West Ottawa teacher recognized for promoting gender equity in computing

PARK TWP. — A community large faculty teacher has been identified by a national organization for selling gender equity in computing and technology. 

West Ottawa Higher School’s Andy Hamilton was named a recipient of an Aspiring in Computing Educator Award by the National Center for Girls and Info Technological innovation. He is 1 of 107 full educators across 43 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Canada to make the recognition. 

Hamilton, who teaches Highly developed Placement computer system science, AP pc science ideas, coding and programming in Python and physics, was awarded in the honorable mention category and is a single of two Michigan instructors among the the awardees.

The Nationwide Heart for Girls & Details Engineering is a non-profit neighborhood working to “increase the influential and significant participation” of women and gals, along with other traditionally marginalized identities, in the discipline of computing. 

The organization’s Aspirations in Computing Educator Award acknowledges those people encouraging higher college students figuring out as women of all ages, genderqueer or non-binary to examine desire in computing and technology.

Hamilton was qualified for the award soon after nominating university student Charity Ihrman for a different award. Ihrman ended up successful a Increasing Star award from the NCWIT.

Methods for encouraging extra assorted participation in coding at West Ottawa bundled encouraging other staff members associates to advocate pupils get up computing and starting a chapter of the countrywide “Girls Who Code” club at the faculty.

“The greatest issue has been the Ladies Who Code club we started off this 12 months to offer place for persons interested in coding,” Hamilton explained. “I was seeking at our disappointing quantities for involvement for women and thought this would be a great software to start off at the high faculty.”

Hamilton reported the club has, at a variety of moments, had all around 15 women take part. The hope is for the club to mature in the coming decades and to display pupils that laptop or computer science is for everyone, inspite of the discipline remaining predominantly white males.

Hamilton pointed out that whilst gender gaps have shut in other STEM-relevant fields, laptop or computer science carries on to be a mainly male discipline.

“Computer science is just one of the few destinations we have not produced any enhancements in phrases of the gender hole in participation,” he reported. “In math, science, engineering, ladies are getting and near to equal with boys. In laptop science, we’re basically in a even worse put than we ended up 50 several years in the past.”