Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS)

PLEASE NOTE: This program has been retired and will no longer accept submissions.

Overview

The Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) brings prominent faculty and industry researchers to campuses across the US.

The purpose of these visits is to provide inspiring role models that will encourage students to pursue research in computer science and engineering.

The DLS program typically provides two prominent speakers who give technical talks as well as participate in activities, such as panel discussions and meetings with the host community of faculty and students. At these events, students will have the opportunity to discuss the graduate school process and receive mentoring from leading researchers.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (1840724). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Previously, until 2016, the DLS program was a joint project of CRA-WP and the Coalition to Diversify Computing.

Eligibility

The DLS program welcomes all interested computer science and computer engineering departments to apply to host a DLS event. We encourage neighboring institutions to propose a joint event. Due to our funding from NSF, we unfortunately cannot currently use it to support a DLS events internationally.

In order for an application to be reviewed, a department chair or faculty member must accept the responsibility to host the event. Students may not be the host of a DLS event, but can submit an application clearly specifying the department chair or faculty member who will be the official host.

Proposal

The Distinguished Lecture Series has rolling admissions for applications.

Submitting a Proposal:

Prospective DLS organizers are requested to complete the DLS proposal application at least 6-9 months prior to the proposed event date.

Steps to submitting a proposal (6-9 months before the event):

Identify a main organizer for the DLS event. Provide information for any additional DLS organizers.
Identify a potential speaker (or speakers); speakers should be active researchers with a PhD in computer science or engineering and should be committed to increasing diversity.
Choose a proposed date for the DLS event.
We encourage neighboring institutions to propose a joint event, if you would like to hose a joint event, each institution should submit an application.
Prepare a 2-4 page proposal, details on what to include can be found here.
Submit all the following details through the DLS portal.
You will receive funding notifications within 1 month of review date from DLS program chairs

Travel & Financial Support

Speakers will be directly reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred such as travel, lodging, and meals associated with their speaking event. DLS event organizers, with pre-approval from CRA, may also submit a reimbursement request along with all receipts to CRA for event expenses after the event has concluded.

Please use the CRA Reimbursement Guidelines when completing the CRA Expense Reimbursement Form:

CRA Reimbursement Guidelines

CRA Expense Reimbursement Form

In order to receive reimbursement for a Distinguished Lecture Series event, the host must complete the Data Collection Form. This form will be sent to the host directly via email from the program chairs before the DLS event.

FAQ

Send any inquiries or questions about the DLS program to dls@cra.org.

What should a DLS proposal include?

The Proposal should include:

- Logistics
  - - Provide title of the event and indicate if it is a regular DLS event or a Regional Celebration event.
  - - Closest airport and distance from institution to it.
  - - Time and place that would be best for the DLS event.
      - Provide data on past events when appropriate.
      - Provide details on exact venue.
  - - Indicate if CRA-W has supported this event in the past or if it is the first time that you are seeking support.

- Publicity and Outreach Plan (Optional)
  - - Information on the mechanisms and plans for publicity and outreach.
  - - Refer to the Steps for a Successful CRA-W DLS Event for ideas.

- Budget
  - - Provide the total cost (excluding travel and lodging for speaker(s)).
  - - Provide a breakdown of estimated budget for the DLS event.
      - Any receptions or meals
      - Publicity

- Participating Institutions Information
  - - Provide the following information for institutions participating in the DLS event:
      - Degrees offered in participating departments.
      - Size of the programs of participating institutions/departments.

Acceptable document formats are plain text (.txt), Adobe (.pdf), or postscript (.ps) format.

For a DLS event what arrangements do I need to make?

As soon as your funding is approved, finalize dates, if you are hosting the event at an Institution make sure to reserve a room. The DLS program chairs will invite the speaker on behalf of the CRA-W DLS program. Please do not invite the speaker(s) directly.

* The speaker expenses are covered directly by CRA-W and you do not have to budget for this.

What should I include in my Advertising and Publicity plan?

Once the lecturer and panelists are in place, you will need to advertise the event with sufficient lead-time. Please use the flyer provided on the DLS Program Page. The scope of your advertising should include your school, nearby schools, and community colleges where there will be interest in the event. Common methods for advertisement include print flyers, Facebook events, and Twitter posts on @CRAWomen. But it is also important to reach professors at other institutions so that they can encourage students to attend. Please send Melissa Borts your completed flyer so that we can promote your upcoming Distinguished Lecture Series.

Note: You must acknowledge both the CRA-W logo on your website and program materials as a sponsor. To request the logos, please contact Melissa Borts.

What components should I include in my Agenda and Program?

- Distinguished Lecture Series events usually have a Panel Discussion.
  - - The best panels solicit questions from the The panelists prime the questions by making short statements at the start of the panel on the topics listed in the template slides. It’s not essential to cover all the topics on the slide in the panelist statements. The students will drive the discussion based on their interests.

- Leave time in individual sessions for questions, and time for Q&A overall.

- Include interactive exercises and small-group activities, if possible.

- Ensure the opportunity for participants and panelists to interact.
  - - People like opportunities for informal interaction, especially when it lets them move around and socialize with many people rather than being constrained.

- You will need to arrange the DLS speakers schedule for the time they are at your institution. As time allows, you might arrange for them to have a meal or some kind of meeting with students from underrepresented groups (women or ethnic minority males), meet your department head/chair, possibly other members of the administration, faculty in their research area. You should work with the visitors and set up a schedule that fits well with their interests and travel plans.

When should I invite individuals to be panelists at my DLS?

It is good to invite key speakers/panelists 3-5 months in advance where possible.

What do I need to provide speakers prior to the workshop?

- Give speakers advance information about audience.

- Speakers may appreciate some guidance in advance regarding suggested talk content. In addition, providing speakers the CRA-W template slides, will make your workshop seem more professional and consistent.

- You should give speakers advice as to how to arrange their travels, where to stay, etc. You might also offer to make reservations for them.

What are some best practices regarding speakers’ presentations?

- Participants like to hear some personal background on the speakers and some examples of the speaker’s research.

- Have speaker (s) have a “1 slide” description of his/her life outside of work.

- Leave time for questions.

- Include interactive exercises and small-group activities along with talks.

What do I need to do once the event is over?

- Make sure you (the host) complete the evaluation form. It is your responsibility to make sure you have collected the data necessary for this form, before and during the DLS session.

- After your event, your invited speaker(s) and invited panelists must submit expense reports to be reimbursed. After you (the host) complete your evaluation form, you may submit expense reports to be reimbursed. Reimbursement of expenses will be done only after the evaluation form has been submitted. Please refer to the Travel and Financial Support tab for more information.