Students organizing against pollution: computational thinking across boundaries

There is a growing need in computer science education to develop courses that demonstrate the articulations between computer science and an array of computing-dependent fields. This poster describes an effort to develop a model for students and faculty to collaborate across disciplines and with a community organization to develop computational solutions to address complex real-world problems. Students in computer science classes are collaborating with students in journalism classes and Habitat for Humanity, to develop a web-based system that manages pollution related data. This is an initiative aimed at empowering citizens in the Trenton area of New Jersey with the opportunity to learn, share, and contribute pollution data while encouraging them to become participants in environmental advocacy and public policy deliberations on these issues. While students focus on the objectives of the individual courses, they are also deeply engaged in the complexities of privacy, security, accessibility of data, user-centered design, etc. as they ponder civic justice issues.