Broadening participation in computing (BPC) poses a unique set of opportunities and challenges for research computing practitioners. Research computing is consistently on the cutting edge, and constantly evolving to meet new needs in research and education. As the field has grown, the demographic diversity of the students pursuing computer science, from K-12 to higher education and research or industry, continues to lag (Stanton, Goldsmith, Adrion, Dunton, Hendrickson, Peterfreund, Youngpradit, Zarch, Dounnay, 2017; Code.org, 2018; Code.org, CSTA, ECEP, 2019). Explicit attention to broadening participation in computing, at all levels of computer science and STEM education, is needed to ensure that the teams working on solutions to the major challenges of our time represent the diversity of individuals who are impacted by them. This panel is designed for attendees seeking to develop BPC outreach efforts, write funding proposals, or who want to learn about BPC tools and resources. The panelists are leading and developing BPC efforts at the local, state and national level in a broad range of arenas, including K-12 education, advanced computing, higher education, informal education, and government policymaking. Panelists will highlight ways in which the advanced computing community can build on and integrate pre-existing BPC efforts, to bridge K-12 CS education and advocacy, CS outreach, and advanced computing. Each panelist will reflect on the trajectory of their BPC efforts, highlighting the networks in which they work, resources they have created, and the projects that they are currently leading. Panelists will outline best practices and recommendations for developing BPC outreach strategies to engage underrepresented populations at all levels of computing from K-12 to careers. Attendees should bring questions about BPC that pertain to their research, academic community, or professional context. The panelists will address questions about their projects, as well as questions about attendee projects that pertain to incorporating BPC. Attendees will leave with a sense of the depth of BPC networks and resources, as well as insight into the next phases of BPC in K-12, higher education, and career pathways. To address the need for increased diversity in CS, the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer Information Science and Engineering (CISE) launched the Broadening Participation in Computing Pilot effort in 2017, via a Dear Colleague Letter (Kurose, 2017). This effort built on years of federal support for BPC, including the 2016 announcement of CS for All (The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 2016), the CISE Strategic Plan for Broadening Participation (NSF, 2012), the initiation of the BPC Alliances in 2005 (Chubin, Johnson, 2011). As more and more researchers and practitioners recognize the value of diversity in CS, from K-12 and higher education, to advanced computing and industry, researchers and practitioners are hungry for more information. From department plans and outreach efforts, to hiring strategies, student recruitment, and funding requests, BPC is everywhere. Considering how to proceed can be overwhelming, however there are a myriad of in-the-box solutions, and national networks, like the NSF-funded Broadening Participation in Computing Alliances, which are available to support anyone seeking to incorporate BPC into their work.
