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Nine USF computer science students traveled to Tacna, Peru to create computer networks at two Jesuit schools.
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Computer Group Hooks Up Peruvian Schools
When a group of nine USF students traveled to Tacna, Peru during spring break to help set up computer networks at two rural schools, they crossed a much wider gap than the Pacific Ocean—they bridged the digital divide.
The computer science majors packed up more than 100 new and used computers and took them to a Jesuit primary school and high school. The trip was both a taste of life in a country with severe poverty and an experience in using computer engineering to further social justice.
“One danger with the technological degree is that you can spend all your time learning algorithms and forget why you’re learning,” said David Wolber, associate professor, chair of the USF computer science department, and an organizer of the trip. “The Peruvian trip was a great way to see the impact of technology on a Third World country.”
Tacna is a coastal city of about 200,000 in Peru’s rugged south. It features the barest technological infrastructure and only a small segment of the population there owns computers. During their visit, the USF students established school-wide computer networks and installed educational software on the computers. It is hoped the Tacna students’ curriculum and classroom experience will improve with the new equipment and training from the USF team.
“It surprised me how much (the Peruvian students) knew about computers. They had a lot of interest in them,” said Colin Bean, a senior computer science major who went on the trip. “That was one thing that tied us together — it was like we could speak the same language.”
Several new computers were donated by USF alumni Teresa Win ’85 and J. Alberto Yepez ’85, who accompanied the group on its trip. Yepez was born in Tacna and attended Cristo Rey High School, one of the project sites.
“Teresa and I would like this trip to serve as the genesis of a closer collaboration among Jesuit schools around the world,” Yepez said. “By bringing USF students to Tacna, we hope to achieve a multiplying effect so that the USF and Peruvian students can work together to better the learning environment and have an impact on each other.”
The project is one of the computer science department’s commitments to “bridge the digital divide” Wolber said, or the gap between the technological haves and have-nots.
The department works to bridge the divide locally through its Community Connections service-learning project. The project maintains the computer needs of four nonprofit organizations, including Network Ministries, a computer drop-in center in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. It plans to expand its student-run services to other organizations soon.
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