How to develop good programming skills to be a successful computer scientist

The aim of the Women in CS Lecture Series is to have women in CS/Technology come and give talks on a broad range of subjects. Our first guest is Angela Jones. The focus of the talk is on "How to develop good programming skills to be a successful computer scientist".

Angela Jones graduated with her BS in Computer Science in 1995, served a LDS mission from 1995-1997, and graduated with her MS degree in Computer Science at BYU in 1999. She then worked as a Software Engineer in Salt Lake City until 2001 when she moved to Orem. She taught at BYU from 2001-2002. She currently stays home with her 2 1/2 year old twins, which keeps her very busy.

Location 2030 JKHB, 3rd November 12:00- 1:00 PM

Microsoft funds Women in Engineering at UMass

Microsoft has funded a Center for Women in Engineering at UMass . Microsoft will donate around $38000. Basically this money will got to build a new multipurpose room. The article states

The multipurpose room, renovated through matching funds from the College of Engineering, will be used for tutoring, meetings, and lectures, and includes five computer stations, a lounge area, and a professional development library. "The first meetings have been scheduled, and we're busy hiring tutors," Rivera said. "The students are working on the center; they're very excited about it."

How is this room going to be specifically used to help women? The are no details about that in the article. I am assuming they mean tutoring, meetings, and lectures, and includes five computer stations, a lounge area, and a professional development library for women . In my opinion at good universities there is not a lack of facilities for women. I mean they are going to have a hard time using this center for only women. I think such a center is good for technology students in general, and sure women will benefit from it too. I think the biggest thing women need right now is scholarships to help them through school in terms of monetary support.

Women in Science And Technology careers

I came across this interesting article as part of the Women's History Month, "Women and Work: Then, Now, and Predicting the Future for Women in the Workplace".

According to the U.S. Department of Labor: Women in Science and Technology Careers in the 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) data

• three out of ten computer systems analysts, engineers, and scientists were women
  
• one out of four computer programmers was a woman
  
• one out of ten employed engineers was a woman
  
• two of ten employed engineering technologists and technicians were women.
  

There is an interesting section on what employers can do to bridge the gap in the article. This a link to another intersting article Why Girls Don't Compute . It brings out some points on why girls are turned off technology early in their life.

Thesis Proposal: Kristine Perry

Kristine is proposing her thesis topic "Heuristics for Predicting Confidence Levels in Individual Data Point Classification", on Thursday, October 20 at 3:00 PM in the CS Conference Room.

First Meeting

Hi Everybody,

The first meeting for the Women in CS club will be held on Thursday October 20 in the Wilkenson Center in Cougar Court at 12:00. We can get together and either get brown bag lunches or get something from the CougarEat. The Agenda for the meeting is going to be

* How to get more people involved in the club. According to statistics 10-15% of Computer Science Majors are women. We need to promote the club among undergraduates. I think we can get to most Grad students by word of mouth. Maybe design a flyer and put it up on the board to let everyone know that we are doing this.

* How to get local companies involved in setting up scholarships for women and/or sponsoring the club

* Ideas for Guest speakers

* What we want to do within the perview of this club

Forward this to your friends who would like to come and join the club. Hope to see you all on Thursday.

Neha

Greater Disparity in Utah

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah among highest in gender wage gap" says that the income disparity is very high in Utah. Women in Utah make 69% of what their male counterparts earn. The article claims that it is less due to discrimination and more due to issues like senority, education and culture. Which I agree totally.

This is the reason that there needs to be drive to recruit women in CS. It takes effort to break out of this cycle. This brings upon a responsibility to identify the issues women in CS face. I have heard the argument from guys why is there no drive to recruit men in the MFHD majors? Well you can't expect to find a job with a MFHD major that pays 75K as the starting salary. Also it is not the men at the recieving end of the income disparity. It is necessary to make women aware of the oppurtunities available to them and encourage them to pursue it.

Women In Sciences

There was an interview in the Salt Lake Tribune with Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, a BYU chemist. She talks about her motivations, and challenges. When asked what advice she has for women seeking to enter fields like science, engineering, math and health. She says "I have spoken to some female students in the sciences at BYU who have told me that people have discouraged them from staying in their field of study."
One of the main goals of this club is to support and encourage women in the sciences.

Welcome

This is a blog for the BYU's Women In Computer Science Club. All the annoucements, meeting days, agenda for the meetings, and notes from the meetings will be posted here.