Susmita A. (Reynoldsburg) is one of the Programming & Software Development students that showcased her work from the class's diversity research project. 

 

February 23, 2023  |  EFCTS

Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Mark Zuckerberg. And even “lesser-known” figures in pop culture like James Gosling, Tim Berners-Lee, and Philip Estridge; all have two things in common. They all are famous for their work in the world of technology, and they all represent the same demographic. 

Once you scroll through the first page or two of results after Googling “famous people in technology”, then maybe you’ll find contributions in technology from underrepresented groups. These are the figures that were having a spotlight cast upon them through a recent research project handed to students in the Programming & Software Development program by instructor Mr. Derek Roeth. 

Tsiyon Yonas (Gahanna) displays her website featuring her chosen subject, Google CEO Sundar Pichai. 

“After taking the Equity Cohort offered by the district, I was motivated to find ways for students to find other individuals that they could resonate with and identify with - someone who did not fit a singular demographic,” said Mr. Roeth. “The hope and main goal of the project were that students learn more about the history of the computing sciences, the contributions of many others, and the applicability to many situations and other industries.”

Students were provided a list of key contributors to the technology industry or were granted the freedom to find their own person of interest that made a substantial contribution to society through technology. Their findings brought to light the names and works of people from different backgrounds, races, and genders that many may never have otherwise heard of. 

Junior Pranil Khatiwoda (Pickerington Central) chose to spotlight Gladys Mae West, Her work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center heavily contributed to a tool that millions of people use today, GPS systems. 

Susmita Adhikari, a junior from Reynoldsburg, chose to research Roy Clay, who after earning a degree in mathematics became a programmer. His work was used to measure radiation diffusion that results after atomic blasts.

Junior Tsiyon Yonas (Gahanna Lincoln) showcased an incredible presentation of current Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Tsiyon shared that Pichai’s story was inspirational because he came from an impoverished area of India and worked his way to earning the title of Google CEO, this after being deeply involved in the development of the Chrome browser, Google Maps, Drive, and GMail, to name a few.

Aaron M. (Whitehall Yearling) shows off his work from his research project.Aaron Moore, a junior from Whitehall Yearling High School, used a family connection to choose his research subject. He shared that his stepfather is outfitted with a pacemaker and after learning about the device’s origins he chose to investigate the work of Otis Boykin. Moore shared that Boykin made resistors, a key item that helps pacemakers function, more efficiently and at a more affordable price.

Santosh C. (Reynoldsburg) and his work on Ada Lovelace.

 Perhaps one of the most interesting presentations was given by junior Santosh Chuwan (Reynoldsburg) who chose to research Ada Lovelace, a woman tabbed as the “Mother of Programming”. According to Santosh, Lovelace is credited with writing the first program or algorithm that could be used by a computer beyond pure calculation. This was done in the early 1840s when Lovelace was in her late 30s. 

Students were not just given the task to do the research but to also use their coding skills to build out a website that would be used to present their findings. While research spanned one screen, HTML and JavaScript code covered the other in each student’s cubicle. 

Tsiyon's website was especially impressive as she integrated motion, scroll-over effects, special on-site navigation, and textured color schemes to her website. Mr. Roeth said that he hopes to share Tsiyon and other students’ research outside of his classroom for other students to see as they pass by.

The Programming & Software Development program is a two-year high school program located at Eastland Career Center in Groveport. The program is designed for students to study database design and management, software development, application/operating systems programming, and web programming.