2019-2020 News Archive
Charlotte Dungan and Garrett Love recognized as Finalist EdTech "Educator Setting a Trend"
We are proud to announce that two members of our Engineering and Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence group were recognized as finalists in the "Educator Setting a Trend" category of the 2020 EdTech awards. The EdTech awards, sponsored by edtechdigest.com, are "the largest recognition program in all of education technology" and "recognize people in and around education for outstanding contributions in transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere."
Charlotte Dungan is recognized for having taught and developed innovative and highly-valued interactive video computer science courses as part of the STEM Scholars program. She has been recognized as the Educator Award Winner for NCWIT and has presented at a variety of computer science and teaching conferences. Charlotte was recently selected as an INSPIRE CS-AI (Innovative New Spaces for Practice and Rehearsal in Teacher Education, Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence) fellowship recipient, which includes a yearlong partnership with the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and the Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center for Innovative Teaching to develop AI-based support programs to help new CS teachers navigate the complexities of teaching CS and AI courses. Her unique combination of curriculum writing experience, educational background, and AI content knowledge, as well as her continuing work in equity and diversity, are major assets in developing innovative AI programming.
Garrett Love’s primary “trendsetting” contribution is the ongoing creation of computational models specifically designed for classroom use and of associated physical lessons that help reinforce concepts in computational thinking and modeling. Online contributions include a suite of java applets for engineering applications, ESRI SpatiaLabs lessons in GIS, and NetLogo user community models. His groundwater simulation and Floorlandia flood models have been presented (ASTE, NARST) as centerpiece elements of the NSF-MSP CompHydro project. His current classroom models analyze 2-dimensional trusses, algorithmically generate contour plots, simulate water filtration, plot rocket trajectories and visualize flow over an airfoil. He has developed and taught courses and summer workshops that introduce agent-based modeling.
Dr. Hubbard Wins Exceptional Contribution Award
Congratulations to Dr. Letitia Hubbard for winning the NCSSM Exceptional Contribution Award For Service to Students. Dr. Hubbard was recognized for her contributions in the classroom, helping students in Research and Mentorship, and wonderful opportunities outside the classroom, such as NSBE Jr. and the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge.
NCSSM team National Finalist in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest
The NCSSM team is now one of only 20 national finalists from an original application pool of over 2000 entries! Dr. Hubbard, the advisor for this project, tells team members they should be very proud of the passion and work ethic that they have exhibited over the past few months. As National Finalists, the team guaranteed $50,000 in Samsung equipment for our school. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the final round, a pitch competition, has been postponed. Work on the project will continue as a Summer Research and Innovation project at NCSSM.
NCSSM sponsors first school-wide Hackathon, UniHacks
The weekend of Jan. 17 both residential and online #NCSSM students had the opportunity to participate in UniHacks, the school’s first Hackathon! Teams of 1-4 students were challenged to build any type of computer science project within a span of 12 hours. Projects included a plugin-based text editor, a chatbot to answer questions for admissions, an interactive skiing game, and the winning team developed a website to compile & search a database of scholarship opportunities.
Representatives from the tech industry were on hand to give presentations, advise students, and talk about working in #tech. Companies present included Credit Suisse, IBM, Dude Solutions, SAS Software, Intel, VMware, and Fidelity Investments. Congratulations to all the students who worked hard on their #hackathon projects this year!
Text and Photo Credit: NCSSM Communications
NCSSM team named state winner in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest
NCSSM has been named one of two state winners, from thousands of entries nationwide, for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. Our teacher-student team led by engineering instructor Letitia Hubbard is developing an app that will reduce recycling contamination by using AI and machine learning.
The Samsung contest encourages teachers and students to solve real-world issues in their community using STEM skills. NCSSM is among the nation’s 100 State Winners (representing all 50 states) and will receive $15,000 in technology for its achievement. The NCSSM team will continue to work on their project, including creating a three-minute video on their project development, in hopes of advancing to the National Finalist round. Keep up the great work! See student Jason Li on ABC11 News.
