With layoffs and the uncertainty of hiring in the tech sector, the Computing Research Association has a unique opportunity to take advantage of! 

The National Science Foundation’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (CSGrad4US Fellowship) and the associated CRA CSGrad4US Mentoring Program help tech professionals make the switch from industry to research and graduate school. The mentoring program provides guidance, mentoring, and coaching through the PhD application and decision-making  process. After acceptance and enrollment into a PhD program in a Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) field, the 3-year CSGrad4US Fellowship provides a $34K stipend per year as well as provides tuition and fees directly to the institution where the fellow enrolls as they work towards a PhD in a CISE discipline department in the U.S. 

For Fall 2024 PhD admissions, CSGrad4US Fellowship applications open in Early Summer 2023. Please complete this form to be notified when fellowship applications open: https://forms.gle/fBuiVQQW64ThPDHL6

For more information about the program: https://cra.org/csgrad4us/

CRA has recently hired Lauren Lashlee as a program associate for the Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committee. In this role, she supports CRA-WP programs that focus on increasing the success and participation of underrepresented groups in computing research.

Lauren was raised Savannah, GA. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in K-12 English as a Second Oral Language. Before joining CRA, Lauren was an educator for six years in Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools. She enjoys cooking, painting, and physical activities.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the second year of the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program. NSF seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and strongly encourages women, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Benefits

• A year-long preparation program, organized by CRA-E and CRA-WP, in which individuals selected for the Fellowship will receive mentoring support in identifying a graduate program, finding a research mentor, and applying to graduate programs; during this year, the individuals will also have opportunities to form a network with one another and with faculty advisors;
• For those who enroll in an accredited doctoral degree-granting program at an institution of higher education having a campus located in the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an annual stipend of $34,000 for three years out of five; and

• Cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 per year for the three years noted above to the institution of higher education.

Timeline and Eligibility
The 2022 solicitation has expanded the eligibility rules. In particular, applicants must have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in a CISE field before June 30, 2021, and can have received an MS degree.  Applications for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship are due June 30, 2022.

Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for all eligibility criteria and additional details and deadlines.

By Dorian Arnold, Manuel Pérez Quiñones, Michelle Rogers, and Burçin Tamer

Broadening participation should be one of the higher priorities in all computing programs in the US. Efforts to increase participation from minoritized communities has been going on in earnest for over a decade. Unfortunately, we have yet to expand the group of faculty and staff engaged in these activities and have only made a marginal difference in who is studying computing. In this article, we will focus on BPC Plans as an attempt to supplement and scale-up the computing community’s efforts to address the issue of lack of diversity in computing.

This article will describe what BPC Plans are; outline the background/context of the BPC Plan initiative; identify why BPC Plans are important; provide an overview of BPC Plan development from the perspective of a department that has developed a verified Departmental BPC Plan (Emory University Department of Computer Science); and conclude with some pointers to resources for getting started with your Departmental BPC Plan.