Chair’s Message

Welcome to the April, 2016, issue of ACM-W Connections.

Our new subcommittee that is handling People of ACM-W has already produced their second interview!  This month we feature their interview with our very own Gloria Townsend.  It would be impossible to adequately express all that Gloria has done for ACM-W – she’s been an amazing force, initiating the very idea of ACM-W Celebrations and helping to launch many of the events that still run today.  She has also overseen a huge growth in the number of ACM-W chapters.  You definitely should read the interview.  And a hearty thanks to Gloria for all that she has contributed to ACM-W and to our entire community over her long and rich career!

This month we also feature the recent Celebration in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (one of the 4 events that have already taken place this month, with the others in New York City, upstate New York, and Southern California).

We’ve got news from Scholarships, from ACM-W Europe, and a number of announcements of events and opportunities.  Please check it out.

Thanks to Oracle for stepping up again to support the ACM-W scholarship program with another donation of $24K for the next two years.  We are very grateful for this ongoing support.

Volunteer with us!
Two opportunities this month:

  • The ACM-W Chapters Committee seeks a volunteer to help lead a “contests” project.  The volunteer would advertise the contests (after designing the application) on our Facebook pages, in our listserv, and in the newsletter.  S/he would also receive submissions and judge winners.  Finally s/he would congratulate winners on our Facebook pages and in the newsletter.  At present, we anticipate two contests:   Best poster advertising ACM-W Chapters and Best ACM-W Chapter Leader.
  • Do you live in Texas?  Want to help launch an ACM-W Celebration there?  Please be in touch!

Where’s ACM-W This Month?
We have one more Celebration coming up in April –in Baku, Azerbaijan.  We’re very excited by the increasing international activity.   I’m also heading to Pomona College  — it’s not for ACM-W business, but I will get to visit with Melanie Wu, our great communications chair.  It’s thanks to Melanie that we are able to bring you this newsletter every month.

Thanks, as always, for your work on behalf of women in computing!

~Valerie Barr, ACM-W Chair

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