WiCS

About WiCS

At WiCS we hope to achieve three broad goals:

1. Raise awareness about issues faced by women in Computer Science.
2. Provide aspiring computer science professionals with tools to compete.
3. Encourage more women to pursue Computer Science, as it is fun! :)

Most of all we wish to build a community of women who enjoy Computer Science and to provide an outlet for women to share and receive advice or simply discuss what is going on in the field.

Some of the activities we have held in the past include Women Faculty Series, Advising Session for Masters Students, ice-skating social, bi-weekly teas, and lunches for informal discussion.

Several Issues Faced by Women in Computer Science in College/Grad School

It is a statistical fact that there are not a lot of women in Computer Science. We also often hear stories about women who get discouraged from pursuing technical fields because of various issues. Some of the issues we have identified are:

1. Lack of social learning: Learning over casual conversation is a big part of Computer Science education; it exposes people to new ideas and expands their knowledge. Social interaction is critical to the recognition of ideas. While some women will have no problem discussing ideas with a variety of people, others may be less comfortable. WiCS creates a community of current CS students who can more easily interact with each other and learn through that interaction.
2. Lack of role models: In a male-dominated field, it is important to for female role models to help inspire and encourage other women. By providing an example of what it is possible to achieve, women who are further ahead in their journey can serve as role models for those who are just getting started. WiCS will support this by hosting successful women on campus to share their stories (eg. Women Faculty Series, invited talks by successful women from industry).
3. Lack of mentors: Active guidance from those with more experience provides additional benefits than the advice and anecdotes gained from listening to a talk. WiCS hopes to facilitate such interaction by providing mentors for undergrads and beginning graduate students.
4. Competitive disadvantages due to gender-related working styles: The skills required to be competitive - self-promotion, negotiation, confidence - are not always exercised by women in technical fields. This deters women from taking well-suited opportunities that they will likely excel at. WiCS hopes to organize its own workshop to explore this issue and will continue to forward information to its members about related campus events and events hosted by other women groups.