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Computer Science Department Colloquium
10/24/2017 10:30 am
CoRE A 301

From Potential to Promise - Developing Scholars, One Eureka Moment at a Time

Rajiv Gandhi, Rutgers Unversity-Camden, Department of Computer Science

Faculty Host: Thu Nguyen

Abstract

In this talk, I will tell the story of our work with some truly remarkable undergraduate students at Rutgers-Camden, who despite many odds have achieved success that is unprecedented for the Camden campus. Their success has brought around a transformation in the student culture in the CS department at Rutgers-Camden. I will discuss the various challenges that we faced and some ideas that have worked very well (and some that have not) for us. I will also discuss how we have been applying some of these ideas in our work with high school students and students at other institutions.

Bio

Prof. Rajiv Gandhi is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Rutgers University-Camden. He also teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2003 from the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests lie in the broad area of theoretical computer science. Specifically, he is interested in approximation and randomized algorithms.  He is a passionate educator who loves working with students with diverse backgrounds, helping them achieve their potential. He has been the recipient of several teaching excellence awards, including the Lindback Foundation award for Distinguished Teaching at Rutgers-Camden in 2017 and the Warren I. Susman award for teaching excellence at Rutgers University in 2014. He also received the Chancellor's award for Civic Engagement at Rutgers-Camden in 2013. He was a Fulbright Fellow from Jan-June 2011, during which he worked with students in Mumbai, India, and has continued to do so.

Since 2009, he has also been working with high school students as part of the Program in Algorithmic and Combinatorial Thinking (http://algorithmicthinking.org). In 2017 he was inducted into the Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Maryland, College Park.