CRA-WP 2023 Grad Cohort Workshops – Deadline Approaching!


CRA-WP will host two Graduate Cohort Workshops in 2023! The Grad Cohort Workshop for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (GC-IDEALS) is designed specifically for graduate school populations underrepresented in computing research. The Grad Cohort Workshop for Women is designed for women students in their first, second, or third year of graduate school in […]

Apply Now to 2023 CRA-WP Programs!


For Graduate Students Grad Cohort for IDEALS Date and Location: March 23-25, 2023 | ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach | Honolulu, HI Learn More: Hear from previous attendees! Eligibility: Master’s and Ph.D. computer science and engineering students who are attending an institution in North America (Canada, the U.S. or its territories, or Mexico). Applicants from populations […]

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.

The purpose of this workshop is to convene academic, industry, and government representatives to vision ways to make all technology accessible and why that is important and necessary for society as a whole. Technology should simplify everyone’s lives, rather than add unforeseen complications. Ensuring socially responsible intentions and practices is critical to realizing the future potential of computing research. This workshop should help establish partnerships and increase communication across all groups to achieve this goal. Presentations and discussions from this workshop will be put together into a report for the community.

If you are interested in learning more about this workshop or other activities, please reach out to industryinfo@cra.org and let us know.  This workshop will be in-person only with no hybrid option. Individual invitations will be sent out to community members before the end of the year.

CRA-WP Welcomes Susan Rodger as Co-chair


CRA-WP welcomes Susan Rodger as its newest co-chair, replacing Sandhya Dwarkadas. Rodger joins Amanda Stent as co-chair of the committee. Stent will replace Dwarkadas as the CRA-WP representative on the CRA Board. We would like to thank Dwarkadas for her service as co-chair.


Susan Rodger
Susan Rodger is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Computer Science at Duke University. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Rodger received her MS and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University and her BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from North Carolina State University. Her research is in visualization, algorithm animation, and computer science education. Rodger has developed JFLAP, software for experimenting with formal languages and automata that is used in courses worldwide. She leads the Adventures in Alice Programming project to teach K-12 teachers about computing. She has organized three Alice Symposiums and over thirty workshops on Alice, JFLAP, Peer-led Team learning, career mentoring, and other computer science education topics. Rodger is currently chair of ACM SIGCSE, a board member of CRA-W, and a member of the ACM Education Policy Committee. Rodger received the ACM 2013 Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, the ACM Distinguished Educator award, and she was one of two finalist candidates for the NEEDS Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware for the software JFLAP.

CRA-WP Board Welcomes New Board Member: Sujata Banerjee


CRA-WP recently welcomed Sujata Banerjee as a new member to its board of directors.

Banerjee is the Vice President of VMware Research Group. Her expertise is in topics related to software defined networking and network functions virtualization, and she is broadly interested in network automation and performance. Prior to joining VMware, she was a distinguished technologist and research director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Labs, leading a network systems research group which conducted research on enterprise, service provider and datacenter networks. Prior to her industrial research career, Banerjee also held a tenured Associate Professor position at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Council of the Computing Research Association (CRA). Banerjee was honored to be named in the list of 2018 N2Women: Stars in Computer Networking and Communications.

CRA-WP 2023 Grad Cohort Workshops – Applications Due November 30


CRA-WP will host two Graduate Cohort Workshops in 2023! The Grad Cohort Workshop for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (GC-IDEALS) is designed specifically for graduate school populations underrepresented in computing research. The Grad Cohort Workshop for Women is designed for women students in their first, second, or third year of graduate school in computing fields. Grad Cohort participants will have an opportunity to build mentoring relationships and develop peer networks intended to form the basis for ongoing activities during their graduate career and beyond.

Grad Cohort participants will have an opportunity to build mentoring relationships and develop peer networks intended to form the basis for ongoing activities during their graduate career and beyond.

CRA and CRA-WP Welcome Lauren Lashlee


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.

Call for Coaches for the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program


Are you interested in mentoring prospective graduate students through the application and reentry process?

The coach application is now available on the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program webpage. The goals of the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program are:

  • To guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS PhD admission and school selection
  • To mentor them through the transition to PhD graduate study in the first year towards high retention.

Specific topics include the admissions process, preparation of all components of a strong graduate application, differences between graduate programs at different institutions, how to compare programs with respect to the Fellow’s goals and background, and general guidelines on making a selection among admission acceptances.

Access the coach application here. Applications received by July 1st will be given preference.
For questions regarding eligibility, please email csgrad4us@cra.org.

CSGrad4US: Second Year Call for NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CS Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD – Deadline Extended to June 30


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.

CRA Opportunity Board


Last year the Computing Research Association (CRA) launched an Opportunity Board to enable recent new PhD graduates and members of the community that are looking for postdocs to connect. This is a continuation of the Opportunity Board used to match potential postdocs and mentors during the CIFellows 2021 process. The board allows for the posting of postdoc opportunities by potential mentors and posts by those looking for a postdoc opportunity. We encourage members of the community to use this as a resource.

The Opportunity Board lists four options:

  • Find Mentor
  • Find Postdoc
  • Post Mentor Profile
  • Post Postdoc Profile

You are able to search for potential postdocs and available postdoc positions by research area. This board is monitored by CRA, but we will not endorse any posts or make any recommendations. Posts will remain for six months before being removed. If you find a match, please remove your profile from the Opportunity Board. You can view the board here.