After the talk described below, Dr. Gandhi has graciously offered to answer questions for undergraduate students who may be interested in pursuing advanced degrees in Computer Science and related disciplines.

Title: "From Potential to Promise - Developing Scholars One Eureka Moment at a Time"

Abstract

In this talk, I will tell the story of our work with some truly remarkable undergraduate students at Rutgers-Camden, who despite many odds have achieved success that is unprecedented for the Camden campus. I will discuss the various challenges that we faced and some ideas that have worked very well (and some that have not) for us. We have been applying some of these ideas in our work with high school students and students at other institutions.

Bio

Dr. Rajiv Gandhi is a Professor of Computer Science at the Rutgers University-Camden. He also teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2003 from the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests lie in the broad area of theoretical computer science. Specifically, he is interested in approximation and randomized algorithms. He is a passionate educator who loves working with students with diverse backgrounds, helping them achieve their potential. He has been the recipient of several teaching excellence awards, including the Warren I. Susman award for teaching excellence at Rutgers University in 2014. He also received the Chancellor's award for Civic Engagement at Rutgers-Camden in 2013. In 2017 he was inducted in the Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Maryland. He was a Fulbright Fellow from Jan-June

2011, during which he worked with students in Mumbai, India. Since 2009, he has also been working with high school students as part of the Program in Algorithmic and Combinatorial Thinking.