This repository holds resources for serving other students at the University of Oklahoma's School of Computer Science and Computer Engineering. You will also find (mostly) up-to-date information for maintaining the chapter: such as remaining in good standing with our national organization, managing our Discord channel, hosting chapter activities, organizing recruitment and outreach materials, listing documentation for professional development (like competitions/scholarships), adapting materials from other computer science clubs, and share ideas for improving our strengthening OU's computer science community.
New officers should skim through the Official SGA informational page for Engage.
Users communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called "servers". Servers are a collection of persistent chat rooms and voice chat channels.
Information provided in ACM Chapter-in-a-Box see Student Chapter-in-a-Box. Very useful
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Administrative Interface — allows us to manage our chapter’s member roster, update our chapter’s contact information. The web account can be created at: http://campus.acm.org/public/account/chap/chap_acct.cfm.
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Chapter Web Tools — ACM offers Chapters the following web tools – Website hosting, wikis and blogs; for more information please go to: http://www.acm.org/ chapters/chapter-web-tools.
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Local Activities Calendar — Let Chapter Members, ACM Members, and other computing professionals, know about your upcoming events: https://www.acm.org/chapters/local-activities.
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Distinguished Speakers Program — This is one of the premier technology outreach programs in the computing industry. The ACM DSP has over 695 lectures from nearly 195 different speakers! https://speakers.acm.org/
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UPE/ACM Student Chapter Scholarship Award — Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the Honorary Computer Science Society, and ACM encourage academic excellence for students in the computing discipline. UPE initiated this award with ACM to raise the importance of academic achievement and professional commitment in our future computer professionals. Up to two awards of $1,000 each are given from UPE each year to competition winners. Winners also receive a certificate of commendation.
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Student Chapter Excellence Awards — These awards recognize outstanding ACM student chapters in several categories. Chapters that display considerable initiative during the academic year are encouraged to apply. http://www.acm.org/chapters/student-chapter-excellence-awards
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Membership Promotion - The headquarters office can help chapters planning ACM membership drives by providing ACM Membership applications, brochures, and promotional materials. You can find more information on promotional materials at the following URL: https://www.acm.org/chapters/chapter-promotional-materials.
- Outstanding Chapter Activities - For ACM student chapters that sponsor a series of exceptional activities throughout the year or have focused their efforts on a single major activity. Tell us about your chapter's most successful activity/activities – you may list a maximum of 4. Please ensure to enumerate each one and place in order from oldest to newest. Be sure to describe each activity, including: the date (add end date if it was multiple days), the type of event, how many people participated, how it was funded, and what made it a success. If you have web pages for these activities, include the URLs. Please be sure to use your chapter's official name - do not refer to your chapter as 'ACM,' 'ACM-W' or 'WICS.' Please note, links to essays will not be accepted and will disqualify your chapter.
- Outstanding Chapter Website - For ACM student chapters that maintain an outstanding chapter website. Tell us about the design and content of your website and any noteworthy features. Also, tell us how you created it and what you do to keep it up to date. Don't forget to provide the URL so the judges can check it out. Please be sure to use your chapter's official name - do not refer to your chapter as 'ACM,' 'ACM-W' or 'WICS.' Please note, links to essays will not be accepted and will disqualify your chapter.
- Outstanding Recruitment - For ACM student chapters that have done an excellent job of recruiting chapter members. Tell us about your recruiting program. How do you let students at your school know about your chapter and how do you get them interested in becoming a chapter member? What factors are most critical to your success? How many chapter members does your chapter have? Please note, this question is referring to your chapter member recruitment, not ACM membership recruitment. Please be sure to use your chapter's official name - do not refer to your chapter as 'ACM,' 'ACM-W' or 'WICS.' Please note, links to essays will not be accepted and will disqualify your chapter.
