particular among female students,” Ali Rafieymehr, dean of the division, explained. “We had a full class last fall.” A second K.I.T.S. session just for 80-plus middle school girls was held in April. Champlain’s Division of ITS cover computer and digital forensics, computer information technology, computer networking and information security, computer science and innovation, game programming, radiography, and Web development and design.