Maegan Smith Attends Computing Experience Program at MSU

2012 Sep 7

Maegan Smith of Courtland was among six Northwest Mississippi Community College students and three Northwest faculty to attend the Computing Experience Program at Mississippi State University-a competitive, five-week, full-scholarship program intended for first-year community college students pursuing majors in business information systems, computer engineering, computer science or software engineering. Six of the 28 participants this summer were Northwest students, marking the third year in a row the college has sent more students than any community college in the state.

Chadworth Dale and Mitchell Gardiner, both of Hernando, Mika Dedman of Southaven, Maegan Smith of Courtland, Ann Wims of Lake Cormorant and Austin Yates of Indianola spent the month of June earning college credit for two academic classes-iPhone programming and leadership in computing-and learning more about opportunities to continue their academic careers in computer information systems at MSU. Northwest instructors Richard Swinney of Oxford and Glynda Hall and Sherry Lusk, both of Senatobia, also participated, earning graduate course credit.

Through a National Science Foundation grant, MSU was able to provide tuition for the two classes, housing, a meal allowance and an $800 stipend for each participant. The goal of this program is to pique students' interest in computing majors and computing careers to help spur the much-needed creation of more skilled computing professionals.

In addition to learning business leadership skills, students learned how to create applications for the iPhone-skills key to entrepreneurial opportunities in computer science, according to Swinney, who teaches computer science at Northwest.

"We created a different app every week we were there," said Wims. "We worked in different teams on apps for temperature conversion, Twitter, stopwatch and e-mail."

"Degree programs in management information systems and computer science are in increasing demand more now than ever before," said Amy Stewart, Division of Business director at Northwest. "Mississippi State adding this program is a wonderful way to expose students to these majors and encourage them to transfer in the pursuit of a four-year degree."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment growth in information systems jobs will be about 50 percent greater than average job growth in other fields from 2010-2018. According to a 2010 study conducted by New York University's Stern School of Business, MIS majors were among the most satisfied with their career path since graduation when compared to other majors.

For more information about opportunities in computer science at Northwest, contact Stewart at astewart@northwestms.edu.

Pictured: (Front row, l-r) Austin Yates of Indianola, Chadworth Dale of Hernando, Sherry Lusk and Glynda Hall, both of Senatobia, Ann Wims of Lake Cormorant, (back row, l-r) Richard Swinney of Oxford, Maegen Smith of Courtland and Micah Dedman of Southaven, represented Northwest Mississippi Community College at the Computing Experience Program at Mississippi State University this summer.