CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshops
Wednesday, November 9th from 1:00-5:00pm
The Computer Research Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W) is an action oriented organization dedicated to increasing the number of women participating in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) research and education at all levels.
In addition to increasing the number of women involved, CRA-W also seeks to increase the degree of success women experience and to provide a forum for addressing problems that often fall disproportionately within women’s domain. CRA-W is hopeful that the committee activities will also have a positive impact for other underrepresented groups in CSE and is committed to improving the working environment for Computer Scientists and Engineers of both genders.
The Computing Research Association Committee on Women in Computing (CRA-W) is sponsoring these sessions. Please contact the CRA-W Coordinator, A.J. Brush, with any questions (ajbrush [at] microsoft.com).
CRA-W is offering tracks for undergrads, graduate students and early professionals.
The Road to Graduate School (Undergraduate students)
- Undergraduate Research Experience Internships
- The Graduate School Experience
- How to Apply to Graduate School
Thiriving in Graduate School (Graduate students)
Building a Successful Career (Early Professional Researchers)
The Road to Graduate School: Sessions for Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate Research Experience Internships (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm)
Session Description: Interested in computer science research, but not sure what is research? This session introduces you to the exciting world of research and focuses on ways to get research experience during your undergraduate career so you can decide if it’s for you.
Presenters:
Jamika D. Burge, Senior Scientist at i_SW
Andrea Danyluk, Professor of Computer Science at Williams College
Bios:
Jamika D. Burge
Jamika is a Senior Behavioral Computer Scientist at i_SW, a company that provides technical and research services to the US Government and other customers. Her research interests lie in HCI, in the intersection of behavioral methodology and technology use. She was a postdoc in the College of IST at Penn State (2007-2009), where she worked with John M. Carroll on wireless informatics initiatives for non-profit organizations. She has several publications in books and conferences, and is a member of ACM and the CDC (The Coalition to Diversify Computing), where she currently co-directs the Collaborative Research for Undergraduates (CREU) program.
Andrea Danyluk
Andrea Danyluk is a Professor of Computer Science at Williams College. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and was a researcher at NYNEX (now Verizon) before coming to Williams. Andrea’s research interests are focused on applications of machine learning. She has published book contributions, journal and conference articles in this area. She regularly serves on AI and Machine Learning conference committees, serving, for example, as General Chair of ICML 2009. Andrea is active in CS education. She is co-author of a textbook, Java: An Eventful Approach. She joined CRA-W in 2008 and co-directs the CREU program.
The Graduate School Experience (2:30 pm – 3:30 pm)
Session Description: Is graduate school in computer science and engineering for you? What’s it like to pursue a Masters or PhD degree? What benefits do you get once you have the degree? This session will help you understand what it’s like to be in graduate school, and the exciting options you’ll have when you finish.
Presenters:
Raquel Romano, Senior Software Engineer, Google, Inc.
Rachel Pottinger, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, University of British Columbia
Manuela Veloso, Herbert A. Simon Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University
Bios:
Raquel Romano
Raquel Romano is a senior software engineer at Google, where she has worked on applying machine learning and computer vision to extracting and recognizing text in images. She recently joined Google’s Crisis Response team, which aims to provide the public critical real-time information after natural disasters. Previously, she was a Luis W. Alvarez Postdoctoral Fellow at LBNL. She received her PhD in CS from the AI Laboratory at MIT and a BA in math from Harvard University. She is active in science and math outreach to students from underrepresented groups. She and her husband are busy raising 3 boys.
Rachel Pottinger
Rachel Pottinger is an assistant professor in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. She received her PhD in computer science from the University of Washington in 2004. Her main research interest is data management, particularly semantic data integration, how to manage metadata (i.e., data about data), and how to manage data that is currently not well supported by databases.
