CRA Bulletin

The CRA Bulletin frequently shares news, timely information about CRA initiatives, and items of interest to the general community.
Subscribe to the RSS feed to stay connected.


Posts categorized under: Diversity

Several activities sponsored by CRA and other organizations are designed to increase diversity in the computing field.


LeveL UP LogoLeveL UP Logo

Computing Research Association to Lead $1M Community Project to Chart a Pathway Toward Inclusive Computing


LEVEL UP, which is an NSF Computing in Undergraduate Education (CUE) Mobilizing project, is a collaboration between CRA, ACM,  IEEE-CS, several BPC Alliances (AccessComputing, CAHSI, CRA-WP, ECEP, IAAMCS, LEAP, NCWIT, and STARS), and the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University. We invite others interested in ensuring universities and colleges across the nation offer inclusive computing undergraduate education programs to engage as well.

CRA Accessible Technology for All Workshop participants sitting at round tables at the beginning of the workshop.CRA Accessible Technology for All Workshop participants sitting at round tables at the beginning of the workshop.

CRA Accessible Technology for All Workshop Summary


On February 22-23, 2023 in Washington, DC, the Computing Research Association (CRA) held the Accessible Technology for All Workshop. 

The workshop was attended by over 40 participants from academia, industry, and government and 20 remote participants. The purpose of this workshop was to frame the state of the art of accessible technology, identify forces shaping the evolution of accessible technology, and develop an understanding of implications for the next wave of computer science research in accessibility. By the end of the workshop, important areas of future research were identified and the need for tech-informed policy were highlighted by the participants. A workshop report will be forthcoming. 

Accessible Technology for AllAccessible Technology for All

CRA Workshop on “Accessible Technology for All”


The Computing Research Association (CRA) is planning an Accessible Technology for All workshop co-hosted by CRA-Industry (CRA-I), Computing Community Consortium (CCC), and CRA-Widening Participation (CRA-WP) on February 22-23, 2023 in Washington, DC.  This workshop is one of the activities CRA is currently pursuing under the umbrella of Socially Responsible Computing, one of the topics identified in the recent CRA Strategic Planning Effort.

Tracy CampTracy Camp

Tracy Camp Named Computing Research Association Executive Director


The Computing Research Association recently announced Dr. Tracy Camp will become its next Executive Director starting July 1, 2022. Camp is currently the Department Head of Computer Science at Colorado School of Mines. She brings to the role strong experience as a leader in the computing research community at the national level, a history spearheading diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in computing, and a detailed vision for leading the organization into the future.

NSF logoNSF logo

CRA Receives NSF Award to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship


In response to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s recently announced CSGrad4US Fellowship program, the Computing Research Association’s Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committees are working to develop a CSGrad4US Mentoring Program for recipients of the CSGrad4US Fellowship. 

NSF logoNSF logo

NSF Extends Application Deadline to May 19, 2021, for CSGrad4US: New NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CISE Bachelor’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD


The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the new CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program that aims to increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields. The new fellowship, which will provide 3-year fellowship opportunities for new Ph.D. students in the computing disciplines, was released in response to the increased demand for people with a Ph.D. in computer science (CS), the continued decrease of domestic students pursuing research and completing a Ph.D., and the overall small number of bachelor’s degree recipients in CS pursuing graduate school.

NSF logoNSF logo

Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Racial Equity in STEM Education (EHR Racial Equity)


The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) is soliciting proposals for projects addressing systemic racism in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research and practice. Those who have been impacted by the inequities caused by system racism should be the primary focus for all proposals. Competitive proposals will be clear with respect to how the work will advance racial equity and address system racism.

WOCintechchatWOCintechchat

Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Reflections on Black in Computing


In June 2020, a community of Black people in computing from around the world published an open letter, initiated by the authors, and a call for action[b] to the global computing community. The letter began with, “The recent killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police has sparked a movement that began at the birth of our nation. Though George Floyd may have been the most recent instance, we should not forget the lives of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Philando Castille, Tanisha Anderson, Atatiana Jefferson, Eric Garner, Charleena Lyles, Eula Love, Michael Brown, Khalif Browder, Botham Jean, Tamir Rice, Latasha Harlins, Amadou Diallo, Mary Turner, Emmett Till, and too many other Black people who have been murdered …”

VideoVideo

SIGCSE Panel March 17- Exploring the Data on Dual Pandemics: How Racism and COVID-19 Have Impacted the Computing Community  


At SIGCSE 2021, CRA’s Betsy Bizot will be a panelist for the session, “Exploring the Data on Dual Pandemics: How Racism and COVID-19 Have Impacted the Computing Community“. Bizot will discuss the results from two CRA surveys about the COVID-19 disruption from summer 2020 and a few tidbits from this year’s CRA Taulbee Survey ahead of full publication in May. The session will be held from 1:00 PM – 2:45 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 17.

CRA AwardsCRA Awards

2021 CRA Distinguished Service and A. Nico Habermann Awardees Announced


Mary Jane Irwin was selected to receive the 2021 A. Nico Habermann Award in recognition of her more than 30 years of diversity efforts, both in academia and in professional organizations. James Kurose was selected to receive the 2021 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his exemplary service to the computing research community. Through a career spanning more that 35 years, he has distinguished himself as national leader in numerous impactful service roles in the computing research community.

CMD-IT ConversationCMD-IT Conversation

Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Join CMD-IT on December 2 for Standing Against Racial Injustices – Commanding Our Voice


Part 2 of the CMD-IT Standing Against Racial Injustice conversation brings together a group of Black industry tech professionals for a breadth of conversation on how we create the change we want to see and how Commanding Our Voices drives Inclusion, Innovation and Impact to our community, society and the nation.

ChangeChange

Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: NCWIT Conversations for Change Webinar Tomorrow


Numerous events of 2020 have placed a national spotlight on the inequities and inequalities that are present in K-16 education and society at large. In this conversation, Dr. Nicki Washington discusses how her personal journey in computing influenced her research on identity in computing, including the development of her “Race, Gender, Class, and Computing” course and why “teaching is political.”