CS Applied Groups
Get hands on experience of working in the Applied Groups to build and maintain projects.
Learn
Get mentored and learn professional technology at demand.
Experience
Accumulate real life work experience while getting paid for it.
Grow
Endless growth opportunity to muster and showcase your computing skills.
Applied Groups
The Computer Science Department organizes a number of applied CS groups. The primary aim of their projects is to give students an opportunity to apply and extend classroom knowledge to “real world” software and hardware projects. Students are encouraged, but not required, to participate in one or more of these groups as part of their educational experience while at Earlham.
During the academic year, students are paid through work study. We hope that students will work 8 to 10 hours each week, including at least one weekly planning meeting with their group. Many of the groups have projects better suited for winter and summer breaks. We encourage students to spend one or more breaks working on campus. The wages are the same during breaks, and we also provide housing on campus.
System Administrators
The Systems Admin Group’s key functions include the maintenance of the physical machines used by the Earlham Computer Science Department. They handle both the hardware and software sides of Earlham’s Computer Science systems. Students in the sysadmin group configure and manage machines, computational clusters, and networks that are used in classes, for research, and by other science departments at Earlham.
Helping Others Program
HOP (Helping Others Program) provides the organizing structure for CS tutors. The tutors work closely with faculty in lab sessions, assist in developing course materials, and help with grading.
Green Science HIP
The Green Science Group collaborates with Physics, Computer Science, and Environmental Science on environmental projects. They have been responsible for a solar array and grid-tie system in Dennis Hall, a modest wind turbine at Miller Farm, and the Green Zone, an area in the Dennis Hall lobby where the College’s environmental projects are displayed. One of their current projects involves a charging station powered by the solar array in Dennis Hall.
Web Development
Web Development (Web Dev) maintains the layout, structure, and look of the Computer Science Department’s website at Earlham. Our primary responsibilities are the development and maintenance of the department’s online presence. We strive for a comprehensive and coherent structure across the site. We work as a team to build webpages to support this goal and regularly update the website to ensure it features current information and news.
Social Good
CS4Good is a group that uses computing technology as a tool for positive social impact by applying computing to community-identified projects and events. The group works with community partners to identify appropriate projects, develop and implement them, recruit and train students, faculty, and staff to participate, and promotes ethical and appropriate use of technology at Earlham and in the Richmond/Wayne County communities.
Hardware Interface Project
HIP is an applied group focused on building real-world skills that can’t be learned in a classroom, and on educating individuals about how to apply technology to solve practical problems and benefit the Earlham community. The group is strongly interdisciplinary and welcomes students from all majors, not just CS. They have been responsible for the weather station at Miller Farm and, among other projects, plan to collaborate with other departments to create accessible Maker Spaces around campus.
How to Join the Applied Group?
Consult with the professor overseeing the specific group you are interested in.
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Register for the group in the same manner as other courses you plan to take.
Applied groups can be taken for credit hours, typically ranging from 1 to 3 credits. Please consider the number of credit hours you wish to enroll in when making your decision.