Transition Program
Peer-Support Program and Pre-Orientation Program
The Mosaic+ Transition Program is a year-long mentorship and peer-support program that welcomes newly admitted underrepresented minority students to Brown University’s Computer Science department. The program begins with an online summer course, followed by an activity-packed pre-orientation program during the last week of summer, just before the first semester of the academic year. Students will be an exposed to an exciting mix of technical, community-oriented, fun activities and tasks to help prepare them for the rigors of computer science. This year, the pre-orientation camp will run from July 31st to August 28th!
Who should apply?
This program is geared towards newly admitted, racially underrepresented minority students* who have any interest in computer science, or want to learn more about the field, at any level of experience!
*In computer science, those who identify as Black, African-American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic, Latina/o/x, Native Hawaiian, and/or Pacific Islander are considered to be Underrepresented Racial and/or Ethnic Minorities (URMs).
How to apply:
Applications to this year’s program can be found here. Responses to this application form will be due back by June 16, 2017.
What will students learn during this program?
Throughout the course of the transition program, students will learn about:
- Computer science as a field
- How to master TA hours and Office Hours
- What are the possibilities with Computer Science?
Where and when will this program be held?
This program consists of two parts: an online prep course and an on campus pre-orientation camp.
Online Portion
The online portion of the Mosaic+ Transition Program is facilitated using Code.org. Our facilitators curated lesson plans and coding problems from Code.org to provide a sample of introductory concepts to jumpstart students understanding.
On Campus Portion
This portion of the program will run from August 19, 2017 through August 28, 2017 on the Brown University Campus.
Mentorship Program
Striving towards a computer science department that not only accommodates but celebrates diversity.
The Mosaic+ Mentorship program fosters community for underrepresented minority students through structured peer support. Through interactive workshops, mentor-mentee relationships, and group study programs, Mosaic+ ensures minority students are provided the resources and networks necessary to make the most of their academic experience within Brown’s computer science department.
Big/Little System
The Mosaic+ mentorship system is broken down into pairs of Bigs and Littles. The role of a big is to provide mental, moral, and emotional support for their little. A big is a friend, mentor, and coach who seeks to encourage and motivate their little to succeed.
Workshops
Workshops are monthly meetings held by Mosaic+ facilitators designed to help both members and non-members learn a number of non-course related concepts. In the fall semester, these topics will cover a broad range of topics based on suggestions from Mosaic+’s members. During the spring, we’ll split the workshops into two different tracks: workshops in the first track will offer preparation to students during their tech-internship search. The second track will be geared toward students who are not interested in obtaining a Computer Science related internship the following summer.
Group Study
Group Studies are course-specific, bi-monthly meetings held by Mosaic+ facilitators to help Mosaic’s members understand course-related concepts. Each group study focuses on a new topic within its respective course and has the following design: a mini-lecture on the concept, a space for the group members to collaboratively solve a problem using the given concept, and a space for individuals to solve another problem using the given concept. Group Studies always use original materials, both to hold collaboration policies and to make the problems more exciting!
About Us
Mosaic+ is a student-run organization which advocates for diversity in computer science. We strive towards an academic environment receptive to underrepresented minority students and faculty at Brown University. We are a group of committed and creative students working together to make proactive steps towards the celebration of diversity in the world of technology.
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Spring 2015
Our Humble Beginnings
In the spring of 2015, Prof. Chad Jenkins brought thirteen students together to talk about underrepresentation of racial minorities in Computer Science. With his advising and the leadership of the first Co-Coordinators of Mosaic+: Nifemi Madarikan '17 and Chelse-Amoy Steele '18, Mosaic+ was born!
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Fall 2015
Moasic+ is Born
Over the summer, the cohort was hard at work, planning programs and initiatives they believed would have a real impact in Brown CS. After pitching the ideas and the student group to the department chair, Ugur Cetintemel, it was official: Mosaic+ established it's place in Brown CS.
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Spring 2016
Mentorship Progam Launch
The coordinators and the mentorship program worked together to select a team of dedicated and compassionate student leaders to become Mosaic+ mentors. They worked hand-in-hand with their mentees to guide them through their semester and to set a strong precedent to follow!
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Summer 2016
Our First Transition Program
Just over a year after the Mosaic+ team came to be, we held our very first transition program, welcoming underrepresented racial minority students into Brown CS and into the Mosaic+ family!
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Be Part
Of Our
Story!
Our Lead Team
Mosaic+ would not be possible without the work of many incredible Brown University students, staff, and faculty. Check out some of our awesome leaders below.
Nifemi Madarikan
Co-Coordinator
Chelse-Amoy Steele
Co-Coordinator
Seneca Meeks
Community Development Liaison
Devin Howard
Community Development Liaison
Stephanie Alvarado
Community Development Liaison
Iris Lee
Community Development Liaison
Emily Blatt
Branding Team Co-Chair
Austin Peete
Branding Team Co-Chair
Jewel Brown
Branding Team Co-Chair
Jennifer Nino Tapia
Branding Team Co-Chair
Jonathan Powell
Transition Program Chair
Ebube Chuba
Mentorship Program Chair
Our lead team can be reached at mosaic.plus.brown[at]gmail.com.
