The Development of a Student Organization that SupportsMinorities in Computing (Experience)

Lance White; Tracy Hammond; Larry Powell; Dilma Da Silva; Santana Gonzales; Sara Amani

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Minorities in Engineering Division Technical Session 1
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40976
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40976
Download Count: 391

Paper Authors

biography

Lance White Texas A&M University

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Lance White is a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University in the Multidisciplinary Engineering Department focusing on Engineering Education research. His areas of expertise include qualitative and quantitative research in engineering education, but a stronger focus has been in qualitative methods and analysis. He is working as a graduate research assistant at the Institute for Engineering Education and Innovation at the Texas Engineering Experiment Station at Texas A&M University under director Dr. Tracy Hammond. Dr. Karan Watson and Dr. Pavel Tsvetkov are his co-chairs. He completed his M.S. in Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University under Dr. Yassin Hassan working on experimental thermal hydraulics, and completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at West Texas A&M University.

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Sara Amani is a Graduate Research Assistant at Texas A&M University. She graduated as a chemical engineer from Texas A&M University at Qatar and is currently a PhD student of the Multidisciplinary Engineering focusing on engineering education. She also works at the Institute for Engineering Education and Innovation (IEEI) at Texas A&M. Her research interests include women in engineering, mental health / well-being of engineering students, accessibility in engineering, and humanitarian engineering.

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Abstract

In 2016 the Hispanic enrollment in computer science and computer engineering for both undergraduate and graduate students at Texas A&M University initially sat at 17.9% and has decreased to approximately 11.76% in 2021, with undergraduate Hispanic enrollment in computing reducing from almost 22% down to under 15% in that same time frame[1]. This significant shift in Hispanic student representation spurred the development of this organization, Aggie Hispanics In Computing (AHIC), to create a computing community and provide support focused around the shared experiences of being part of a minority group at a predominately white institution (PWI) in an even less diverse discipline. This organization is not a lone member of Hispanic serving organizations at Texas A&M University, overall considered a Hispanic serving institution (HSI), rather it was designed to focus particularly on serving Hispanic students in the computer science and computer engineering disciplines at Texas A&M University. Since the organization was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AHIC has grown significantly in membership, financial support, and goal attainment focused on increasing representation of Hispanic students within the computing disciplines at Texas A&M University. The organization has grown from 6 to over 50 members from various disciplines in the past year alone. AHIC has also received financial support from a multitude of companies such as General Motors, Chevron, and others. The overall goal of AHIC is to create a supportive community for minorities in various computing fields. This community has been grown through hosting supporting events that provide information and resources about university research, professional career opportunities, workshops, and mentorship programs. AHIC has also initiated several long-term initiatives such as peer teaching for introductory computer science courses in the past year. We have focused on company panels and alumni coaching in which company representatives and alumni provide career advice for currently enrolled students. The organization has also hosted seminars and workshops educating freshmen on new computing skills and opportunities that a computer science and computer engineering degree can provide. This paper will discuss the need recognized for a minority focused and serving computing organization and how the formation of Aggie Hispanics In Computing provides a community that is promising for the future of minorities in the computing field at Texas A&M University.

Citation
Format

White, L., & Powell, L., & Hammond, T., & Da Silva, D., & Gonzales, S., & Amani, S. (2022, August), The Development of a Student Organization that SupportsMinorities in Computing (Experience) Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40976

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In 2016 the Hispanic enrollment in computer science and computer engineering for both
undergraduate and graduate students at Texas A&M University initially sat at 17.9% and has
decreased to approximately 11.76% in 2021, with undergraduate Hispanic enrollment in
computing reducing from almost 22% down to under 15% in that same time frame[1]. This
significant shift in Hispanic student representation spurred the development of this organization,
Aggie Hispanics In Computing (AHIC), to create a computing community and provide support
focused around the shared experiences of being part of a minority group at a predominately white
institution (PWI) in an even less diverse discipline. This organization is not a lone member of
Hispanic serving organizations at Texas A&M University, overall considered a Hispanic serving
institution (HSI), rather it was designed to focus particularly on serving Hispanic students in the
computer science and computer engineering disciplines at Texas A&M University. Since the
organization was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AHIC has grown significantly
in membership, financial support, and goal attainment focused on increasing representation of
Hispanic students within the computing disciplines at Texas A&M University. The organization
has grown from 6 to over 50 members from various disciplines in the past year alone. AHIC has
also received financial support from a multitude of companies such as General Motors, Chevron,
and others. The overall goal of AHIC is to create a supportive community for minorities in
various computing fields. This community has been grown through hosting supporting events that
provide information and resources about university research, professional career opportunities,
workshops, and mentorship programs. AHIC has also initiated several long-term initiatives such
as peer teaching for introductory computer science courses in the past year. We have focused on
company panels and alumni coaching in which company representatives and alumni provide
career advice for currently enrolled students. The organization has also hosted seminars and
workshops educating freshmen on new computing skills and opportunities that a computer
science and computer engineering degree can provide. This paper will discuss the need
recognized for a minority focused and serving computing organization and how the formation of
Aggie Hispanics In Computing provides a community that is promising for the future of
minorities in the computing field at Texas A&M University.
AU  - Lance White
AU  - Larry Powell
AU  - Tracy Hammond
AU  - Dilma Da Silva
AU  - Santana Gonzales
AU  - Sara Amani
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Development of a Student Organization that SupportsMinorities in Computing (Experience)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40976
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40976
ER  -