- Outstanding Community Service - For ACM student chapters that have made significant contributions to their communities through one major service project or a series of smaller projects - you may list a maximum of 4. Please ensure to enumerate each one and place in order from oldest to newest. Be sure to describe each project, including: the date (add end date if it was multiple days), who it served, how many people participated, and why was your chapter interested in these particular projects? If you have web pages for these projects, include the URLs. Please be sure to use your chapter's official name - do not refer to your chapter as 'ACM,' 'ACM-W' or 'WICS.' Please note, links to essays will not be accepted and will disqualify your chapter.
- Outstanding School Service - For ACM student chapters that have made significant contributions to their own schools through one major service project or a series of smaller projects. Tell us about projects that help your fellow students, your department, or your school in general - you may list a maximum of 4. Please ensure to enumerate each one and place in order from oldest to newest. Tell us about each project including: the date (add end date if it was multiple days), how many people participated, and how it helped your fellow students, your department, or your school in general. If you have web pages for these projects, include the URLs. (Note, if you have worked on projects to help other schools, for example neighboring high schools, apply for the Community Service award rather than the School Service award.) Please be sure to use your chapter's official name - do not refer to your chapter as 'ACM,' 'ACM-W' or 'WICS.' Please note, links to essays will not be accepted and will disqualify your chapter.
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Minecraft Workshop - Invite members to follow along a Reinforcement Learning workshop where the presenter demonstrates how to create a minecraft-playing agent capable of fending off enemies, gathering building materals, mining resources, etc.
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Panel Presentation - Invite two or more people from a studio / company / university to discuss recent work they have done on a film / commercial / project that involves interactive techniques.
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Site Visits - Invite your members to get a behind the scenes view of a local studio / facility / research lab.
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BYO_: Bring your own (blank) - This is a great opportunity to showcase hidden talent and come together to network.
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Joint Meetings - Joint meetings are a great way to interact with local professionals. It is also an opportunity for Professional chapters to meet with local Student chapters to teach and advise.
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Panel Discussions and Roundtables - Invite three or four people from the technology workforce or organize the event with members from your chapter. This will encourage discussions and exchange of ideas and opinions.
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Mixers/Social Events - Host an event, dinner, or dessert party where the main purpose is to meet and greet. Encourage others to interact and exchange thoughts and ideas. For a change of pace, these events can be hosted at bowling alleys, bars, restaurants or at a park on a nice day.
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Seminars - Seminars bring together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is requested to actively participate. This is often accomplished through an ongoing dialogue with a seminar leader or instructor, or through a more formal presentation of research. They are essentially a place where assigned readings are discussed, questions can be raised and debates can be conducted. They are relatively informal.
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College Students Shadowing Professionals - Pair college students with professionals in the students’ desired career field. A student can spend the day with the professional at his/her place of work.
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Advisory Board - Students in the educational institution are elected by their peers to serve on a committee that meets periodically with faculty members in the department. Students and faculty discuss issues such as curriculum, department activities, and any problems that arise during the school year.
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Meet the Grads Night - Invite recent graduates to talk to current students. The graduates should be a mix of people who went to graduate school and people who started their careers right after graduation.
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Distinguished Speakers Program/Lectures - Invite one of ACM’s Distinguished Speakers to speak with your chapter on a topic of your choice. Plan the event with other local organizations and publicize it well to recruit a big audience or even new chapter members. http://www.dsp.acm.org/
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Sports Teams - Enlist your chapter in a local sporting league. This will promote unity and bonding amongst chapter members, as well as encourage friendly competition!
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Holiday Parties - Celebrate the holidays together with food, drinks, games and prizes! A great chance to get to know all the members and officers better.
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How-to Presentations - Have an expert in a specific field demonstrate and teach. How-to’s can range from anything including “How to fix a resume” to “How to use Photoshop,” and more. The sky is the limit!
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Fundraising - Fundraising is a great way to earn money for your chapter to help with conference fees, etc. Raffles, dance-a-thons, coffee and donut sales, are just a few great ways.
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Conferences - Sponsor or co-sponsor a conference with a local non-profit organization. A conference is an excellent platform for researchers in all current areas of information technology to present their latest research findings, as well as an open forum for networking and exchanging of ideas.
