The Future of Work looks increasingly digital. As we create new digital tools to advance our fabrication capabilities, we’re interested in supporting broad participation in the use of computers for design and fabrication.
Prison Education Initiatives
In collaboration with Brave Behind Bars, we teach and study university-accredited STEM programs for incarcerated women and men in 7 correctional facilities. Our current course offerings span computer science and self-efficacy, including courses on web programming, python, and app development. We also teach digital manufacturing and robotics, using a full hardware suite of 3D printers, electronics, and microcontrollers behind the wall.
If you’re interested in participating in these programs as a teaching assistant or as a researcher, please get in touch.
Publications
Andrew Fishberg, Marisa Gaetz, Martin Nisser, Carole Cafferty, Lee Perlman, Raechel N. Soicher, and Joshua Long. "CS Ed. in Prisons and Jails: Evidence of Computer Programming Self-Efficacy Growth Across Multiple Course Offerings", In Proceedings of ACM SIGCSE 2026.
Andrew Fishberg, Marisa Gaetz, Martin Nisser, Carole Cafferty, Lee Perlman, Raechel N. Soicher, Joshua Long. "Computer Science Behind Bars: Lessons Learned from Teaching Incarcerated Students in Prisons and Jails". Poster, SIGCSE TS 2025.
Martin Nisser, Marisa Gaetz, Andrew Fishberg, Raechel Soicher, Faraz Faruqi, Joshua Long. "From Prisons to Programming: Fostering Self-Efficacy via Virtual Web Design Curricula in Prisons and Jails", In Proceedings of ACM CHI 2024.