In an effort to increase diversity in computer science and provide opportunities for
LGBTQ students, the University of California, San Diego’s Center for Networked Systems (CNS) is raising money for an undergraduate scholarship. This scholarship - worth $10,000 - will be named after Alan Turing, a computer scientist, mathematician, and gay man. Turing’s work studying German naval ships was a crucial part of defeating the Nazis in World War II, and has been said to have even expedited the victory. Despite his genius and dedication to his work, however, Turing was persecuted for his existence as a gay man, and took his own life in 1954.
Not only will this scholarship memorialize Turing by encouraging diversity within the CNS program, it will potentially contribute a significant portion of tuition for an LGBTQ student. Members of the LGBTQ community are at a much
higher risk for poverty in the United States, so this scholarship could help create far more accessibility in STEM higher education—especially if the Crowdsurf reaches $50,000. If that goal is met, the program hopes to continue raising money to create a $250,000 endowment for the scholarship.
Above: The Price Center, UCSD
“The benefit of this scholarship,” says David Hutches, a Computer Science and Engineering alumnus (PhD ’98), “is that it makes computer science and engineering more diverse, more inclusive and more accepting.” The goal isn’t just to up diversity numbers —it is to make sure LGBTQ students and supporters feel safe and accepted in Computer Science spaces.
The Crowdsurf video below includes even more support and explanation of the scholarship from UCSD faculty and CNS students.
While the beginning funds for the scholarship will be from the Center for Networked Systems’ annual giving fund, a great deal of it will be crowdfunded. There is a
Crowdsurf page for the scholarship, and donations of all amounts are accepted. Why don’t we all throw in a couple bucks?