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App Workshops - There are hundreds of thousands of apps available in the app market and the numbers are ever increasing. What makes an app good, and how can we quantify that? Host a talk that explores these questions, and use example apps to illustrate relevant features.
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Networking - Interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts.
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CS Alumni in Other Fields - Ask an attorney, physician, or veterinarian, etc. who studied computer science to hold a short conversation with the people-in-computing group. Have the speaker concentrate on how the computer science undergraduate degree helped her to succeed in her chosen field.
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High School Students Shadowing College Students - Pair high school students with college students. The undergraduate should invite the high school student to spend the day with him or her, attending classes and eating meals together. (High school vacation days work well.)
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Departmental Posters - Gather a group of students to make posters advertising all of the departmental events. Alternately, students may create posters advertising course offerings for the upcoming semester, focusing on the fact that just one computer science course can be beneficial regardless of the person’s major.
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Poster Session - Organize a small poster session for students who have conducted summer research and participated in internships. Consider a cooperative effort with any and all local ACM student chapters.
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Interdisciplinary Posters - Ask for volunteers who are double majors and who would like to be profiled in a poster display destined for the computer science lounge/laboratory area. Create high-quality posters, explaining how the presenters combine computer science with another major.
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Banquet/Award Ceremonies - Reward academically outstanding students by recognizing them at an end-of-semester banquet. Rewards can include gift cards for local restaurants or stores, plaques, or certificates. Be sure to include at least one “most improved” award.
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Advisory Board - Students in the computer science department are elected by their peers to serve on a committee that meets periodically with faculty members in the department. Students and faculty discuss issues such as curriculum, department activities, and any problems that arise during the school year.
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Mentoring - Pair younger students with older students based on similar interests and hobbies. Make sure that someone in the group is made explicitly responsible for driving group activities, so momentum begins early and keeps going.
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Tri-Mentoring - Forming groups consisting of a first-year or sophomore, a junior or senior and a member of the computer science faculty. Different groups can consist of a high school student, undergraduate student, and faculty member; undergraduate, graduate, and faculty member; or undergraduate, graduate, and professional. Again, make sure that someone in the group is made explicitly responsible for driving group activities so momentum begins early and keeps going.
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Make a Website - Make a website for your chapter. Include upcoming activities, pictures and descriptions of recent events, and biographies of successful people in a wide variety of interesting computing-related careers.
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Study Sessions - For classes, have students from the same classes can meet the night before a test to review the material and ask questions. For GRE or graduate school preparation, ask faculty members to hold a study session for students interested in taking the GRE. Afterwards, encourage students to review each subject area (such as computer organization) as a group, using at least two sessions where all students prepare for the first meeting using notes and textbooks from previous classes. Individual members of the group prepare presentations that address unanswered questions in a second meeting. Allowing the students to ask experienced faculty members questions about the Exams will calm nerves and kick off the test preparation phase. “Dividing and conquering” further preparation keeps the group on task and lends efficiency to the process.
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”Take Apart Your Computer” Day - Faculty members help students explore the inside of a computer. Alternately, student volunteers take computers apart with younger students, such as students from local high schools.
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Research - Encourage professors to apply for grants from the National Science Foundation, ACM, etc. to fund research programs for students of all levels, not just upper-class students. Encourage fellow students to submit their research to current ACM Student Research Competition (src.acm.org) at conferences throughout the year. Another option is to select several seniors from the capstone course (Senior Project, Senior Seminar, etc.) for a program where the seniors give advice to younger people. Some or all of them can demonstrate their work for the younger students.
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Visit Universities - Small- or medium-sized colleges plan a field trip to a nearby large, research institution’s campus to visit research project laboratories and/or hear graduate students talk about their research and their lives as graduate students. For large universities, plan a trip to a nearby small or medium-size college to present research and talk about lives as graduate students.
