A brief history of computing for SPARCS!
On May 15, 2024, Scott gave a short lecture on the history of computing to SPARCS. (Nothing to do with Sun Microsystems or the SPARCstations that used to be around campus). SPARCS stands for Seeing Possibilities and Rewards in Computer Science:
SPARCS is a unique opportunity designed to ignite enthusiasm for computer science among people of gender identities under-represented in computer science. Designed for Grade 9 and 10 students with little to no exposure to computer science, this workshop brings participants together from across Canada. Participants learn that computer science is about much more than using and programming computers.
In one hour, we covered a history of counting, the abacus, uses of mathematical tables, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, the development of mid-20th century modern computing, plus a quick history of some women pioneers, like Grace Hopper, Canada's Beatrice Worsley, Waterloo's Marian Forster, and other hidden figures.
And we topped it off with a working Commodore 64 running our UW Quiz! The class got a perfect score. Looking forward to doing it again next year!
Students learned how to use a classic abacus with Smarties as the Jetons.
After the main lesson, students got a chance to use the Commodore 64 to complete our UW History of Computing Quiz!
A close-up of the UW History of Computing Quiz. No cheating!
