Grad Cohort Workshop for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (IDEALS)
Formerly Grad Cohort for Underrepresented Minorities and Persons with Disabilities (URMD)
PLEASE NOTE: The 2024 Grad Cohort Workshops will be in-person events.
Date: April 11-13, 2024
Deadline:
November 30, 2023 (11:59 PM ET)
The CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshop for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (IDEALS) aims to widen the participation, access, opportunities, and experience of individuals in computing research by building and mentoring nationwide communities through their graduate studies.
Are you interested in interacting with successful individuals in your field who can give you advice on topics such as how to find and develop your research topic, how to prepare for your career after graduate school, and how to balance work and life?
At the CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshop for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (IDEALS), you will spend two days interacting with senior computing researchers and professionals, who will share pertinent information on graduate school survival skills, as well as more personal information and insights about their experiences. The workshop will include a mix of formal presentations and informal discussions and social events. By attending the IDEALS Workshop you will be able to build mentoring relationships and develop peer networks that will form the basis for ongoing activities during your graduate career and beyond.
The inaugural IDEALS workshop was titled Grad Cohort for URMD. The workshop took place in March 16-17, 2018 with the generous support of sponsors from industry, the National Science Foundation, the Computing Research Association, the Association for Computing Machinery, and AccessComputing. The workshop aims to increase the ranks of senior underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities in computing research by building and mentoring nationwide communities through their graduate studies.
This program is modeled on the CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshop for Women
CRA URMD Grad Cohort Attendees Report Stronger Professional Skills after the Workshop (CERP infographic)
This program is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (1840724). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Masters and Ph.D. students in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field, who are attending an institution in the U.S. or its territories, or an institution in Canada.
Priority will be given to applicants with expressed identities including:
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- Native American/ Alaskan Native/ Pacific Islander
- Black/ African American
- Hispanic/ Latinx
- Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans, Queer, Asexual, Intersex, Non-binary and others
- Persons with disabilities
- Veterans
Students who have not previously attended a Grad Cohort Workshop will be given priority.
Participant selections aim to include students that collectively represent a diverse set of computing-related research areas and institutions. Additionally, applicants who have never attended a Grad Cohort Workshop are given priority over students who have attended before.
- Full name, email, number, city and state
- Gender identity, race, ethnicity, citizenship, residency status, disability status, veteran status
- ACM or ACM SIGs membership and interest, IEEE-CS membership and interest
- Primary academic affiliation, department, research area(s), degree program and number of years, department chair and advisor name and email
- CV Link URL, previous attendance to either Grad Cohort
- Why do you want to attend Grad Cohort?
- CRA Privacy preferences
2023 Grad Cohort for IDEALS
Friday, March 24, 2023
Networking
Master’s vs Ph.D.
Perspectives from Grad Cohort Alumni
Overcoming Insufficient Academic Preparation: Perceived & Real
Finding a Research Topic & Interdisciplinary Research
Presentation and Other Verbal Communication Skills
Summer Internships
Industry vs Academic Research Positions
Ph.D. Academic Career Paths & Job Search
Ph.D. Non-Academic Career Paths & Job Search
Building Resiliency & Overcoming Failure
Building Your Professional Persona
Empowerment of People with Disabilities
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Balancing Graduate School & Personal Life
Publishing Your Research
Navigating Micro-aggressions & Finding Your Voice
Finding an Advisor & Working Effectively with Them
Preparing Your Thesis Proposal & Becoming a Ph.D. Candidate
Sponsorships
We are currently accepting sponsorship for the 2022 CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops. We welcome sponsorship at any level and would be happy to provide recognition in all printed and web materials.
Sponsor Benefits:
Access to the CRA-WP Graduating Class Directory
| Sponsorship Level | Directory Access |
| Platinum | October |
| Gold | December |
| Silver | February |
| Bronze | N/A |
Access to the Grad Cohort Database
| Sponsorship Level | Database Access |
| Platinum | January |
| Gold | February |
| Silver | March |
| Bronze | N/A |
Application Process & Application Status
What information is needed in the application?