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Bulletin Boards - Gather a group of students to make announcement boards to be placed in public areas, advertising classes in the computer science department, career possibilities, research posters, pictures of local award winners and people in-the-news, tutoring opportunities, grants scholarships, other chapter meetings, etc.. Popular places to post would be restrooms, inside classrooms, and in dorms. Consider fun pictures of officers, blown up to poster size. This also helps to dispel stereotypes.
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Scrapbook - Organize a group with scrapbook experience to construct a “people in computing” scrapbook. When high school people come for visits, show them the book. When young people in introductory classes talk about majoring or when faculty members suggest it, also share the scrapbook with them.
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Buddy System - At the beginning of each semester, hold a meeting where people can gather and meet the other people in their classes. The students can then pair up with each other (or form small groups) and set up times to meet outside the classroom throughout the semester, so that the class goes more smoothly for each.
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Communication Workshop - Find an expert in communication who is willing to volunteer time. Many schools or offices specialize in providing teaching and
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training for campus groups and departments. Frame the workshop as a general-audience event - How everyone can improve communication practices.
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Lab Welcoming - The uninviting and unfamiliar COMPUTER SCIENCE laboratory environment can be daunting to people. Gather several older students and invite the laboratory assistants and any other student assistants in the department to a discussion session, providing information that will sensitize the students. The lab assistants should be sure to circulate among the students, be friendly, stop to ask how students who don’t request help are doing, and not wait for students to summon a tutor.
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Invite a Friend - Ask people to invite as many people as they can to a lunch or dessert event. Advanced students should briefly describe “why I am majoring in computer science” and “what our classes are like”. The sponsor can suggest that taking one, single class can make a difference in one’s career choices; that taking the introductory course is a win/win situation; that having no computing background serves as a filter to strain out future options. S/he also describes the support system in place for people-in-computing.
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Interdisciplinary Activities - Invite students who are double-majoring or otherwise pursuing interdisciplinary paths, along with faculty members who perform interdisciplinary research to speak about projects. Examples include digital art, artificial life, mathematical simulation, etc.
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Combined Event - Join forces with another campus group, such as a People in Science group, or the Society of People Engineers (SWE) for a combined event.
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Laboratory Assistants - Invite juniors or seniors to volunteer their time and help out during busy lab hours. Alternately, recruit people to serve as paid laboratory assistants. Profile current tutors, during a chapter meeting, encouraging the students to discuss the benefits/advantages of their work.
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Book Club - Invite students to participate in a monthly book club meeting, where they are free to discuss any interesting novels, but are encouraged to
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read computer science related books, such as Unlocking the Clubhouse - Women in Computing.
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Oral Histories - People have valuable stories to share with succeeding “gen-erations” of students. Have people tape each other and edit the footage into stories. Ask each pair to describe how each member chose computing as a major, what struggles s/he has had and how s/he overcame adversity, and her future plans.
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Science Fair - Ask for student volunteers to judge high school or grade school level science fair projects.
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Brain Games - Send out campus flyers from the chapter. The flyers should be filled with brain games and puzzles that exercise one’s problem solving skills. Be sure to include a line that says “If you like these brain games, you’ll love CS1!”
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Graduate School Information Sessions - Ask computer science professors to hold a graduate school information session for students who are considering continuing education. Topics of discussion may include cost, what to expect, possible degrees one may obtain, and what to look for in a graduate school.
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Visit High Schools - Ask for student volunteers to visit local high schools to educate younger students about the field of computer science and its benefits. Call high schools to find out times and dates for college/career fairs or other counseling events. Offer to attend the event and represent computer science.
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Programming Contests - As a chapter event you may choose to hold a programming contest for introductory students only, with questions supplied by local professors. Invite advanced students to prepare for and to attend programming contests hosted by professional organizations.
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”What Is COMPUTER SCIENCE, by the Way?” Showcase - ”What Is COMPUTER SCIENCE, by the Way?” Showcase: Organize a short-series of workshops that happen every week or two, where faculty members (and perhaps PhD students) provide short, engaging presentations on their research, aimed at undeclared, exploring undergraduates. Provide lunch.
