Published: April 2013, Issue: Vol. 25/No.4, Download as PDF
Archive of articles published in the April 2013, Vol. 25/No.4 issue.
I am excited to take on my new role as Director of the Computing Community Consortium and lead the CCC as it emerges from startup mode into sustainability as the arm of CRA that works with the computing research community to create and enable visions for future computing research. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the community as we embark on a new chapter for the CCC.
Hispanics have the highest growth rates among all groups in the United States, yet they remain considerably underrepresented in computing careers and obtaining advanced degrees. With computing careers growing at a faster than average rate in the United States (BLS, 2010) and internationally (Cervantes, 2003), it’s important to increase the number of Hispanics who complete computing programs and who are qualified to obtain high-status, lucrative positions. . In 2004, seven Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) formed the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) to consolidate their strengths, resources, and concerns with the aim of increasing the number of Hispanics who pursue and complete baccalaureate and advanced degrees in computing areas (Gates et al. 2011).
In September 2012, the National Science Foundation awarded funding for CERP as part of a Broadening Participation in Computing grant to an Alliance of the Computing Research Association Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W) and the Coalition to Diversify Computing (CDC). The goal of CERP is to be a national resource for programs that promote research careers and diversity in computing. The Center’s flagship project is the development of the Data Buddies project, which is a database measuring issues of persistence among students and faculty in computing departments nationwide. In addition to its immediate value for program evaluation and benchmarking, this rich source of data will be analyzed in depth for what it can tell the computing community about factors that help thicken the research pipeline and underrepresented minorities and women (URM-Ws) in graduate programs and research careers.
CRA members have elected three new members to its Board of Directors: Tracy Camp, Anne Condon, and Chris Johnson. They will begin three-year terms on July 1, 2013.
