Microelectronics In Connecting Real-world Opportunities for Computer Science (MicroCS)

Microelectronics are the backbone of modern devices and systems. Introducing students to this field can spark interest in careers which are of vital importance in the modern economy. This high school strand CSforAll Research-Practice Partnership Project between Hofstra University, Birdbrain Technologies, North Carolina State University, and 13 high school technology and engineering teachers aims to ensure that high school students learn about microelectronics through the use of hands on, real-world problem-solving opportunities. The project will enhance the microelectronics dimension of the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course curriculum and materials to enliven students’ interest in the big ideas of computing. The project will develop students' interest and motivation in microelectronics and stimulate creativity, with the potential to improve educational practices that would yield broad economic, scientific, and workforce benefits to individuals and society as a whole. MicroCS is a High School Strand research-practice partnership. project. RPP partners include members of an implementation and management team, a Research Team, and a Practitioner team comprised of 13 technology and engineering teachers. The project will be carried out in Carroll County, MD; Wilmington, NC; and Raleigh, NC. The problem of practice the project will address is remedying the lack of emphasis current CS curricula place on microelectronics by enhancing NSF-developed computer science (CS) curriculum to include microelectronics topics and theoretical underpinnings. The curriculum will demonstrate how the analog world we live in is encoded to allow digital processing to be used, and how analog and digital systems coexist all around us to create the very powerful embedded systems used in society today. In addition, the limited range of activities that can be supported by BirdBrain Technologies’ Hummingbird kit (used by many schools to teach coding through robotics in various coding languages), will be addressed by adding a wide range of additional analog and digital sensors, output devices, and actuators. The increased range of sensors and output devices will facilitate the creation of a much wider range of computer control and robotic assignments that can be embedded in the curriculum to stimulate student interest in CS. Overall, the project will help students and the CS education community to develop the interest and motivation to engage in microelectronics and highlight the role of microprocessors and microelectronics in society, and undertake a deep dive into how microprocessors are used in both embedded and traditional computing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.