Keynote Speakers

Cyborgs, pervasive computing, machines as humans – what are the implications of our rapidly evolving human-technology interface for science, education, work, and society? National Science Foundation Director France Córdova has announced an ambitious research agenda focusing on a set of Big Ideas related to both research and process that are expected to lead to transformative discoveries and build on work currently underway within the foundation [1]. Córdova is counting on educators and scientists to submit ambitious grant proposals that move beyond the comfort zone of projects with guaranteed success exploring familiar topics, to uncover and answer the questions that are sensed or implied by recent technological advances, but which have not yet been articulated. How do the ideas fit within and build upon existing NSF programs? What will PIs need to address to receive funding? This talk will map a subset of the Big Idea themes to research questions, objectives, and activities and walk through the pipeline of education research [2] that guides successful STEM education projects.

[1] Mervis, J., NSF director unveils big ideas, Science, 352 (6287), 755-756, 13 May 2016. DOI: 10.1126/science.352.6287.755.

[2] Institute of Education Sciences and National Science Foundation. Common guidelines for education research and development. 2013. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13126/nsf13126.pdf.

Stephanie E. August is a Program Director in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation. She is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Seaver College of Science and Engineering, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Prior to LMU she was a staff engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company and a copy cataloger. Stephanie has served as department director of graduate studies and special assistant to the chief academic officer for graduate studies at LMU. She is interested in online interactive digital learning environments and infusing other disciplines with computing concepts and has taught courses such as English+graphics+computing, animation+computing, and English composition+computing. She is also interested in computational models of reasoning by analogy and exploring the boundaries between people and machines. She received her B.A. in Slavic Languages and M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science, all from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Attendees should bring a laptop, as the talk may involve some hands-on hacking.

Ben Shapiro is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and the ATLAS Institute in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he is also faculty, by courtesy, in Learning Sciences & Human Development and the Department of Information Science.

His research group, the Laboratory for Playful Computation (LPC), investigates how to help young people with diverse backgrounds to learn computer science through collaborative, creative expression and through the design of interactive technologies to solve problems in their homes and communities. This research encompasses the design and development of new educational technologies, and the formation of partnerships with teachers and community organizations to co-create inclusive and expansive learning opportunities for children and adults.

He earned his Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and was a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He has a B.A. in Independent Studies from the University of California, San Diego.

Katherine Breeden is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Harvey Mudd College.