The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 106

PAGE H2 www.thnt.com HOME NEWS TRIBUNE FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2007 EDUCATION As computer science majors dip, U.S. schools aim to overhaul the art of programming CML: Using landmark sites as teaching tool From Page HI Clotie Graves led the tour at Evers' house. Graves, who has a business that works with the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, noted, "Civil rights tours are very popular among colleges, senior citizens' groups, historical groups and high schools." Evers' house was restored by Castle Rock Entertainment, which used it for scenes in the 1996 movie "Ghosts of Mississippi," Graves said while leading another tour on a recent Saturday, during which curator Minnie Watson shared personal stories about meeting Evers. Another stop was Peaches Cafe, which owner Roderick Ephram said had been frequented by Freedom Riders in the 1960s. Matlock took the trip as an independent study for the liberal studies master's degree i related to biology, and so this new thrust works well for us," said Joel Burdick, a Caltech bioengineering professor.

At Georgia Tech, computing professor Tucker Balch says the brain drain is partly the fault of what he calls the "prime number" syndrome. It's the traditional way to teach computer science students by asking them to write programs that spit out prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence or other mathematical series. It's proven a sound way to educate students dead-set on joining the ranks of computer programmers, but it's also probably scared away more than a few. That's why Balch, who oversees the robotics class, is optimistic about the Scribbler, a scrappy blue robot cheap enough for students to buy and take home each night after class but versatile enough to handle fairly complex programs. The key to the class is the design of the robot.

It weighs By CREG BLUESTEI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The lesson plan was called "Artificial Unin- telligence," but it was written more like a comic book than a syllabus for a serious computer science class. "Singing, dancing and drawing polygons may be nifty, but any self-respecting evil roboticist needs a few more tricks in the repertoire if they are going to take over the world," read the day's instructions to a dozen or so Georgia Tech robotics students in Atlanta. They had spent the last few months teaching their personal "Scribbler" robots to draw shapes and chirp on command. Now they were being asked to navigate a daunting obstacle course of Girl Scout cookie boxes scattered over a grid. The course is aimed at reig-niting interest in computer science among undergraduates.

Educators at Georgia Tech and elsewhere are turning to innovative programs like the Scribbler to draw more students to the field and reverse the tide of those leaving it. At risk, professors say, is nothing less than U.S. technology supremacy. As interest in computer science drops in the iirrrn I I i t- i The Associated Prtll Sharon Matlock, a human resources associate at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and a graduate student, recently joined professors and students on a five-state trip to civil rights landmarks. she's pursuing.

The trip cost $275 per person. The Rev. Michael W. Waters, pastor of Greater Garth Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas, came up with the idea for civil rights trips in 2004 when he was a Southern Methodist theology student. "I've always had a passion for the civil rights movement and in revisiting the achievements of the movement," Waters said.

SMU's chaplain's office and the William P. Clements Department of History oversee the trips, which are supported by grants. Students who want three hours of academic credit must read material, watch videos, keep a journal and write a paper about the trip, said Wil liam M. Finnin SMU's chaplain. The trip focuses on the years ary is already being planned and will be different.

Finnin said it would put more emphasis on Mississippi and the blues. "We hope to go to Money, where many people believe the emotional and cultural trigger for the civil rights movement began with the death of Emmett Till," he said. "We hope to add a stop in Philadelphia, where Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman were killed." Besides the Southern experience of race relations from slavery and the Civil War through Reconstruction and Jim Crow, the 2008 trip will consider some aspects of Hurricane Katrina. Matlock said the most moving part of the trip was the group's visit to a slavery and Civil War U.S., India and China are emerging as engineering hubs with cheap labor and a skilled work force. Schools across the country are taking steps to broaden the appeal of the major.

More than a dozen universities have adopted "media computation" programs, a sort of alternate introduction to computer science with a New Media vibe. The classes, which have been launched at schools from the University of San Francisco to Virginia Tech, teach basic engineering using digital art, digital music and the Web. Others are turning to niche fields to attract more students. The California Institute of Technology, which has seen a slight drop in undergraduate computer science majors, has more than made up for the losses by emphasizing the field ofbioengineering. "Many of our computer science faculty work on subjects AKBAR: Wanting everyone to know Railway's black history 1955 to 1968, said SMU history professor Glenn Linden, who serves as trip historian and leads discussions about the sites and the videos the travelers watch en route.

"We have meetings in the evening and we process it. For a while, some of the white students feel anxious," said Linden. "Some of the black students begin to understand why their parents were trying to protect them and (they understand) what could happen to them in a fairly racist society." Still, he said the trip is not about guilt. "You're not blamed if you're white. When the trip is over, we meet and say, 'How can we make SMU a better Linden said.

Next year's pilgrimage itiner the Rahway Public Library. A mural of the Railway's notable black men and women is on display at the library. This year, the mural includes Tomi Jenkins, a singer with the group Cameo, a friend of Ak-bar's father, and Eric Roberson, a former Rahway football player who is a singer songwriter and and has written songs for Marian Carey and other top singers. "He sang over the phone for the kids. They were fascinated with him," Akbar said.