- Full name, email, number, city, and state
- Gender identity, race, ethnicity, citizenship, residency status, disability status, veteran status
- ACM or ACM SIGs membership and interest, IEEE-CS membership and interest
- Primary academic affiliation, department, research area(s), degree program and number of years, department chair and advisor name, and email
- CV Link URL, previous attendance to either Grad Cohort
- Why do you want to attend Grad Cohort?
- CRA Privacy preferences
How are the participants selected?
While we would like to include all students interested in a research career, we are limited by funding and space.
We make every attempt to achieve broad diversity goals by considering multiple factors including institution, citizenship, racial and ethnic background, disabilities, etc. Research success is not a criterion in the selection or application because our goal is to include those who might benefit the most from advice, although we do give priority to Ph.D. students over MS only students.
Beyond this, some funding may come from the home departments, so acceptance of some students may depend on whether the home department is willing to support additional students. We do our best to include as many universities as possible with the goal of the most widespread dissemination. The intent is that the students who attend should be able to share their experiences with their colleagues in their home institutions when they return. We also give priority to students who have not attended Grad Cohort for IDEALS before.
When will I learn the status of my application?
Please note that invitations are distributed in waves and as we move along in the process, we will communicate decisions through email, please keep a close eye on your inbox.
We thank you for your patience as we work through the process of extending invitations. Please do not email us to inquire about the status of your application before mid-late February of 2022 and please make sure to check your spam folder before inquiring.
If I missed the deadline for the Grad Cohort for IDEALS application this year, is there any other way I can attend this year?
Unfortunately, you cannot, but the next Grad Cohort for IDEALS is not too far away! Applications will become available in August for the next Workshop. We encourage you to sign up for CRA-WP Updates to receive notifications for upcoming applications.
Travel & Financial Support
Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed by CRA through funds generously provided by our Grad Cohort sponsors.
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For questions, please contact IDEALSgcinfo@cra.org
To maximize the safety of all attendees, we have put in place the following protocols for the in-person event.
Failure to complete and/or follow any of the required COVID-19 Conference Protocols may result in removal from the event and denial of reimbursement requests.
Where feasible, limited virtual participation may be available for individuals with a qualified exemption.
Recommendations
- Participants are strongly encouraged to conduct PCR Testing within 72 hours prior to boarding their flight to the workshop. This will ensure each individual is healthy before arriving onsite.
Requirements
- Participants must be fully vaccinated – Provide proof no later than 14 days prior to the event start time that you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including any and all booster dose(s) for which you are eligible;
- Participate in guided Rapid Antigen Testing on-site – Testing will occur prior to event registration check-in. You will need results prior to receiving workshop credentials.
- Masks – All participants must use a mask at all times during the workshop with the exception of while actively eating during meals and for presenters who are actively giving a talk.
In the event of a positive COVID-19 result, the individual agrees to:
- Immediately notify CRA of any positive result
- Isolate in a hotel room (if you are not local and are away from home)
- Not attend any further conference activities
- Prepare an isolation plan and share it with CRA
Participants understand that despite CRA’s efforts to ensure a safe environment for the workshop there remains a risk of contracting COVID-19. Participants agree to follow these COVID-19 protocols and understand and assume the risks associated with attending the event.
General Inquiries
For questions, please contact IDEALSgcinfo@cra.org
Program Chairs
Ramón Cáceres
Coordinator
Daniela Cárdenas
Sr. Program Associate
Founding Steering Committee
| Nancy Amato, Texas A&M University | Theo Benson, Duke University |
| Dilma Da Silva, Texas A&M University | Jeff Forbes, National Science Foundation |
| Julia Hirschberg, Columbia University | Chad Jenkins, University of Michigan |
| Daniel Jimenez, Texas A&M University | Russ Joseph, Northwestern University |
| Richard Ladner, University of Washington | James Mickens, Harvard University |
| Melanie Moses, University of New Mexico | Armando Solar-Lezama, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Lydia Tapia, University of New Mexico | Valerie Taylor, Argonne National Laboratory |