Text and Photo credit: NCSSM Communications
NCSSM Alums at West Point, Military Academy experience Orientation Flight
On Saturday, November 16, USMA Class of 2020 Cadet Sarah Morrow, Class of 2021 Cadet Chloe Deets, Class of 2022 Cadet Stonewall Sisk, and Class of 2023 Cadet William Leary got to experience an orientation flight down the Hudson Valley with West Point’s 2nd Aviation Detachment.
The four cadets are graduates from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), a public and residential STEM-focused high school in Durham, NC. Cadet Sarah Morrow was a part of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE Jr. ) Chapter while she was a student here. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dylan Ferguson is also an NCSSM graduate (Class of 2004) who currently works for USMA's 2nd Aviation Detachment and the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering flight section.
Saturday’s flight provided a unique opportunity for the cadets to experience Army Aviation first hand and to see some of the practical applications of STEM in everyday Army operations. The cadets also participated in a professional development dinner with CW4 Ferguson where they discussed how their shared experiences and academic opportunities prepare them for leadership and successful careers in the Army.
-Credit: West Point, Military Academy
NCSSM selected as state finalist in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition
NCSSM is a state finalist in the 10th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a $3 million nationwide competition that encourages 6th-12th grade students to creatively use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to solve a community challenge. From a pool of more than 2,000 entries nationwide, only 300 schools have been selected as a state finalist.
NCSSM was chosen based on the proposal submitted by Dr. Letitia Hubbard and the NCSSM team to address recycling contamination using STEM applications such as artificial intelligence learning in her classroom. As a North Carolina State Finalist, Dr. Hubbard will receive a Samsung tablet for her classroom and has the opportunity to advance through future phases of the contest.
NCSSM NSBE Hosts First E(ngineering)-Social on the NCSSM Campus
The NCSSM NSBE Jr. club hosted their first E(ngineering) Social in collaboration with the HBCU Fair on Oct. 9th during College Week. Guest Speakers included representatives from the RTP Professionals NSBE Chapter, the Duke Collegiate NSBE Chapter, SAS, John Deere, and Erin Gallimore Consulting . Students received words of wisdom about how to successfully navigate their educational and career journeys and also connected with professionals at various stages in their careers. This E-social was sponsored in part by the generous support of the Broyhill Foundation Endowment.
Charlotte Dungan, AI Program Architect, wins INSPIRE CS-AI Fellowship from MIT/Carnegie
Congratulations to Charlotte Dungan, AI Program Architect for NCSSM's new Ryden Program for Innovation and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence! Dungan was recently selected as a recipient of an INSPIRE CS-AI fellowship from MIT/Carnegie Mellon! (INSPIRE CS-AI is short for Innovative New Spaces for Practice and Rehearsal in Teacher Education, Computer Science-Artificial Intelligence.)
Text and Photo Credit: NCSSM Communications
Welcome to our New Instructors
We are welcoming Charles Robinson as a new instructor of computer science. Charles has taught at Voyager Academy and is coming to NCSSM to further his mission to introduce technology to young people who would otherwise not have that opportunity. He is teaching in the IVC STEM Scholars Program and Computer Science courses in our residential program.
Shannon Namboodri is joining us as an Instructor of Engineering. She has a PhD in Materials Science Engineering and will be teaching a variety of introductory to advanced engineering courses both online and through our residential program. Shannon brings both industry and teaching engineering experience to NCSSM.
Mr. Keethan Kleiner delivered a two-week summer research experience in computer science and artificial intelligence. Student projects included a range of topics including:
Quantum Music Generation
Real-time Flower Classification
Blockchain & Consensus Algorithms
Stock Market Predications & Asset Allocation
Dr. Letitia Hubbard engaged her students in a two-week research opportunity in Biomedical Engineering. The students collaborated in groups to work on two projects:
Determining the Critical Flicker Fusion Rate with Different Color LEDs
Using Artificial Intelligence to Detect Skin Cancer