First Colorado Celebration Of Women In Computing
Three Colorado universities organized the first Colorado Celebration of Women in Computing, a regional conference designed to encourage the research and career interests of local women in computing.
The event, planned by the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado State University, was held April 4 to 5 at the Hotel Boulderado in downtown Boulder. Google, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft Research are among nine industry sponsors; the conference also has attracted sponsorships from several non-profit organizations, including the National Center for Women and Information Technology and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.
Modelled after the highly successful international Grace Hopper Celebration, the event featured keynote talks by iRobot Corp. cofounder Helen Greiner and Arizona State University Professor Violet Syrotiuk. Undergraduate and graduate students have also been invited to present papers or posters based on their research. All attendees can give ‘lightning talks,’ which are brief, five-minute presentations on any subject relevant to the conference, and can join informal discussion groups on specific topics of interest. A career fair was also part of the program.
‘The conference offers an opportunity for students to present their research and to network with leaders from academia, government and industry,’ said CU computer science Professor Liz Jessup, who was co-chairing the conference with Professor Tracy Camp of CSM. ‘In this way, it will provide a unique opportunity for technical women from Colorado and neighboring states to come together to share experiences and strategies for success.’
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing was cofounded in 1994 and is the world’s largest gathering of technical women in computing. While more than 4,300 women have attended a GHC conference since its beginning, organisers say a regional conference reduces travel costs and builds a regional alliance that continues long after the conference ends.
More than 150 women attended the Colorado event.