2019 Participants

ACM's Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing (SIGHPC) has announced the 25 undergraduates chosen to take part in the second annual Computing4Change event. Co-located with the SC19 conference in Denver, CO, Computing4Change introduces students to the potential of computing to create positive change in our society. Students learn to work as part of a team, applying data analysis and computational thinking to a social challenge while experiencing the latest tools and techniques from computing and data science.

SIGHPC received applications from institutions around the world. 56% of applicants were female or non-binary gender and, of applicants from the US, over half are from groups underrepresented in computing. Applicants included students in a wide range of majors, from biology and graphic design to engineering and public health.

The applications were reviewed and evaluated by a panel of experts from diverse backgrounds across race, gender, discipline, and nationality. Selections were based on applicant’s vision for using technology to affect positive change in an issue relevant to them; overall potential for impact in their chosen fields and home institutions; and the extent to which they can serve as ambassadors to increase diversity in the workplace.

68% of the 25 awardees identify as female, and 48% of awardees are first generation college students. Among awardees from the US, 32% are Latino/Hispanic, 12% are Black or African American, 8% are from the Pacific region including Hawai`i and Guam, and those remaining are White or Asian descent. SIGHPC congratulates the students accepted to this highly competitive activity:

• Maia Alviar, University of California at Berkeley

• Faith Bautista, University of Guam

• Erin Burba, Northeastern University

• Joshua Cartagena, Delaware County Community College

• Regina-Mae Dominguez, University of Guam

• Lillianna Flynn, Chaminade University of Honolulu

• Judith Garcia, University of Texas at El Paso

• Alejandra Garcia Orosco, California State University, Los Angeles

• Jamie George, University of Colorado Boulder

• Javier Gonzalez, Universidad de Puerto Rico

• Jose Gonzalez, University of Texas at Austin

• Maxx Kozec, OSU Cascades

• Breana Moreno, Texas State University

• Pragyee Nepal, Simmons University

• Jeanie Nguyen, University of Guam

• Samuel Ofori, Fort Valley State University

• Angella Osinde, Mississippi State University

• Michaud Reyna, Morehouse Collge

• Patrick Santos, University of Guam

• Catherine Stevens, Linn-Benton Community College

• Monet Stevenson, Brooklyn College

• Casandra Tanare, Chaminade University of Honolulu

• Yesenia Trujillo, California State University, Los Angeles

• Autumn Wilomovsky, Interamericana de Puerto Rico

• David Wollensak, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

We also want to give a special thanks to the mentors who are graciously volunteering their time and expertise to help make this event a success. These volunteers will each be working with one of the teams of four, guiding them through their process of data analysis and discovery.

• Lou Brand, Colorado School of Mines

• Nilo Espinoza, University of Guam

• Claire Fiorino, San Diego State University

• Jack Gaither, University of Arkansas

• Pam Qian, Rice University

All Computing4Change participants receive travel support to attend SC19 in Denver, CO (USA).