the educational environment at the Aga Khan school as well as my personal day-to-day experiences confronting a culture very different from my own. I will discuss my experiences as a woman and the gender relations I experienced among my colleagues. I will also discuss my interactions with my senior female students, as I worked with them specifically to prepare their college essays and as a guidance counselor to a group of eighthgrade girls.
From Wellesley Computer Science to the Technology Industry (Panel) SCI 270 Veronica J. Lin ’15, Economics and Computer Science; Erin L. Davis ’14, Computer Science and Mathematics; Linda Ding ’14, Computer Science; Olivia V. Kotsopoulos ’14, Computer Science and Mathematics; Amanda C. Poon ’14, Computer Science; and Yi Tong ’15, Computer Science Advisor: Orit Shaer, Computer Science At Wellesley, our computer science courses and research experiences equipped us with technical knowledge and problem solving skills. This past summer, we used these skills to solve real business problems. Our internship experiences were as diverse as the companies we interned for, from the travel search engine Kayak to a social media security start-up to the large financial firm Fidelity Investments to the software giants Google and Microsoft. While we were challenged with different projects, we each learned valuable lessons. We had the opportunity to learn new (programming) languages and work with unfamiliar platforms, and we also gained insight into how our companies function and the technology industry as a whole. We are excited to share our full experiences as software interns: the application process, the corporate atmosphere, our projects, and our future plans.
Gender in the Classroom: Girls Who Can SCI 364 Empowering Women Through Code: Closing the Gender Gap in Technology Fields Stephanie Lee ’14, Computer Science and Lyndsay R. Coleman ’14, Media Arts and Sciences Advisor: Sohie M. Lee, Computer Science We were co-teachers at a nonprofit called GirlsWhoCode. Started in 2012, the mission statement of GirlsWhoCode is to close the gender gap in the technology field and reach gender parity by immersing high school girls from low-income areas and diverse backgrounds in computer science. The eight-week program taught more than four programming languages, facilitated meetings with inspirational speakers and accomplished mentors, and taught the girls soft skills such as presenting and networking to help them become well-rounded future leaders of the field. After seeing all the amazing things these girls could accomplish in just eight weeks, we started thinking about what it means to empower women, how we can effectively change the technology industry, how to raise awareness of the need for female computer scientists, and exactly what it means to us—and them—to be a girl who codes. Public School Kids: Teamwork, ProblemSolving, and Kinesthetics in Single-Gender Classrooms Rebecca D. Hamilton ’15, Psychology; Emilyrose Havrilla ’15, Psychology; and Katherine A. Smiley ’14, History and Psychology Advisor: Nancy P. Genero, Psychology In an attempt to improve student-centered education, South Carolina is pioneering a voluntary K-12 single gender program in its public schools. During January 2013, a group of students from Wellesley College traveled to South Carolina to observe the overall social dynamics of female and male classrooms. A total of 385 task reports were generated from observations of elementary and t h e
middle schools. Three students will speak about their individual research projects regarding the impact of classroom setting on peer problemsolving and engaged learning. Preliminary results reveal the significant impact of single-gender classrooms on overall instruction and social dynamics, indicating a need to continue to collect data in this field.
Innovative Farming: The Rural, the Urban, and the Rooftop SCI 396 Farmer on the Roof: Urban Agriculture in NYC Mackenzie A. Klema ’14, History and Environmental Studies Advisor: Kristina N. Jones, Biological Sciences Cities rely on rural farms for the bulk of their food. However, unused urban rooftops offer exciting opportunities to build more local and sustainable food systems in cities where real estate is at a premium. This summer, I interned with Brooklyn Grange, the leading rooftop farming business in the United States. While toiling in the summer sun, I received training in organic farming practices, taught children about where their food comes from, and learned how smallscale urban farming can be profitable. During this work I became part of a diverse team of engineers, refugees, consultants, and students committed to reshaping the landscape of New York City while building community. The experience made me a firm believer in the transformative power of urban agriculture. My talk will explore the benefits and technical challenges of rooftop agriculture, issues of access and inclusion in the local food movement, and the sustainability of commercial rooftop farming.
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