Impact

Working with the AmeriCorps program, computer science students deliver computing and technology-related camps to regional K-12 students. Berea students taught robotics, 3D printing, making video games, and e-textiles (i.e., crafts with embedded electronics) to the K-12 students. 

Is a semester-long project for teams of students, the Database Systems course typically creates database systems that support local businesses and non-profit organizations in creating software that supports their daily operations. The class has worked with partners such as Habitat for Humanity, MACED, the Berea Farmer’s Market, and many more local entities. A number of these systems were started in the course and completed by the Student Software Development Team as a live application that is used regularly. You can contact Dr. Mario Nakazawa  for more information on how to collaborate with the course.

Each year, a team of CS students volunteer as judges at the RCX Robotics League Competition held at Ferristown Middle School. The event usually takes place in March each year. You can contact Dr. Jan Pearce  if you would like to volunteer as a judge.

As a culmination of the course, the Intro to Robotics class typically creates and demos their robotic creations at the Berea Public Library. The event is attended by local children, who play with the robots and help the students see how computer science is more than just creating code.

The  Computer Science Department has a long-standing tradition of involving students in research. Current research is underway on developing software for a new robotic platform. These research efforts include a completely new overall robot design with an impact on performance in terms of mobility, manipulation, and communication capabilities, the creation of a software backbone system for sensory processing and communication among different miniature robots in order to create an effective robotic team. This work is expected to contribute to the field of miniature robot design resulting in heterogeneous robot teams that will be far more effective in tasks such as search/rescue missions, locating the source of a biological or chemical release, decontamination and decommissioning efforts, and monitoring highly sensitive areas of populations, such as elderly or disabled patients in residential care units. This work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Award #0420836 from 2004 to 2008.

An internship is an opportunity to gain valuable work experience in an applied setting. Internships are supervised both within the work setting and by a faculty member who is knowledgeable in the discipline related to the internship. Internships typically take place during Short Term or Summer Term. For example, during the Summer of 2017 there were 20-30 Berea College interns working in various locations. There were interns working in offices in New York and some stayed on Campus and helped better the campus.

Following Berea College’s commitment to student labor as a means of learning, the Computer Science Department employs students to work within its facilities. Student labor positions in the department include working as a teaching assistant, tutoring in the Computer Science Lab, supervising other students, working as a research assistant, student programmers, and other jobs that keep the department functioning.