Early participation of CS students in research

Research experiences are widely available to upper-division computer science students during the academic year and during summer. Co-op and internship opportunities are available to this group as well. Due to the fact that freshman and sophomore students do not have sufficient background, they are often left behind and are not involved in research activities. This paper shares some experiences with a program that was put in place through an NSF STEP grant that provides research opportunities to freshman, sophomore, and first year transfer students. The paper presents examples of projects in which computer science scholars were involved. We have learned that lower-division computer science students are excited about the opportunity to participate in research. Early participation in research helps build a strong community among the freshman and sophomore students, keeps these students engaged, and results in a higher retention rate.