Queering computation and modeling in an agency-based computational physics course

Computation is intertwined with essentially all aspects of physics research and is essential for physicists' careers. Despite its disciplinary importance, integration of computation into physics education remains a challenge and has tended to be constructed narrowly as a route to solving physics problems. Moreover, little attention has been paid to who is doing computation vis a vis marginalization, nor to the exclusionary culture around contemporary computing. In this talk we consider how to "queer" computation by proposing an educational environment that centralizes inquiry, agency and scientific practices. Central to the design is Making, the creation of shared physical and digital artifacts intended to promote students' creativity and self-expression alongside doing physics. The talk will introduce the design of our environment and present evidence from our explorations of 5 years of implementation at Tufts University. The presentation will conclude with data on how queer people have engaged in this environment and prospects for future refinement, as well as ideas on how the community can engage productively with DEIJ issues in computation.