The Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (CAPWIC) celebrates women in the computing field. The event provides a venue for high school students to gain confidence in their skills, network, and learn from accomplished technical women. Activities include distinguished speakers, panels on academia and industry, student and faculty presentations, a student research poster contest, and a career fair for students in computing fields. Our faculty have been leading and participating in CAPWIC for over 5 years and were instrumental in the first PHICWIC in 2018. 

College For Kids provides an enriching, educational, and fun experience for children in grades rising  K-8. Students work with JMU faculty and students, as well as experts from the community, to explore and discover talents they never knew they had!

Starting in 2019, the Computer Science Department has teamed up with CWS Harrisonburg Immigration and Refugee Program to host an annual summer computing camp for local refugee students. Many refugees come from countries without tech economies or even consistent internet access, so this camp is an opportunity to give these students a better understanding of what programming can do and the hands-on experience to build their familiarity and confidence with computer science skills. Each camp recruits undergraduate CS students to serve as teaching assistants and offer one-on-one support for the students.

Our faculty run a Cyber Defense Boot Camp during the summer for high school technology teachers. This program, supported by the National Security Agency and National Science Foundation, was developed with the goal of facilitating cybersecurity education growth and attracting and recruiting college-bound students to the field of cybersecurity. The program provides cybersecurity awareness and education to students K-12, cybersecurity teaching methodologies for computer science teachers, and establishes resources for both the cybersecurity teaching and learning curricula.

Dukes Inspiring Girls Into Technology Across Limits (DIGITAL), started by CS alum, Marissa Halpert (’12), is an annual program run by our Women in Technology group that invites young girls from the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County school system to come to JMU to learn about technology. Watch the video.

madiSTEM is a one-day math and science conference for girls in grades 6-9. Participants engage in exciting, hands-on workshops, attend science presentations, demonstrations.

Our department participates in The Valley Scholars Program. The program provides outreach activities to first-generation middle and high school students, engaging them in educational enrichment activities designed to increase awareness and access to institutions of higher education with the goal of providing scholarship support for students admitted to and attending James Madison University.