Cynthia Bailey Lee facts for kids

Cynthia Bailey is a computer science teacher at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. She loves to study new ways of teaching computer science. One method she explores is called the flipped classroom approach. Cynthia also works hard to make sure more women and minority groups feel welcome in computer science. She is known for speaking up about making tech a place for everyone.

Cynthia Bailey's Journey in Computer Science

Early Studies and Research

Cynthia Bailey earned her first degree in Computer Science in 2001. She then got her master's degree in 2004. Both degrees were from the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). She continued her studies there, focusing on how to use many computers at once. This is called parallel computing. She also studied how to make supercomputers work better. She earned her PhD in 2009. Her final project looked at how to schedule tasks for big computer systems.

Working at NASA and Beyond

Before joining Stanford, Cynthia had some cool experiences. From 1996 to 1998, she was an intern at NASA Ames. She also worked at a company called Mohomine from 1999 to 2002. This company helped people find and manage documents online. In 2012, Cynthia and a colleague, Beth Simon, started a website. It's called Peer Instruction for Computer Science. This site helps computer science teachers use "flipped classroom" ideas.

Teaching at Stanford University

At Stanford University, Cynthia teaches many different computer science classes. These include courses on how computers are built. She also teaches about programming and the math behind computing. In 2018, she started a new course. This class explores how race and gender affect the tech world in Silicon Valley.

Making Tech a Place for Everyone

Speaking Up for Inclusion

Cynthia Bailey is very passionate about making technology fair for everyone. She believes that women and minority groups should have more opportunities in tech. She has written guides for other teachers. These guides help them create a more welcoming classroom. For example, she suggests using words that include everyone. She also encourages teachers to give extra support to women and minority students. Cynthia also likes to talk about important topics. These include faith, ethics, and the culture of technology.

Inspiring Young People

Cynthia has given talks to students, encouraging them to think about others. She uses stories of people who stood up for those with less power. She also hosts special workshops. These workshops teach coding to young women and girls. Her goal is to inspire the next generation of tech leaders.

Awards and Recognition

Cynthia Bailey has received several important awards for her work:

• Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award (2019) from Stanford University.
• Best Paper Award (2016) from ACM SIGCSE. This is a big award in computer science education.
• Professor of the Year (2015) from the Stanford Society of Women Engineers.