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Career Luncheon - Ask several advanced students to research careers (e.g. project manager, consultant, Web page developer) and attend a luncheon “in character”. Use several round tables, if the group is large. Have people rotate among tables describing their work and “what a typical day is like.”
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Open House - Hold an information session close to registration time for prospective students. Invite current computer science majors as well as professors in the department to mingle with possible future computer science majors. Offer the prospective students tours of the department and its spaces.
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First-year Orientation - During the spring, request inclusion in the school’s first-year orientation program for students interested in the computer science major. Provide snacks and a good place for the students to circulate and get acquainted with other students and faculty in the department and learn about computing classes.
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Conferences - Invite students to attend a people-in-computing conference, either locally or nationally, or persuade your university to host one.
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Workshops, Software - Host a workshop, where volunteers from the computer science major teach other students the basics of certain software programs, such as Microsoft Office, Photoshop, PowerPoint, FrontPage, or even navigating the Internet.
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Graduate School Applications - Faculty members, professionals, or graduate students give tips and advice to undergraduates who are filling out applications for graduate, professional school, assistantships, fellowships; writing personal statements and interviewing.
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Resume Building - This meeting is to help chapter members build a resume for potential internships. The workshop will organize group activities such as ice breakers and public speakings to prepare for interviews.
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Lego Mindstorms® - Gather a group of students to experiment with Lego Mindstorm® robots.
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Community Service, Workshops - Hold periodic workshops for people in the community. Students can help citizens with any computer problems they may be having, or simply teach them to set up and use an email account. Additionally, students may help the unemployed or under-employed construct resumes and learn basic technology skills. The Ohio State University’s TWICE group also helps teach a computer club for girls at a low-income elementary school and provides technical support for low-income neighborhood resource centers. An organization might also want to partner with a local free geek chapter (www.freegeek.org/) to collect, repair and redistribute old PCs.
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Job Hunts - Assemble a group of students to attend a job fair in the nearest big city.
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Mock Interviews - Have professors or professionals from area businesses volunteer to participate in mock interviews for students contemplating graduate school or entering the work world.
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Panel Discussions and Roundtables - Invite three or four people from the technology workforce to speak with students about their careers and lives outside work.
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Database of Interview Questions - Construct a database of interview questions and add to the database as each year’s group of seniors interviews. The database may also include general tips and advice for interviews.
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Database of Research Opportunities - Compose a database which contains information about different research opportunities available to undergraduates.
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Database of Scholarships and Grants - Build a database of scholarship opportunities for people in computing. Encourage people to provide the names and contact information for scholarships they have applied for or received.
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Database of Internships - Have students submit reviews of their internships — location, specifics of the job, feedback, etc. —or keep on record places that are accepting students for internships.
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High School Computer Science Demonstrations - Ask student volunteers to travel to local high schools to give computer science demonstrations for the younger students. Suggestions for presentations include robotics, basic game programming with graphics, and website design. Talk with principals and college administration to determine if high school students can audit or enroll in undergraduate CS1 classes. If both parties agree, advertise CS1.
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Grade School Visits - Ask volunteers to take trips to area grade schools to educate students about the computer science field. Alternately, invite a grade school class to the college.
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Philanthropies and Community Service Days - Select some local philanthropic organizations and volunteer to help, either by raising money, participating in individual events that the charities sponsor or organizing a people-in-computing team to contribute to the success of a fundraising activity. Events include walks for cancer, blood drives, etc. Volunteer at the local humane s/helter, soup kitchen, nursing home, etc.
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Achievement Parties - Celebrate when students or faculty members in the department gain special recognition. Examples include job offers, graduate school acceptance or receipt of an award of special significance.
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Ice Cream Parties - Invite professionals from various companies and seat them at different tables, each with a different ice cream topping. When students arrive, they receive their ice cream, and move from table to table to complete their sundaes. At the same table, they are able to meet and talk with the professionals. Alternately, place upper-class students at the tables and invite first-year and sophomore people to construct sundaes.
