About SCI-FY
SCI-FY, a project of the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI), encourages students of color and women to develop skills, leadership, and an interest in the fields of computer science, engineering, information technology, and the sciences. SCI-FY works with twenty-five middle school students between the 6th and 8th grades. These youth are self-motivated and are on their way to becoming future engineers, technologists, scientists, and leaders of our global community. SCI-FY facilitates the development of skills in problem solving, teamwork, lifelong learning, multiple ways of communicating, and technological literacy.
We have several programs that work together to create a support pipeline that identifies, recruits and retains promising new leaders who are women and otherwise underrepresented. Students engage in hands-on, inquiry-based projects and activities that challenge them to integrate their conceptual and procedural understanding. The intent of SCI-FY is to cultivate in students an understanding of scientific thinking, the design process of engineering, the power of mathematical problem solving, and the application of computer modeling and programming to solving real-life problems. We believe this exposure will help encourage historically underrepresented ethnic groups and women to pursue degrees in higher education and careers in science, technology, and engineering fields.
SCI-FY is the middle school component of Berkeley Foundation for Opportunities in Information Technology (BFOIT). BFOIT was founded in 1997 in order to assist disadvantaged and underrepresented youth in pursuing higher education in computer science and information technology fields in public universities and colleges in California.
Closing Ceremony for SCI-FY’s 2010 Summer Institute