Every year, new computer science students arrive at Stony Brook with the same quiet question: How do I start building something real?
Project Quack was created for those students, but it doesn’t end with them. Hosted by the student-run organization Stony Brook Computing Society (SBCS), the mentorship program reflects a shift within the organization itself: from a place where students learn individually to a community where knowledge is shared, explained and passed down. It’s the beginning of a support cycle.
In Project Quack, students don’t just learn how to build software. They learn how to teach — first to their teammates, then to a broader audience.
Eduardo Lozano, vice president of SBCS, says the motivation behind Project Quack came from seeing two needs overlap: a need for students to build and a need for community. “A lot of people want to make stuff, but they don’t know where to start,” he said. “So as long as you have a little jumpstart, that’s all it takes to get the ball rolling. By having your co-mentees in your group, you have people to bounce ideas off of, as well as other groups to explain your projects to.”
Project Quack pairs mentees with more experienced students who can provide that initial guidance, creating a support system for students who may not yet be involved in research or other structured programs.
For Lozano, the goal is simple but ambitious: to strengthen the undergraduate CS community by making sure students don’t have to navigate it alone. “Alone, you go fast; together, you go far,” he said.
Read the full story on the Department of Computer Science website.