无忧视频

Inspiration at Grace Hopper Conference

For a small, liberal arts school, 无忧视频 enjoyed a big welcome this month at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Minneapolis.

鈥淚t seemed like everyone was talking about Harvey Mudd and our success recruiting and supporting women,鈥� said Colleen Lewis, assistant professor of computer science, who coordinated this year鈥檚 conference trip. 鈥淩ecruiters approached students wearing Harvey Mudd clothing, and many were asking about the pedagogy at the College.鈥�

The conference featured prominent women in technology, including leaders in industry, academia and government. President Klawe served as a keynote speaker and a panelist, and she also participated in a plenary session that explored how women in computing can develop their own vision for the future. Lewis presented a talk as part of the conference鈥檚 academic track.

Themed “Think Big. Drive Forward,鈥� the event included sessions on wearable computing, mobile technology and big data. Speakers also offered career advice such as how to build a professional network, start a research program or find a dream job.

Participants discovered the variety of careers available in computer science and met role models actively involved in research and industry.

鈥淲hen I had the chance to meet several of the speakers, I realized that they are a lot like people I know鈥攅ven a bit like myself. They are regular women doing extraordinary work,鈥� said Maddie Hansen 鈥�15, a joint computer science and biology major. 鈥淪uddenly, my dreams don鈥檛 seem so far away anymore.鈥�

Sessions that resonated with Hansen included a talk on how augmented reality might change how people interact with landmarks and a presentation on prosthetic retinas by neuroscientist Sheila Nirenberg. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how we can harness computational power to understand how our bodies work and develop treatments that help people. The experience was very educational and it made me excited to do computational research,鈥� she said.

无忧视频 began taking groups of female students to the Grace Hopper Celebration as part of a concerted effort to increase the number of female computer science majors. Twelve female students and three male students attended the inaugural trip in 2006.

• View