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Educational Programs and Outreach

Argonne Hour of Code Celebration

The tools of computer science, the tools of the future!

Argonne National Laboratory computer scientists partner with Fermilab computer scientists and University of Chicago college students to open students’ minds and imaginations to the world of computer science!

 
During Computer Science Education Week in December each year, more than 50 computer scientists visit Chicagoland schools and assist teachers in celebrating the Worldwide Hour of Code initiative. Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code’, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science.” Scientists attending schools will:

  • Give short presentations on their career path and their research/work at a national laboratory.
  • Interact with students one-on-one while they are participating in Hour of Code activities.

Join students all over the world for an Hour of Code. No prior experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome!  Is there a computer scientist hidden inside you?

  • 1 in 3 students in U.S. schools have tried an Hour of Code activity.
  • Over 100 million students have participated in 77,000 Hour of Code events worldwide.
  • In the first Hour of Code, more girls tried computer science than in the last 70 years.

Computer Science Statistics

  • 12% of computer science degrees are awarded to women.
  • 9 out of 10 schools don’t offer computer programming.
  • Currently, there are about 583,155 open computer science jobs. Last year, only 59,764 computer science students graduated into the workforce.
  • 67% of software jobs are outside the tech industry – in banking, retail, government, entertainment, etc.