Manuela Veloso
Manuela Veloso researches in the area of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Professor Veloso directs the CORAL research laboratory, for the study of autonomous agents that Collaborate, Observe, Reason, Act, and Learn, www.cs.cmu.edu/~coral. Professor Veloso is IEEE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, and AAAI Fellow. She is the President-Elect of AAAI and the President of the RoboCup Federation. She is also the recipient of the 2009 ACM/SIGART Autonomous Agents Research Award. Professor Veloso authored “Planning by Analogical Reasoning,” edited several other books and co-authored over 250 journal articles and conference papers. As of 2011, Professor Veloso has successfully advised 23 PhD students.
How to Apply to Graduate School (4:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
Session Description: What are the options for pursuing advanced degrees in computer science and engineering? How do you choose the right graduate school for you? Is there anything you can do during college to improve your chances of being admitted? How do you apply? What is the time line for completing the application process? What are the best kinds of recommendations? Does work experience help? How can you fund graduate school? Find out the answers to these and other questions in this session which will tell you all you need to know to apply successfully to graduate school.
Presenters:
Fatmi Mili, Professor and Chair Computer Science and Engineering Oakland University
Lori Pollock, Professor in Computer and Information Sciences, University of Delaware
Bios:
Fatma Mili
Dr. Mili received her PhD in Computer Science from the Universite Pierre & Marie Curie, France. She has been at Oakland University since 1984 with invited appointments in Canada, France, and Tunisia. Her research interests are in formal methods, optimization, and distributed computing with a focus on bio-inspired algorithms. Her work has been funded by NSF, NIH, DOT, TARDEC, Chrysler, and the state of Michigan. Her educational interests are in the use of gaming in education and in broadening participation through multi-disciplinary projects. In 2011, she received the Michigan Office of Women in Higher Education Distinguished Woman award.
Lori Pollock
For 24 years, Lori Pollock has enjoyed mentoring student researchers, teaching CS with collaborative classroom activities and service learning, and working to increase the successful participation of women in computing research. She is a Professor in CIS at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on developing automatic software analyses for better software maintenance tools, software testing, and optimizing compilers for parallel computing systems. Lori is an ACM Distinguished Scientist, member of the CRA-W board, and Associate Editor for ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology. Lori was awarded the University of Delaware’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Thiriving in Graduate School: Sessions for Graduate Students
Wednesday, November 9th from 1:00-5:00 pm – Location: B117-119
Graduate School Survival Skills (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm)
Session Description: This session will address strategies for surviving and, in fact, thriving in graduate school and developing the necessary knowledge, experience and skills for a successful career. Topics include setting realistic goals and expectations, the differences between getting a M.S. and Ph.D. degree, selecting advisors and mentors, setting research goals, working as part of a research team, tracking and maintaining your research and academic progress, and building self-confidence. This session will include the importance of carefully choosing advisors and mentors and the differences between the two, how to get the most out of your interactions with your advisor/mentor, responsibilities of both student and advisor/mentor in making the graduate research experience successful, and working through problems with the advisor/mentor relationships. This session focuses on the concerns of first and second year graduate students. Graduate students further along in their program may wish to attend the “Finding Your Dream Job” session in the Early Professional track.
Presenters:
Rachel Pottinger, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, University of British Columbia
Tiffani Williams, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University
Bios:
Rachel Pottinger
Rachel Pottinger is an assistant professor in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. She received her PhD in computer science from the University of Washington in 2004. Her main research interest is data management, particularly semantic data integration, how to manage metadata (i.e., data about data), and how to manage data that is currently not well supported by databases.
Tiffani Williams
Tiffani L. Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. Effective September 1, 2011, she will be promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Texas A&M. She earned her B.S. in computer science from Marquette University and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Central Florida. Afterward, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico. Her honors include a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, and a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. Her research interests are in the areas of bioinformatics and high-performance computing.
Publishing Your Research (2:30 pm – 3:30 pm)
Session Description: Publishing is not as hard as it seems. This session discusses strategies for publishing your first and subsequent papers. It covers some patterns that research papers follow, and the ethical concerns of publishing such as plagiarism, dual submissions, and author ordering. You will learn about the different kinds of publications, and the procedures for being published there. We will also share some tips for how to stick to it, despite challenges like writer’s block.
