Tag Archive: CRA-WP
Articles relevant to the CRA Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP).
The Data Buddies Project has been running strong since 2010. This article dives into some of the history of the Data Buddies Project and CERP while also highlighting the project over the years. The article concludes with a look into how the project operates today.
The CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops aim to widen the participation, access, opportunities, and experience of individuals in computing research by building and mentoring nationwide communities through their graduate studies.
Applications will open for the 2022 CRA-WP Graduate Cohort Workshops on October 1.
For more information, visit https://cra.org/cra-wp/.
On April 23-24, CRA-WP was thrilled to hold the 2021Grad Cohort Workshop for Women after canceling the previous year’s event because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grad Cohort for Women 2021 was quite different than previous Grad Cohorts as it was held virtually using the Socio event platform. The workshop still consisted of advice panels by professors and research scientists, research discussion sessions, a keynote talk, one-on-one mentoring sessions, an exhibit hall, and even food breaks complete with a customized snack box delivered in advance. Attendance was strong with 375 students, 35 speakers and mentors, 36 sponsors and 14 staff present.
CRA-WP is honored to announce the recipients of the 2021 Skip Ellis Early Career Award and Anita Borg Early Career Award. Sanmi Koyejo of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has been selected as the 2021 Skip Ellis Early Career Award recipient. Finale Doshi-Velez of Harvard University has been selected as the 2021 Anita Borg Early Career Award recipient.
Are you interested in mentoring prospective graduate students through the application and reentry process?
The mentor and coach application is now available on the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program webpage. The goals of the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program are:
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.
Applications received by June 1st will be given preference.
For questions regarding eligibility, please email csgrad4us@cra.org.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CRA released its third set of 2020 Quadrennial Papers, part of a series of white papers produced though its subcommittees, exploring areas and issues around computing research with the potential to address national priorities over the next four years. This release focused on papers around the themes of Socio-Technical Computing and Diversity & Education.
