Tag Archive: CRA-WP

Articles relevant to the CRA Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP).

Expanding the Pipeline: Gaining Momentum through Research on Diversity in Undergraduate Computing

By: Linda J. Sax and Kathleen J. Lehman, UCLAIn: , /

Five years ago, we wrote in this column about the research our team was initiating on the BRAID (Building Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity) initiative, a coordinated effort among 15 universities to increase representation among women and Students of Color in their undergraduate computing programs. Over these past five years, the BRAID institutions have indeed made significant strides towards greater diversity. Collectively, while BRAID departments experienced an 87% increase in overall undergraduate computing enrollments, such increases were even larger among women (139%), BLI (Black, Latinx, and Indigenous) students (106%), and BLI women (127%). While there is much more work to be done in order to achieve gender and racial/ethnic parity in computing representation (not to mention fostering more inclusive environments), these figures certainly reflect progress. Further, such progress was not experienced by BRAID institutions alone, as data from the nationwide CRA Taulbee Survey during this same time period also show significant gains in representation among women and underrepresented Students of Color.

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Call for Nominations: CRA-WP Early Career Awards

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Nominations Due March 31: CRA-WP Skip Ellis Early Career Award
CRA-WP is excited to launch the second cycle of its newest award, the Skip Ellis Early Career Award. The award recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers in computing who identify as a member of a group underrepresented in computing (African-American, Latinx, Native American/First Peoples, and/or people with disabilities). Detailed information about the award and nomination submission can be found here.

Nominations Due March 31: CRA-WP Anita Borg Early Career Award (BECA)
The award honors the late 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. Detailed information about the award and nomination submission can be found here.

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CRA Looking to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship

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In response to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s recently announced CSGrad4US Fellowship program, the Computing Research Association’s Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committees, with CRA support, are exploring the development of a CSGrad4US Mentoring Program to support recipients of the CSGrad4US Fellowship. The goals of the mentoring program would be (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection and (2) to mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during the first year. The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program would include both a group mentoring component addressing general aspects of the graduate application process and an individual coaching component.

Interested in serving as a mentor or coach?
More information and a sign-up opportunity will be posted on CRA, CRA-E and CRA-WP websites in the spring. Click here to subscribe to updates.

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Expanding the Pipeline – Minding the Gaps in the CS Pipeline: The MSCS Degree

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Education presents a complex and confusing landscape. The traditional view of a CS education pipeline flowing from elementary through secondary, postsecondary, and graduate education is an oversimplification – one that may hinder our efforts to diversify computing. This simplification encourages a focus on educational efforts based on retention across stages and the traditional transitions between them, ignoring the fact that successful students may enter or re-enter CS education through a variety of nonstandard onramps. 

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Get Involved With CRA-WP Opportunities

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Deadline February 1: Scholarships for Women Studying Information Security (SWSIS):
The SWSIS program provides scholarships of up to $10,000 for women in the formative stages of their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in fields relating to information security. Apply now at www.swsis.org.

Deadline February 15: Distributed Experiences for Undergraduates
The CRA-WP Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) program matches students with faculty mentors for summer research experiences at the faculty mentor’s home institution. DREU interns are directly involved in a research project with graduate students and professors, and faculty mentors work with new students from other institutions. Applications are currently open for both students and mentors; apply by February 15, 2021.
Learn about first hand experiences with the DREU program in this new video.

Nominations Due March 31: CRA-WP Skip Ellis Early Career Award
CRA-WP is excited to launch the second cycle of its newest award, the Skip Ellis Early Career Award. The award recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers in computing who identify as a member of a group underrepresented in computing (African-American, Latinx, Native American/First Peoples, and/or people with disabilities). Detailed information about the award and nomination submission can be found here.

Nominations Due March 31: CRA-WP Anita Borg Early Career Award (BECA)
The award honors the late 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. Detailed information about the award and nomination submission can be found here.

Read more →
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CRA-WP Renames the Grad Cohort for URMD Workshop

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CRA-WP has renamed the Grad Cohort for URMD Workshop to the Grad Cohort for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills – The IDEALS Workshop. We would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in this renaming process. The community’s willingness to discuss, listen, and provide insightful feedback was essential to improving the process and outcome.

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Applications Open for 2021 CRA-WP Graduate Cohort Workshops

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Applications are now open for the 2021 CRA-WP Graduate Cohort Workshops.

The 2021 Grad Cohort for Women will likely be a virtual workshop on April 23-24, 2021. Apply here.

The 2021 Grad Cohort for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills – The IDEALS Workshop (formerly the Grad Cohort Workshop for URMD) will be a virtual workshop on March 11-12, 2021. Apply here.

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Expanding the Pipeline: The Status of Persons with Disabilities in the Computer Science Pipeline

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For the past fifteen years, I have led the NSF-funded broadening participation alliance AccessComputing that has the goal of increasing the participation and success of people with disabilities in computing fields. This has given me and my team the ability to help create positive change and to observe what others have done to do the same.  No doubt, there are still significant barriers for some students with disabilities to enter our field, and as technology changes new barriers often arise.

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CRA-WP 2020 Virtual Summer REU

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The Computing Research Association and organizers of the Distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (DREU) Program made the decision to modify the 2020 DREU program from an onsite format to a virtual one.  Given the devastating impact of the COVID-19 virus we felt offering a virtual Distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (vDREU) would better ensure the safety of all participants while continuing to provide research-intensive opportunities to students considering advanced degrees in computing.

Twenty-eight students worked with thirteen faculty mentors on virtual research projects in a number of areas. In addition to offering students and mentors the opportunity to participate in a virtual research experience we will be providing students with a travel budget to be used for a follow-up onsite REU activity that is coordinated with their mentor at a later date.

DREU Application Opening
In mid-October CRA-WP will begin accepting student and mentor applications for the Summer 2021 session. Learn more about first hand experiences with the DREU program this video.

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Expanding the Pipeline – CAHSI introduces National Virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates

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To identify and broadly engage the next generation of computer science researchers, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020.  Funded by an NSF RAPID grant, the pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 50 students and 20 faculty drawn from 20 colleges and universities widely distributed throughout the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. The program used the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model to guide faculty mentors throughout the experience.  ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research skills development. At weekly meetings, Drs. Morreale, Villa, and Gates discussed and provided resources for specific skills that were appropriate at a specific point in time of a student’s research experience. Faculty mentors put skills development into immediate practice throughout their summer research program.

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