Presenters:
Ruzena Bajcsy, NEC professor of EECS department at UC Berkeley
Meredith Ringel Morris, Researcher, Microsoft Research
Bios:
Ruzena Bajcsy
Dr. Bajcsy is a pioneering researcher in machine perception, robotics and artificial intelligence. She has served as advisor to more than 50 Ph.D. recipients. She is highly regarded, not only for her significant research contributions, but also for her leadership in the creation of a world-class robotics laboratory, recognized worldwide as a premiere research center. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the Institute of Medicine. She is a recipient of Franklin Medal and ACM A. Newell award.
Meredith Ringel Morris
Meredith Ringel Morris is a research scientist at Microsoft Research and an affiliate assistant professor of CS & E at the University of Washington. Dr. Morris’s research area is human-computer interaction, with a particular emphasis on computer-supported cooperative work and social computing. She has published numerous technical articles and patents on multi-user interactive systems, and recently co-authored the book Collaborative Web Search: Who, What, Where, When, and Why? (Morgan & Claypool, 2010). She was named one of 2008’s 35 Innovators Under 35 by Technology Review, and one of 2009’s 100 Notable Women in Seattle Technology by TechFlash.
Building your Professional Network (4:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
Session Description: Many people find their jobs through their professional network. This session will help you find a community, meet people in the field, and promote yourself. You will learn how to present your ideas in a concise and appealing way to the people you meet. You will gain skill in making technical and business connections with others, and leveraging them for success in graduate school and your later career.
Presenters:
Evi Dube, PMP Deputy Director, Institute for Scientific Computing Research (ISCR)
Vidya Setlur, Principal Research Scientist, Nokia
Carolyn Strobel, Marketing Manager, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
Bios:
Evi Dube
Evi Dube is a computational scientist who has worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 27 years. She has many years experience in Scientific Simulation specifically pertaining to High Performance Computing. She was fortunate to be able to work while getting her Ph.D., and completing her Project Management Certificate, both which have served her well in her career. These days, she has the pleasure of juggling several diverse projects in two key roles, as a project manager and as a technical leader.
Vidya Setlur
Vidya Setlur is a principal research scientist at Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto. Her research interests lie at the intersection of HCI and computer graphics, particularly in the area of iconography and content retargeting. At Nokia, much of her work emphasizes practicality and usefulness to better facilitate tasks performed with a mobile computational device. She earned her doctorate in Computer Graphics at Northwestern University in 2005. Vidya is happily married with two young boys and enjoys classical Indian dance, gardening and interior design in her spare time.
Carolyn Strobel
Carolyn Strobel supports the online and print campaigns for the Anita Borg Institute’s projects. She is responsible for producing print and online marketing copy, including the newsletter, online content, printed programs and collateral, videos, posters, signage, and podcasts. Carolyn previously held a communications and marketing position at Volunteering Ireland, a nonprofit organization in Dublin, Ireland. In that role, she oversaw the organization’s online and print communications, in addition to organizing a national conference on volunteering and assisting with the national volunteering awards. Carolyn holds a BA in history and French from Mount Holyoke College.
Building a Successful Career: Sessions for Early Professional Researchers
Finding your Dream Job (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm)
Session Description: Curious about the range of post-Ph.D. career options including academia and industry? Looking for some practical advice on how to apply for jobs, interview, and negotiate a job offer? This session is for you. Recent graduates who have complete successful job searches and are now working in a range of jobs will talk about their experiences and answer your questions.
