Enhancing Participation And Education In Cs Through Guided Research Projects In Underserved Communities

While the needs and applications for computing technology have been growing, the enrollment and interest in Computer Science (CS) at the university level has not been growing in proportion. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of globalization requires a new set of skills for future technology leaders. These skills include the ability to work well in multidisciplinary and globally distributed teams, cross cultural boundaries with ease, create innovative solutions for problems that arise in unfamiliar settings, and think outside the box to solve a variety of problems while building effectively upon related work in the literature. These changes are also reflected in the growing interest among youth in global issues and how we can make a difference in underserved communities. This paper reports on our experience in designing and deploying an innovative internship that addresses these issues and seeks to enhance participation and education in CS through guided research projects in underserved communities.