Computer Science Alumni Spotlight: April Crockett, Class of 2001, 2004
Part 6 of a 40th anniversary series celebrating Tennessee Tech computer science alumni,
faculty and the advancement of the Department of Computer Science, established in
1986.
It was a first that lasted.
April Crockett made Tennessee Tech history in 2004, earning not only her second degree from the university but the first master of science in computer science.
The milestone secured a special place for Crockett in the story of the computer science department. She first arrived as an undergraduate, earning her bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2001 before entering the new graduate program with three other students in August 2002.
Back then, computer science was housed in the College of Arts and Sciences rather than College of Engineering.
“I was almost always the only female in my CS classes,” she recalled.
In her graduate studies, Crockett gravitated toward internet computing and human-computer interaction, learning from faculty members who would leave a lasting impact, including professors Roger Lessman, David Hume and Martha Kosa.
She balanced graduate work with major life milestones—getting married during her first semester and welcoming her first child in 2003. A turning point came through her graduate assistantships. As a research assistant in the Software Automation and Intelligence Laboratory, directed by Srini Ramaswamy, she gained experience supporting regional industry projects. As a teaching assistant, she co-instructed a programming lab—her first teaching experience and the beginning of a career centered on student success.
“If it weren’t for those assistantships, my entire life path would have been different,” she said.
That path led her back to Tech. Since joining the faculty full-time in 2018, Crockett has become a cornerstone of the department’s introductory curriculum, teaching CSC 1300 more than two dozen times and shaping courses across the program. Her work emphasizes inclusive, experience-based learning, helping students build confidence early in their computer science journeys.
In 2021, she received the T.S. McCord Engineering Faculty Award, one of her proudest achievements. She now chairs the department’s TA committee, overseeing the hiring and training of teaching assistants, and serves as co-principal investigator, along with department chair Gerald Gannod, Ph.D., on a National Science Foundation project focused on modernizing introductory computing education. Crockett is also pursuing a doctorate in computer science at Tech as she continues to help shape the program that shaped her more than 20 years ago.
Professional Highlights
April Crockett is a central figure in Tennessee Tech’s Department of Computer Science introductory curriculum. She has taught core courses dozens of times, leads the department’s teaching assistant hiring and training efforts and is a co–principal investigator on a National Science Foundation–funded project focused on modernizing introductory computing education. She is also pursuing her Ph.D. in computer science.
Computer Science in the 2000s
- 2002 – Martha Kosa, Ph.D., teaches Tennessee Tech’s first master’s course in computer science.
- 2004 – Tennessee Tech awards first M.S. in computer science to April Crockett.
- 2005 – Software & Scientific Applications concentration achieves ABET accreditation.
- 2005 – Doug Talbert, Ph.D., becomes department chair (2005-2015), succeeding Srini Ramaswamy (2000-2005).