Hello Oregon Computer Scientists,
As the crisp weather of fall flows in with the new students we want to take some time to tell you about some upcoming events and new initiatives here at Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association. With the new academic year we’re launching a new student recruitment initiative under the tagline “Computer science is more than just a click.” You’ll find this new tagline when you visit our newly redesigned landing page. We think this catchy new slogan introduces CS novices to the subject in a fun and question-prompting way. Below we’ve included a high resolution image of a poster you can print yourself to entice future students to join a CS pathway. We’ll also have these posters available for free at our upcoming Fall Conference. Swing by our check-in table to collect your very own!
Speaking of the Fall Conference, our annual in-person kick-off will be held on October 9th, 2026 in not one, but two places! From 8:30am to 1:30pm we’ll be at both Sunset High School in Beaverton (Go Apollos!) and Oregon Institute of Technology’s Wilsonville campus. If you’re interested in hands-on engineering workshops, head to Beaverton. If you are hoping to have in depth conversations on AI and computer science visit Wilsonville. At both we’ll have the best conversations in catered meals to power you through the day.
In Wilsonville we’ll start with a panel discussion on AI with industry, educators, and CS implementers from across the state MC’d by yours truly. Following that we have some break out sessions on all things computer science. In Beaverton our engineering will kick off with the well curated and well stocked labs at Sunset. At both, we’ll have plenty of time to have those oh-so-necessary water cooler chats with fellow educators, including over a free lunch. Finally, we’ll end with some hands-on workshops delving into AI tools and other topics.
Whichever location you choose, we cannot wait to see you there.
Sincerely,
Jacob Niebergall, OCSTA President, and the whole OCSTA Board
