Contact & Biographical Information

Dr. Robin Flatland is a Professor of Computer Science (CS) at Siena University with expertise in computer science education at both the secondary and college level.  She has been involved on three National Science Foundation grants in which she worked with in-service and pre-service NYS math teachers to help them offer high school CS classes and broaden student participation in CS.  Most recently she was the principal investigator for a $350,000 National Science Foundation CSforAll:RPP grant. She has team-taught CS in high schools with math teachers, runs professional development workshops for CS teachers, is a Siena dual-enrollment CS coordinator, developed curriculum and laboratory materials for a year-long dual-enrollment CS course currently offered at 25 high schools, and led Siena University’s efforts to become the first college/university to offer a NYSED approved initial teaching certificate program in CS.      

Jim Matthews has been a computer science and mathematics professor at Siena University for over 40 years. He has also taught the mathematics methods course for the education department and served as the subject supervisor for hundreds of student teachers.  Prior to joining the faculty at Siena he was a secondary mathematics teacher in Chatham, NY. He has worked as a consultant for many school districts and educational organizations, the majority of this work for urban and rural schools.

Jim has given hundreds of conference presentations and written articles based on ideas for improving the teaching of mathematics and computer science.  He has conducted numerous workshops for mathematics educators, directed and consulted on many grant projects, and helped establish undergraduate and graduate programs for mathematics and science teachers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Currently, he is a co-principal investigator for a National Science Foundation CSforAll grant. He was the principal investigator for a recent $1.2 million NSF grant project to prepare teachers for work in high-needs schools.

Jim has been an active participant in a number of professional associations including serving as president of both the Association of Mathematics Teachers of NYS and the NYS Association of Mathematics Supervisors.

Pauline White holds a M.S. in computer science, a M.A.T. with a concentration in technology, and N.Y. professional teaching certifications in K-12 Technology and 7-12 Mathematics education. She worked as a software engineer for GE Corporate R&D before beginning her teaching career in 2006. Her teaching experience spans seventh grade through the undergraduate level. Pauline was a pilot instructor and master teacher for AP Computer Science Principles and has served as an exam reader for the AP Computer Science A exam. She served as a panel lead for the development of the N.Y. Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards and is a member of the N.Y. Teacher Certification Examinations Computer Science Review Committee. Pauline is a CSForNY Coalition member representing the Capital District and a founding member of the Computer Science Teacher Association, NY Capital District chapter, serving as President and Executive Committee member. With support from the National Science Foundation, Pauline has developed and supports Discovering Computer Science, a full year high school level foundational course in computer science that is taught in many high schools across NY state.

Dr. MaryAnne Egan, Professor of Computer Science at Siena University, is involved in issues of underrepresentation in computer science covering both recruitment and retention. She has been involved in grants to increase the number of computer science high school teachers in NY and strives to make the introductory courses (for majors and non-majors) interesting and topical. As an example, her web course, which is offered as a year-long dual-enrollment course in the high schools, combines many of her interests by including ethics, accessibility, and design into the necessary programming concepts. Amazing topics on their own, the combination is an excellent way to use the analytical and creative sides of the brain to present technology in a more empathetic and humanizing way. Dr. Egan served as board member of ACM SIGCSE (Computer Science Education), a member of ACM Ed Board, ACM Ed Board’s Ethics and Computing Task Force, and ACM Ed Board’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Computing Education Task Force.  She has been involved with the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing since 2006 and was part of the team that started the New York Celebration of Women in Computing in 2013.