Presenters:
Erika Shehan Poole, Assistant Professor, College of Information Sciences & Technology, The Pennsylvania State University
Kathryn McKinley, Principle Researcher at Microsoft Research and an Endowed Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin
Bios:
Erika Shehan Poole
Dr. Erika S. Poole is an assistant professor of Information Sciences & Technology at Penn State University, University Park. Her research focuses on technology use and adoption by American families, integration of health-related technologies in institutional settings (particularly K-12 schools), and the development and evaluation of innovative computer gaming applications for improving health and wellness. Dr. Poole holds a PhD in Human-Centered Computing and MS in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a BS in Computer Science from Purdue University.
Kathryn McKinley
Kathryn McKinley received her Ph.D. from Rice University working with Ken Kennedy. Her research interests include architecture, compilers, memory management, runtime systems, reliability, security, and software engineering. She and her collaborators produced tools that are in wide research and industrial use: DaCapo Java Benchmarks, TRIPS Compiler, Hoard memory manager, MMTk garbage collector toolkit, and Immix garbage collection algorithm. Her service includes program chair for ASPLOS ’04, PACT ’05, and PLDI ’07; co-Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Programming Language Systems (TOPLAS) (2007-2010); and CRA-W board member (2009-present). McKinley is an IEEE Fellow and an ACM Fellow.
Starting and Growing Your Own Research Program (2:30 pm – 3:30 pm)
Session Description: Whether you are in academia or a research lab, growing your research program means tapping into resources that help you be more successful. Funding can enable you to attract more students, or work on larger projects. Collaboration enables you to work with people outside your area of expertise, initiate new projects, and have a lot of fun. With representatives from both academia and research labs, this session will cover strategies for identifying the resources that are available to you and how best to take advantage of them.
Presenters:
Deb Agarwal, Senior Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Cecilia R. Aragon, Associate Professor, Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington
Bios:
Deb Agarwal
Deb Agarwal is a Senior Staff Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and head of the Advanced Computing for Science Department. She is leading several teams developing cyber infrastructure to support scientific research. Her current projects are developing a data server infrastructure to enhance data browsing and analysis capabilities for eco-science and new computational modeling environments for environmental management and carbon capture at power plants. Dr. Agarwal holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Cecilia R. Aragon
Cecilia Aragon is an associate professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering and the eScience Institute at the University of Washington, where she directs the Scientific Collaboration and Creativity Lab. She has published in the areas of computer-supported cooperative work, human-computer interaction, visualization, visual analytics, image processing, machine learning, and astrophysics. In 2009, she won the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and she has won four Best Paper awards since 2004. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Berkeley in 2004 and her B.S. in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology.
Preparing for Promotion (4:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
Session Description: Do you know what steps you need to take to prepare for your next promotion? Whether this is preparing a tenure case, climbing the technical ladder, or stepping into a management role, this session will teach you what you can be doing now to prepare yourself for that next big promotion.
Presenters:
Nancy Amato, Professor, Texas A & M
Mary Czerwinski, Research Area Manager, Microsoft Research
Bios:
Nancy Amato
Nancy M. Amato is a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University where she co-directs the Parasol Lab, is Deputy Director of the Institute for Applied Math and Computational Science, and chairs a campus-wide bioinformatics alliance. She received degrees from Stanford, Berkeley and UIUC. She is an IEEE Fellow, an NSF CAREER Award recipient, a speaker for the ACM Distinguished Speakers Program and previously an IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Distinguished Lecturer. She co-directs the CDC/CRA-W DREU program and Distinguished Lecture Series. Her research interests include motion planning, robotics, computational biology and geometry, and parallel computing.
Mary Czerwinski
Mary Czerwinski is a Research Area Manager at Microsoft Research, where she manages many diverse areas of human-computer interaction. Mary has been an avid participant in the ACM SIGCHI community, sitting on the SIGCHI Executive Committee for 10 years, chairing CHI 2008, UIST 2005, Papers Chair for CHI 2000 and UIST 2010, in addition to many other conference volunteer roles. Mary was recently awarded the ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Service award and was also inducted into the ACM CHI Academy. Mary has ~100 publications in HCI and psychology, and holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology.
