Archive of articles published in the 2017 issue.

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Nearly 10 Years Later, CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshop Participants are More Advanced in their Careers Than Non-Participants


CERP recently extracted Web data to observe the career progression of women who had participated in the CRA-W’s 2008 or 2009 Career Mentoring Workshops (CMWs) compared to a sample of women who had never participated in CMWs. We obtained the comparison sample from a population of women who earned their Ph.D.s in computer science during the same time period as the participants. We collected current career information including job titles (e.g., associate professor) and job setting (e.g., academia vs. industry/labs) for both groups. We then categorized job titles as entry level (e.g., assistant professor, software engineer), mid level (e.g., associate professor, senior engineer), and senior level (e.g., professor, principal program manager), collapsed across job setting. To test for a systematic difference in job rankings between workshop participants and the comparison group, we ran a 2 (Group) x 3 (Job Title Rank) Chi-squared test and found a statistically significant difference in rankings across the two groups, χ2 (2, N = 181) = 8.46, p < 0.05. Specifically, CMW participants were less likely than non-participants to be in an entry level position, p < .05, and more likely to be in a senior level position than non-participants, p < .05.

Thank You Data Buddies!


CRA wishes to thank the computing departments who distributed CERP’s Data Buddies survey during the fall of 2016! The collective effort of these departments provides data for CERP’s research on students’ experiences and successes in computing degree programs.

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2016 Robotics Roadmap and the National Robotics Initiative 2.0


In 2009, the CCC published a report, A Roadmap for US Robotics, From Internet to Robotics (a.k.a. the Robotics Roadmap), which explored the capacity of robotics to act as a key economic enabler, specifically in the areas of manufacturing, healthcare, and the service industry, 5, 10, and 15 years into the future.

An updated version of the Robotics Roadmap was released in November 2016; it expands on the topics discussed in the 2009 roadmap and addresses the areas of public safety, earth science, and workforce development. It also emphasizes robotics as a validated STEM education and career recruitment tool and calls for additional research in this promising area. This direction is particularly important as it not only aids in training the 21st century workforce, but also helps to address concerns about job loss to automation.

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White House Report on AI, Automation, and the Economy


The past year has seen an incredible amount of ink spilled on a singular topic: what does the future of AI portend for the nation and the world? Will AI technologies enhance productivity and quality of life, or will it disrupt labor markets and accelerate growth in income disparity and wealth concentration? Will AI research be used for the common good, or will it be “bought up” by the private sector and exploited for commercial gain? Is this another AI research bubble, or are we truly on the verge of a paradigm shift that could change the nature of computing itself?

White House Report on Ensuring Long-Term U.S. Leadership in Semiconductors


In December, the US White House released Ensuring Long-Term U.S. Leadership in Semiconductors. The report recognizes the importance of semiconductors—and semiconductor leadership—to modern life in a competitive world. While much of the report deals with policy issues—see a recent CRA Policy blog post—I focus on some of the technical recommendations in Chapter 4.

OSTP Exit Memo


In January, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released an Exit Memo that highlights the impact that the administration has had in “reinvigorating the American scientific technological enterprise.” Dr. John Holdren, Director of OSTP, and Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, offer actions that are needed in the near term to broaden participation in science, technology, and innovation to continue driving prosperity.

February Announcements


Nominations Open for Borg Early Career Award (BECA)
CRA-Women invites nominations for the Borg Early Career Award. The award honors the late Anita Borg, who was an early member of CRA-W and an inspiration for her commitment in increasing the participation of women in computing research.
The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2017.

Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU)
Are you a faculty member interested in being a research mentor or do you know students interested in exploring research? The DREU program matches students with faculty mentors for summer research experiences at the faculty mentor’s home institution. Applications are currently open for both students and mentors. The application deadline is February 15, 2017.

National Academy of Engineering Announces New Members
Among those elected were Julia Hirschberg, CRA-W co-chair and former CRA board member, and Katherine Yelick, CCC council member.

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Nominations Sought for New CCC Council Members


The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is charged with catalyzing and empowering the U.S. computing research community to articulate and advance major research directions for the field. To do so, the CCC needs truly visionary leaders — people with great ideas, sound judgment, and the willingness to work hard to see things to completion. Please help the computing community by nominating such people for the Council.

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Get Involved with CRA-Women Activities


CRA-W’s mission is to increase the success and participation of women in computing research and education at all levels. There are several ways you can get involved such as mentoring students, submitting proposals, and sharing these opportunities with your colleagues and students.