ME and COMP SC (music, engineering, and computer)

Indications are that more scientists, mathematicians, and engineers will be needed to compete in the world markets ^1,2. However, the majority of young people entering the workforce will be women and minorities, who traditionally have not pursued careers in these fields ³. More recently, a Senate bill passed that provides 600,000 new visas for foreign workers sought by the burgeoning high-tech industry ⁴. Clearly we need to nurture the technical interest and achievements of all students. Devising strategies to increase their participation and enjoyment in the use of computers is the impetus for Me and Comp Sc. College students like music and MP3's. They also like technology...cell phones, beepers, computer games, email, and surfing the web. This love of technology cuts across all educational disciplines. A combination demo/hands-on exercise for the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is under development for inclusion in an introductory computer science course. The purpose of the exercise is to expose students to more than the traditional word processing and spreadsheet exercises and to make them aware of the relationships between computers and music. This project is called Me and Comp Sc.