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Symantec Awards WICS $5000 Grant to Teach Scratch in Local Schools

Women in Computer Science WICS logo

The Women in Computer Science (WICS) student group was approved for a $5,000 grant from Symantec. The grant will be used to continue and expand Project Hatch, an ongoing effort to introduce computer science concepts to Elementary, Middle, and High School students from local schools. During 2013-14 UO and Symantec volunteers will teach students Scratch, a widely-used drag-and-drop programming language developed at MIT.

The intentions of Project Hatch are to help young people feel empowered by technology, to open their minds to the innumerable applications of programming and computer science, and to encourage creativity, imagination, and fun. The project was designed with especial focus on providing early computer science exposure to young females, with hopes of improving the percentage of women studying computer science at the college level and beyond.

If you would like to get involved with Project Hatch or have other questions, contact Lara Letaw, WICS staff liaison, at lletaw@uoregon.edu, or visit www.cs.uoregon.edu/groups/wics.