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Movie Night - People spend a simple, relaxing night with other people in the computer science department, watching movies and eating popcorn. Recognize scenes where errors demonstrate that the producer had no computing consultant present or ask students to silently record the errors and award a prize for the “best set of errors”. Movie night provides an opportunity for socializing and a break from studying.
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T-shirt design contest - Gather a group of people to participate in a people-in-computing t-shirt design contest using computer generated graphics. Students vote on the best design, which will be used to make t-shirts for the entire group.
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Revamp Display Cases - Redo the computer science department display cases so that they draw attention to more people and other underrepresented groups. Alternatively, as a creative, light-hearted, and social prelude, organize a “sculpting” party to produce computer art for the display cases — sculptures built from discarded computers and parts. Include pictures of the “artists”.
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Computer Jewelry - Design computer jewelry. Buy earring backs, beads, stringing material, glue, etc. and use old chips or motherboards to make computer-inspired jewelry. This activity is a fun and creative outlet for students and provides “free advertising”, when other students ask about the jewelry.
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Women in Computing event - A day to celebrate the impact of women in technology.
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Computer Science Lounge - If the school has no computer science majors’ lounge, organize a group of at least half people to approach the computer science faculty members and/or the administration to create a lounge with a kitchen area. If the school already has a computer science lounge, organize a task force to improve it. Again, request that faculty members provide help.
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Stress Relief - Prior to finals time, bring materials for making stress-relief icons: silly putty, bean bags, rubber bands to snap, don’t-worry dolls, don’t-worry beads, etc. Use the activity as a light-hearted approach to finals time; however, augment the activity by asking junior and senior people to give general advice about preparing for finals. Ask each woman what computer science final(s) s/he will take. Ask for volunteers (who have had each class) to give specific advice for each final. Lastly, group people according to finals and invite them to organize study groups.
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Communication Tools - Organize a listserv, Blackboard, or similar communication tool for local people-in-computing communication and/or among regional chapters and computing-organizations.
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Organized Outings, Student’s Choice - During one meeting, ask each participant to describe his/her favorite out-of-class activity (amusement park, concert, walking, hiking, working out, etc.) and then organize the event/activity in which the group shows the most interest.
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Dinner - Meet another people from another chapter from a nearby institution at a restaurant that is approximately halfway between the two schools.
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Luncheons, Professional - Invite professionals from various fields (databases, software engineering, project management, etc.) to speak to students during lunch time. More students are likely to attend the lecture in this informal setting where lunch is provided.
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Meet the Faculty - Set up a luncheon date at the beginning of each school year and invite students and faculty to meet and socialize. Organize “how to succeed in computer science” discussions at these kinds of socials.
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Blogs, Wikis - During a lunch or other event, invite people who write blogs to share by reading an entry. Hold the event in a tech-equipped room, so that the blogs can be viewed, as well. Distribute a handout with URLs. Ask the people to describe the process of creating a blog.
One purpose of this Chapter Resources repository is to organize logistical information about upcoming events. Best practice will be to upload new folder whose containing all information related to the event. Logistics may be compiled into a single GitHub markdown file and should include: expected attendance, reservation link, catering plans, expected budget, necessary volunteer roles (check-in, chair, ...), collaborating organizations, and any other relevant to dos.
Some venues may require ACM chapters to provide a certificate of insurance before hosting an event. In order to issue a certificate of insurance, we need the following information:
- Date of Event
- Name of Event
- Name and address of company who will be the certificate holder
- Service the certificate holder will be providing the conference
- Location of event, including address
- Type of event
- Projected number of participants
- Number of volunteers
- Will alcohol be available? If yes, who will provide
- Contact info to email certificate (name, fax, email)
Please submit this information to [email protected], at least one week in advance of the event.
- ACM Student Chapter Excellence Awards
- ACM Chapter-in-a-Box see Student Chapter-in-a-Box. Very useful
- ACM Distinguished Speaker Series
- ACM Local Activities Calendar