As part of Simmons’ Faculty-Student Collaborative Fellowship program, computer science majors Maleehah Africawala ’25, Fayza Beshir ’25, Emily Douglas ’25, and Megan McNamara ’25 worked under the supervision of Professor Nanette Veilleux to develop humanitarian software for Simmons’ REEF Support Center. We spoke with the researchers about the importance of real-world learning and the formative mentorship they received at Simmons.
“A lot of Simmons students rely on the University for food and other essentials, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic,” says computer science major and web design and development minor Fayza Beshir ’25. “The REEF Support Center [referring to Resilience, Efficacy, and Empowerment through Foundational support services] does amazing work, but they’re working with limited tools and resources.”
Beshir, along with three other members of her computer science cohort — Maleehah Africawala ’25, Emily Douglas ’25, and Megan McNamara ’25 — have developed tools from their discipline to support the REEF Center’s equitable efforts.
Working under the supervision of Professor Nanette Veilleux from the Department of Computer, Data, and Mathematical Sciences, the student researchers received support for their project under the auspices of Simmons’ Faculty-Student Collaborative Fellowship. This program “enables faculty to hire an undergraduate or graduate research fellow for the duration of a semester or an academic year.”
Addressing Real-World Issues with STEM Research
Simply stated, this particular collaborative research project focuses on developing a software platform for Simmons’ REEF Support Center. Located in the Main College Building (MCB) in the Commuter Student/Dix Scholar Lounge (A-075 A and B), the REEF Center provides students with essential resources, including food, toiletries, and school supplies.
As Africawala, Beshir, Douglas, and McNamara realized, the REEF Support Center currently uses a collection of Google Sheets and Google Forms to manage its operations. While this system does function, the computer science researchers have observed significant limitations within it.
Under the REEF Center’s current operating framework, staff members may struggle to keep track of inventory and student requests efficiently, leading to potential incongruities between what students need and what is available.
To address these issues, the computer science faculty-student collaborators aimed to modify and expand existing Free and Open-Source software to create a more robust and user-friendly platform specifically tailored for the REEF Center.
In the course of their collaborative project, the researchers did encounter a few obstacles. For example, learning how to use Docker and Gitpod (specific software or software-building platforms), both of which were new to the computer science students, constituted a significant challenge. Through Veilleux’s expert guidance, cross-team communication, and successive trial and error, the students mastered these new tools.
Applying Software Skills to Worthy Cause
The team’s motivation to conduct research and build software on behalf of the REEF Support Center stemmed from a combination of personal values, a desire to make a positive impact, and a recognition of the challenges faced by students in accessing essential resources.
“As computer science students, we are passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems. We saw an opportunity to apply our skills in software development to create a platform that could help students easily find and request the resources they need from the REEF Support Center,” the researchers explain.
Supervisor Professor Nanette Veilleux articulates the urgency of this research: “Food insecurity is a significant issue on college campuses, and Simmons University is no exception. However, managing food assistance programs is often added to the already heavy workload of staff members. These Simmons students were passionate about applying their programming skills to a meaningful cause.”
Veilleux describes the collaborative project as a combination of hands-on, professional experience and a commitment to advocacy. As she recounts, her students joined HFOSS (Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software), “a nationwide initiative where student developers create open-source, shareable, and socially beneficial software applications. Through this involvement, these students not only contributed their technical expertise to help others but also gained experience working on professional-grade projects.”
The computer science researchers appreciated the opportunity to work in a team-based setting. Together they helped one another manage the many moving parts that this project entailed (partly due to versions of the software being outdated). As the software was free and open-source, it was constantly open to modification by Libre Food Pantry (a free, community-building software for food pantries). In the course of the project, the students had to navigate the use of a platform that could be impacted by changes implemented by other users.
To resolve these issues, “we had to manually update them on our end and/or ask Libre Food Pantry to fix them for us. We also had to meet with Libre Food Pantry to ask for permission for new files, folders, etc., because we didn’t have the authorization to create them on our end,” says McNamara. “This further reflects how ‘real-world’ this project was, as typically student projects are all within one’s realm of control. Having to go to different people to ask for things to be done so you can continue to work resembles what jobs may be like post-graduation.”
The collaborative nature of this endeavor offered the researchers a valuable foray into experiential learning. “Working with a client [i.e., the REEF Support Center] to ensure their needs were met, along with the mentorship and communication amongst our team … was as ‘real world’ an experience as one can ask for in a college project,” the team members note.
In addition, working alongside Professor Veilleux offered a formative opportunity for professionalization. The project allowed the CS students to research and focus on niche topics that they may not have encountered in the classroom.
Meaningful Mentorship in a Women’s-Centered Space
In general, the computer science students find mentorship at Simmons to be “very personable.” Their professors witness their progress from their first through senior years, and care about them as individuals. Furthermore, Simmons faculty recognize students’ strengths and help them improve in areas where they feel less capable.
Studying STEM at a women’s-centered institution instilled in the computer science majors a sense of security and support. Douglas, for instance, recalls being one of the few girls in her Advanced Placement high school science classes, where she was often “talked over” by her male counterparts.
“I knew coming to a women’s centered institution was going to help me be successful and have a more tailored education,” she says. “And the past four years have really proven that to be true. I was able to grow my confidence by being surrounded by intelligent and well-spoken, driven women who empowered me to be better [at my discipline].”
Similarly, McNamara finds Simmons to be a “safe and empowering environment.” In fact, she transferred from another university after experiencing sexism in her programming courses. “At Simmons, … your peers and professors build you up and want to see you succeed. You don’t feel invalidated for the sake of being a woman,” McNamara says.
Africawala values the “strong sense of community and support” that a women’s-centered institution offers STEM students. “Having access to professors and industry professionals who are women provides inspiration and guidance, helping to navigate academic and career paths,” she explains.
Moreover, “studying in a women-centered environment … empowers students to take on leadership roles and encourages them to advocate for themselves and others in the field. Overall, the experience can be incredibly empowering. It helps build confidence in technical skills and encourages students to pursue their passions without the fear of judgment that can sometimes be present in co-ed environments.”
Beshir, who initially did not know what to expect from a women’s-centered environment, has since “really grown to love it.” From her perspective, “The tight-knit community at Simmons makes a huge difference and I genuinely feel supported by both my peers and professors. It’s the kind of environment where people actually want to see you succeed and are willing to help you get there. The learning experience here feels more personal and meaningful. Professors really get to know you and are invested in your growth, both academically and personally … It’s empowering to be in a space where you’re not just heard, but encouraged to lead and take up space.”
The Rewards of Research
For this specific project benefitting Simmons’ REEF Support Center, the computer science researchers feel gratified to have developed “software that makes a change.” As they elaborate, “Everyone thinks about the product that helps people, but not many people remember that there has to be a program (software) to create the product. Programming can also be rather difficult, but once you have that breakthrough and figure out the bug it is also personally very rewarding.”
As Beshir expresses, this collaborative endeavor “[felt] more meaningful because we weren’t just doing it for class; we were trying to build something that could actually help students on our campus.”