News Item
Press Release: Elmsford 4th-Graders Learn STEM Skills with Help of Pace University Students
Five-week program at Alice E. Grady School introduces children to coding/robotics
Using color combinations to learn computer coding was a snap for fourth graders at the Alice E. Grady Elementary School in Elmsford who showed off their newly acquired skills this week during a special program.
The “City Within a City” showcase on May 6 included a drone and robotics demonstration for Elmsford Superintendent of Schools Marc P. Baiocco, Ed.D., Alice E. Grady Principal Douglas Doller, Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams, and Board of Education members: President James Henson, Vice President Yvette Eannazzo, Candice Wood, Dennis Rambaran, and Marla Peers.
The day capped off a 5-week program with Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. In the program, 32 students from Seidenberg School – 8 per class and 16 in an inclusion class – taught students coding skills as part of their 13-week class.
Pauline Mosley, D.P.S., a computer science professor at Pace University’s Seidenberg School, says she developed the computer coding skills program along with Alice E. Grady fourth-grade teachers and incorporated the lessons into a unit on cities. Mosley said even young children can be taught coding using a simple system of alternating colors that can command the drones and robots to speed up, slow down, and make turns. Mosley said she was impressed with the enthusiasm and skill of all the students, but particularly with those who had special needs, and had to overcome some additional obstacles.
The program is part of the Service Learning Initiative at Pace University, whose motto Opportunitas, and focuses on nurturing non-traditional and first-generation students for success.
“The program was a win-win. Alice E. Grady students were exposed to skills that we hope will stimulate their interest in future STEM careers and Seidenberg students built their confidence and felt the satisfaction of giving back to their community,” said Dr. Mosley. “I told them, ‘you have the power to transform little minds by just teaching.’’’
About The Seidenberg School: The Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University prepares men and women for professional work, research, and lifelong participation in a new and dynamic information age. Located in the financial capital of the world, the Seidenberg School offers a wide variety of courses and exposure to internships and work with leading corporations, banks, federal agencies, and global entities. Degrees and certificates are conveniently available on Pace’s campuses in New York City and Westchester County as well as online and in special programs. Visit https://www.pace.edu/seidenberg/.
About Pace University: Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.
From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and a Law School in White Plains. www.pace.edu
