CRA-WP Featured in the 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase: Access, Inclusion, and Equity

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A short video from CRA’s Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP) is featured in the 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase May 10-17. CRA-WP’s video is entitled “Broadening Participation in Computing Research with CRA-WP” and highlights programs funded through National Science Foundation award #1840724. CRA-WP is a Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance that focuses on community building, career mentoring, information sharing, and effecting systemic change for undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty, and industry and government researchers. 

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In Memoriam: Former CRA Board Member and CRA-WP Co-Chair Andrea Danyluk

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CRA is sad to announce that on March 3, 2022, Andrea Pohoreckyj Danyluk passed away at age 59 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. The CRA community is deeply saddened by the loss of an amazing mentor, friend, and champion for diversity. She was family to many of her former students, colleagues, and friends. Through trying times, Danyluk calmly navigated the group forward, making time and space for people to voice their opinions and concerns. In recognition of her successful and impactful efforts to build inclusive and diverse communities in computing, the Computing Research Association selected Andrea Danyluk as the recipient of the 2022 CRA A. Nico Habermann Award. Andrea profoundly impacted the lives of her family, friends, students, and colleagues. She will forever be remembered for her warm spirit, boundless energy, and infectious laughter.

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Expanding the Pipeline: The Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE)

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By Jennifer Mankoff, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Co-Directors, University of Washington CREATE

In an era of rapidly evolving technology and increasing interconnectedness, full participation in society depends on the successful use of technology. Thus, to ensure equity and participation for people with disabilities, technology must be accessible—we must create and adapt interactive systems to improve access to technology and to the world at large. The University of Washington Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) is dedicated to propelling accessible technology research and education from incremental improvements to paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that enable greater inclusion and participation for people of all abilities. This article briefly introduces CREATE’s mission and then highlights some of its recent research into the impact of the pandemic on students and best practices for hybrid meetings.

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Sandhya Dwarkadas Named Chair of University of Virginia Computer Science Department

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CRA-WP Co-Chair and CRA Board Member Sandhya Dwarkadas has been named Chair of the University of Virginia (UVA) Department of Computer Science. She comes to UVA from the University of Rochester where she is Interim Associate Vice President for Research and the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering. She will assume the role on July 1, 2022.

From the UVA announcement:

“Sandhya is a world-class researcher with excellent leadership skills and experiences,” said UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer L. West. “She has a demonstrated record of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion, with an emphasis on increasing the participation of women and students from other backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in computer science. We are thrilled she will join our team.”

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CRA-WP Co-chair Amanda Stent Named a Fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics

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CRA-WP Co-chair Amanda Stent has been named a fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) for “significant contributions to computational models of multimodal and spoken dialogue, natural language generation and summarization.” Stent is the inaugural director of the Colby College Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

From ACL:

The Fellows program recognizes ACL members whose contributions to the field have been most extraordinary in terms of scientific and technical excellence, service to the association and the community and/or educational or outreach activities with broader impact.

 

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Former CRA-W Co-chair Tracy Camp Named Computing Research Association Executive Director

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Nationally Known Computer Scientist and Diversity Advocate to Lead CRA’s Next Chapter
The Computing Research Association recently announced Dr. Tracy Camp will become the organization’s fourth Executive Director in its 50 year history. Camp is the former 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.

Camp has previous experience with CRA having served for many years in various volunteer capacities. She is a current board member of the CRA Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research, where she served as co-chair from 2011 to 2014. Camp was also an influential member of the CRA Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016. She led the committee that produced the 2017 report Generation CS: CS Undergraduate Enrollments Surge Since 2006.

Camp will be the first woman to serve as Executive Director at CRA. She will assume the role on July 1, 2022.

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Nominations Open for the 2022 CRA-WP Early Career Awards: Due February 15

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CRA-WP welcomes your nominations for the Early Career Awards honoring Anita Borg and Clarence “Skip” Ellis:

Anita Borg Early Career Award  (BECA)
The Anita Borg Early Career Award (BECA) is named in honor of Anita Borg, who was an early member of CRA-WP and is inspired by her commitment to increasing the participation of women in computing research. The annual award is given to a woman in computer science and/or engineering who has made significant research contributions in computer science and/or engineering and has also contributed to the profession, especially in outreach to women.

Skip Ellis Early Career Award (SEECA)
The Skip Ellis Early Career Award is in honor of Clarence “Skip” Ellis; he was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science and the first African-American to be elected a Fellow of the ACM. SEECA aims to recognize early-career individuals underrepresented in computing research that best exemplify the pioneering spirit of Skip Ellis.  The leadership and trailblazing of Prof. Ellis and his cohort established the foundation for future generations of pioneers in computing.  Prof. Ellis and his generation valued both excellence in scholarship and cultivation of equal opportunity in service to the profession, the nation, and the lived experience of those underrepresented.  Skip Ellis awardees are expected to be rising stars in their field of research and broadening participation in computing. This annual award is given to a person who identifies as a member of a group underrepresented in computing (African-American, Latinx, Native American/First Peoples, and/or People with Disabilities), who has made significant research contributions in computer science and/or engineering and has also contributed to the profession, especially in outreach to underrepresented demographics.

Learn more about the awards and the nomination process: https://cra.org/cra-wp/early-career-awards
Nominations are due February 15, 2022, at 11:59 PM ET.

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CRA-E Webinar Available: The Ph.D. in CS – Getting There and Being Successful

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Members of the CRA-Education Committee hosted a webinar titled “The Ph.D. in CS: Getting There and Being Successful.” The webinar is designed to help undergraduates evaluate whether a Ph.D. program is right for them, and how to determine which program is a great fit.
The webinar recording and slides are at the links below:

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