This article is published in the September 2024 issue.

CRA Awards ~$1.5M via the UR2PhD Program to 5 Organizations To Support Initiatives That Will Broaden Participation in Computing

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By Erik Russell, Director of Educational Initiatives and Julia Sepulveda, Senior Program Associate, CRA-E

Earlier this year, the Computing Research Association’s UR2PhD team announced that it would be accepting proposals from non-profit organizations interested in supporting gender-marginalized students in computing. Today, we are thrilled to announce that we will award nearly $1.5M to five organizations broadening participation in computing. 

The UR2PhD leadership team is pleased to support organizations whose missions prioritize people and emphasize impact. Christine Alvarado, Associate Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education at the University of California, San Diego and UR2PhD Program Leader shares, “We’re truly looking forward to collaborating with these partners to achieve our shared goal of increasing the number of women and gender-marginalized students pursuing PhDs in computing. Each partner brings unique and complementary expertise that, together, will make it possible for women and gender-marginalized students from all backgrounds, demographics, abilities and circumstances to get excited about research and pursue their PhDs.” 

Kelly Shaw, UR2PhD Program Leader and Professor at William College, adds, “Increasing the number of women and gender-marginalized individuals earning PhDs in computing requires support and mentorship at every stage of a student’s career, up through the completion of the PhD. These students face unique challenges and no one organization can provide all the resources and guidance they need to be successful. We’re proud to be building partnerships that empower women and gender-marginalized students to explore their curiosity in computing research, so that they’re ultimately able to obtain their PhD.” 

The UR2PhD program, which specifically focuses on increasing the number of undergraduate research opportunities and closing the gap between a first research experience and a successful PhD application, is funding the following organizations working to build support for gender-marginalized students in computing.

Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS) / Morehouse College

iAAMCS will develop a Summer Bridge Experience (SBX) Program to increase interest in pursuing doctoral computing degrees from African American, gender-marginalized individuals. iAAMCS’ SBX program will offer a virtual research and training opportunity that results in students earning 3 hours of college credit, experience with Python programming, and community-building. 

Last Mile Education Fund

Last Mile Education Fund will identify and support low social-economic status students in computing by deploying outreach campaigns, offering targeted supplemental grants, and establishing a Last Mile fund for students from marginalized genders pursuing computing-related PhDs.

The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) / the University of Texas at El Paso

CAHSI will double the number of Latin@s who apply to graduate school by December 2025. To do so, they will be developing and implementing campaigns that deliberately and intentionally recruit more gender-marginalized computing students into local research experiences for undergraduates. They will also be creating and establishing programming for the Future Latin@ Graduates in Computing community of practice for LREU gender-marginalized computing students.

AccessComputing / University of Washington

AccessComputing will increase the number of women and gender-marginalized individuals with disabilities (WGMD) on track to earn a PhD in a computing field. To realize this goal, the team will develop and disseminate resources for women and gender-marginalized individuals with disabilities and faculty who are supporting these students. AccessComputing will be leveraging funds to host a National Capacity Building Institute, develop a web page, videos, and webinars, and generate resources for WGMD students.

Modern Figures Podcast

The Modern Figures Podcast will facilitate more engagement of Black women and girls in computing by developing 2 new seasons of inspirational Modern Figures Podcast episodes, organizing listening sessions, raising visibility at affinity group conferences, and providing travel scholarships to gender-marginalized individuals in computing to attend conferences.

In selecting the recipients of the awards, the committee prioritized proposals that complemented UR2PhD’s program goals. UR2PhD is grateful to have received several competitive proposals from organizations striving to broaden participation in computing. CRA hopes to continue to see diverse, dynamic initiatives and programs that meet the needs of underrepresented individuals in computing. 

We look forward to sharing highlights from these exciting projects in the future. 

NOTE: While CRA’s UR2PhD program intends to increase the number of gender-marginalized students pursuing graduate studies in computing, program activities are not limited to students who identify as gender-marginalized. Students do not need to identify as a specific gender, race, or ethnicity to participate.