Session 6: Birds of a Feather - 5:30 PM â 6:30 PM
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Graduate School but Were Afraid to Ask
Location: Dover Conference Room
Panel: Audrey Girouard (Tufts University), Leanne Miller (Tufts University), Rachel Lomasky (Tufts University)
For students considering grad school, it is not always easy getting answers. In this informal session, current graduate students are available to answer questions for prospective graduate students. Some of the topics discussed are:
- Road to Graduate School: Should I work before going to graduate school?
- Applying and Choosing the University: Do I need a research project and an advisor before applying? MS or PhD? Should I contact anyone? Should I go visit?
- Funding: What are fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships?
- International Students: What do I need to do differently as an international student?
The session leaders are an international second year student and two fourth year students. Together, they can discuss their experiences as a TA, a RA, students with internships, coming straight from undergrad, having worked before attending grad school, or having changed schools between the MS and PhD.
Practical Solutions for Addressing K-12 Computer Science Equity Issues
Location: Royal Palm 4, 5 & 6
Panel: Chris Stephenson (CSTA), Michelle Hutton (Girls’ Middle School/CSTA), Joanna Goode (University of Oregon), Caitlin Kelleher (Carnegie Mellon University)
For too many years we have been discussing equity issues in Kâ12 computer science education rather than focusing on developing workable strategies and disseminating best practices that really work. This session will explore three different kinds of interventions intended to increase the participation of young women and underrepresented populations in computer science education and address the current pipeline crisis.
The presenters will provide information on:
- common misconceptions about computer science as a discipline and a career choice
- disparities in representation in high school computer science
- reaching out to students through informal education opportunities.
Increasing Women in Technology
Location: Towne Conference Room
Panel: Julie R Mariga (Purdue University), Amanda M Bennett (Purdue University), Stacy Price (Purdue University)
The ratio of men to women in the field of technology has become devastatingly low within education. It is necessary that technology programs discover ways to bring women into the field, as well as retain them.
The objective of this presentation is to discuss methods of attracting and retaining women in technology which have proven successful over the years. The targeted audience is composed of graduate and undergraduate students as well as industry and academia attendees. The format of the presentation will be an informal discussion; questions are welcomed.
How to Survive a Technical Interview
Location: San Diego Conference Room
Presenter: Raquel Garcia, Microsoft
Have you ever asked yourself how a technical interview differs from a regular interview? If so, this is the workshop for you! We will discuss technical interviews, what you should expect and how to prepare for them. There will be examples given and time will be set aside for an interactive discussion of experiences. Everyone that attends this workshop should leave feeling more prepared for their next technical interview!
We’ll cover: Preparation and research, How to apply what you’ve learned, Helpful interviewing tips, Sample questions. The audience for this session includes anyone who ever has or will engage in a technical interview.
Anonymous Advice Session for Junior Faculty
Location: Golden West Conference Room
Panel: Vibha Sazawal (University of Maryland, College Park), Rachel Pottinger (University of British Columbia)
Pre-tenure female faculty faces unique challenges. Like all new professors, they must adjust to new job responsibilities that involve massive time investments, interpretation of vague directives, and a fearful tenure process. Being a woman presents additional challenges: junior faculty women have far fewer peers and senior female role models, and female faculty are so rare that they fear their questions and problems will easily be remembered by senior faculty when their tenure cases are evaluated. Pre-tenure female faculty is left feeling isolated and afraid to speak up.
The goal of this session is to combat these problems by creating a space where junior women can talk among themselves, swear not to repeat anything that is revealed, and discuss the specific problems that they are having. Participants will share specific resources and advice, and build collegial ties. Anonymous questions may also be submitted to the session leaders prior to the session.
Why Female Networks Succeed - or Fail
Location: Royal Palm 1, 2 & 3
Panel: Maria Oelinger (University of Duisburg-Essen), Friederike Jolk (University of Bremen), Annika Hinze (University of Waikato), Birgit Koch (University of Hamburg), Andrea Schweer (University of Dortmund)
The need for female networking in a professional context as well as in education has long been identified - and has recently started to be addressed: be it as a series of discrete events like summer universities [1], as a global organization [2], or as rather small but highly effective projects [3]. A specific need can be detected where members of a minority have difficulties to find birds of a feather in their everyday environment. In this BOF we introduce some existing networks, their origin, how they were set up, their reception, their life, and the impact they made. We invite the participants to join a discussion about positive networking examples as well as an analysis of failed attempts. The goal of the discussion is twofold: we hope to identify and promote existing networks as well as to inspire and support the startup pf new female networks.
Helping Young Females See the Magic of Computing
Location: Esquire Conference Room
Panel: Julia Stefani (Truman State University), Mariya S. Davidkova (Truman State University), Renee K Hellebusch (Truman State University), Amy E. McNabb (Truman State University), Olga H. Nikolova (Truman State University), Beth K. Woods (Truman State University)
Our student-led mentor program, Tru Women in Computer Science (TWiCS), wants to eliminate doubts and preexisting misconceptions that computer science is a male-only fascination. This discussion will focus on the techniques that other computer science departments are utilizing in order to recruit females, maintain their interest, and aid their success in the program TWiCS would also like to present our newest project. We are convinced that one way to positively influence young women is to inform them of the opportunities that our discipline offers. Thus, we have decided to create a multimedia CD to distribute to the high schools from which we recruit our freshmen in order to promote computer science to female students. The experiences shared will provide valuable information that the audience and TWiCS will take back to their respective institutions in order to build support for women in computer science.
