Becky Odom-Bartel and Chansu Yu will lead National Science Foundation-funded collaborative grant supporting computer science career awareness and preparation

Dr. Becky Odom-Bartel, an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education, alongside co-PI Dr. Chansu Yu, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), will lead CSU's engagement in a collaborative grant to expand the talent pipeline for computer science jobs. Cleveland State will receive $643,191 over four years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of a consortium of participating universities that includes urban and rural institutions in Alabama (The University of Alabama, Tuskegee University), Michigan (Oakland University), Mississippi (Jackson State University, Mississippi State University), and Ohio (Cleveland State University, Central State University). In addition, industry partners will connect students with learning experiences in the automotive, health care, and wireless sectors.

The project, titled, "Collaborative Research: SEI: Creating a Lasting LEGACY - Scaling a Peer-learning Community Model to Provide AP CS Preparation and Career Awareness for Black Young Women" will scale up a successful project developed at the University of Alabama that engaged Black young women in high schools throughout the state of Alabama in a year-long peer-learning community to prepare them for the College Board's Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course. The project is funded by the NSF's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.