Project Grant 2315879

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded a $298,450 Project Grant on January 1, 2024 to the Georgia State University Research Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization, under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program. Through this grant, the researchers at Georgia State University aim to develop a method to identify areas in Georgia school districts that are at higher risk for lack of access to computer science (CS) education. The project will produce: 1) a "Co-SEA (Computer Science Education Access) Risk Index" to quantify the need for increased CS exposure, 2) a new methodology to pinpoint "Racially Inequitable Computer Science (RICS) Deserts" lacking CS education access, and 3) a computational framework to help decision-makers allocate resources and interventions to address these inequities. This interdisciplinary approach will leverage demographic, socioeconomic, civil rights, transportation, and school enrollment data to provide a scalable solution for application at the community, county, state, regional, or national level. The project aims to help broadening participation by increasing access to CS education for underrepresented populations.