The students also learned about Elijah Pippenger, Railway's last town crier, who was known as "the mayor" because he told people all the news. A Civil War veteran, Pippenger helped other black families relocate to Rahway. Akbar said Pip-penger great-great-great-granddaughter, Cheneya Hill, is a second-grade pupil at the Franklin School. Joe Williams, considered one The committee pointed no fingers and instead blamed a "structural flaw in the market" because faculty members select the books but students pay for them. Though students are affected most directly, faculty, colleges, bookstores and publishers "are also victims of the From Page HI history every day which the Amistad mandate dictates, and not relegating it to Dr.

Martin Luther King's birthday or Black History Month," said Karen Jackson-Weaver, New Jersey Amistad Commission executive director. "This para digm enables educators to transform the psyche and consciousness of their students while embracing historical truths about the people of the African diaspora and their rich contributions to American society." Paula Braxton, Franklin School principal, said it's an honor for Akbar to receive the recognition. She said Akbar, a former Rahway student, integrates black history year round. She said all the materials worked on by students culminates with a program for African American History Month at museum, housed in the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma. She wrote in her journal: "moved to tears as we were treated like slaves." The group was told not to make eye contact with the museum guide, she said.

And when they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge site of 1965's "Bloody Sunday" march Matlock wrote, "Oh Lord! The horror, the pain, the courage, the determination, the fights, the victories of a people." The trip answered many questions, she said. "Some of the people said it was life changing and I didn't believe it," she said. "But it has changed my life, my outlook, my understanding and my willingness. It kind of puts you more at a peace about yourself." owner of Rah way's Bridges Book Store, with others in the community. Evans wants all the students in Rahway as well as adults to know about the good things black men and women have done in her community.

"All schools should have done what we did," she said. Akbar agreed. He said students proposed that black history be incorporated into the district's curriculum. Rahway Superintendent of Schools Frank Buglione said the district and city have put money in the budget to train teachers on black history and that it is scheduled to get underway this fall. "I'm trying to get black history classes district-wide," Akbar said.

"Even if I didn't win an award, it wouldn't stop me from what I want to accomplish. Having black history in the curriculum and Rahway black history, that's my ultimate goal." on book costs textbooks and supplies. It also found that price increases averaged 6 percent a year, or twice the rate of inflation. Some states have introduced or passed legislation aimed at improving af-fordability. A full report was released last week at www.ed.govACSFA.

Father knows best The Home News Tribune is planning a section on June 17 to honor our fathers and all that they've taught us. We'd like to hear from you. What's the most important thing your dad taught you? What piece of advice has helped Who's celebrating? about a pound and is slightly smaller than a Frisbee, sporting three light-detecting sensors and a speaker that can chirp. And at about $75, it's roughly the price of a science textbook. The class centers on twice-weekly lectures, but the real excitement is in the weekly breakout session.

That's where teaching assistants outline their cheeky lesson plans and instruct students how to use commands to navigate their Scribblers around makeshift obstacle courses. Students are not just teaching the Scribblers how to move, they're teaching them how to dance, how to draw and how to create music a sort of artistic dynamo. "It's a lot of fun," said Ami Shah, a 21-year-old senior biology major. "I've learned a lot from this class, and I think it's a really handy skill." Professors are planning to expand the class from around 30 students to more than 200 next semester and are exporting the class to two other Georgia schools in the fall. 799 Dana Sheehan Happy 11th Birthday! We love you wish you the best in the year to come.

Love, Mom, Dad, Billy, Alyssa Snuggles out the information below and return with a Make check payable to: Home News Tribune Home News Tribune News that hits home thntcom Signature Hie Home New Trtjuie, and anyone autfwrad by Home New th andlK refease so Id Hie Home nmk Mmw ranm nAtti a Federal committee says the page needs to turn To submit July Celebration! please fill payment ot 531 and photo tor a business card-size ad by Monday, June 25. Please indicate your home address below. The July Celebration Page will appear on surra ay, jury 1, zuw, $31 .00 Celebration ad with photo. Put my ad online at no additional cost. of Rahway High School's greatest football players, is another local celebrity the students learned about.

Williams held the state scoring title in 1958. He played football at Iowa University as well as for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons and with the Canadian Football League, winning the most valuable player award, twice, Akbar said. "He played in the greatest football team in Rahway history," said Akbar, adding Williams, who is now about 70, still lives in town. The students also learned about John Moon, the first black coach in Rahway; La-Shonda Carter, a track athlete; the late Charles Brown, the founder of the JFK Center, and Dr. Adam McDonald, the first black dentist Fifth-grader Janiyah Evans, 11, said she was glad to share what she learned about Williams, as well as Eva Bridges, failure of this market, and blaming them for high textbook prices is not the answer." Congress directed the committee to focus on textbooks after a Government Accountability Office report in 2005 found that students could spend as much as $900 a year on new EDISON BT OWNE1 No.

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