Episode 35 – Not Your Average Computer Scientist

Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen

Guest: Dr. Christina Gardner-McCune

Twitter:
@Dr_GMcCune
@EngLearnLab_UF

Episode Description: In part one of this two-part episode, we hear the origin story of someone who was not your average computer scientist growing up. Dr. Christina Gardner-McCune was not “sitting around building servers” in her free time. Instead, she participated in student government cheerleading and developed a passion for education-based interventions. Although she had a couple of setbacks and restarts in her educational journey with her mother’s encouragement and a desire to blend her creativity with computer science, Dr. Gardner McCune was able to lay the foundations for her career successfully.

Christina’s Bio – Dr. Gardner-McCune is currently an associate professor at the University of Florida. She has a B. S. degree in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University and earned both her master’s and a doctorate in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology with specializations in Software Engineering and Learning Sciences and Technology. In addition, she completed a postdoctoral research position in Computer Science Education at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her research focuses on the integration of computing across the middle and high school curriculum. Through her research, she designs interest and disciplinary-based curriculum and after-school & summer camp programs to engage middle and high school students in science and computing. She uses these learning environments to broaden participation in computing and for computing education research.

Corrections:

• Dr. Gardner McCune was a AP CS Principles Development committee member, not the leader of the committee as stated in the episode.
• Dr. Gardner McCune’s Middle School Vice Principal’s name was Mr. Salters.