Women in Computing Research Symposium 2016

On February 13, the UNC department of computer science will host the Women in Computing Research Symposium, a research fair geared toward undergraduate and graduate women. More than 20 computer science faculty members, graduate students, and industry professionals will be on hand to share their research and experience with attendees from UNC-Chapel Hill and the Triangle.

The symposium, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Sitterson Hall, 201 South Columbia Street on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, will be presented by the Graduate Women in Computer Science Club (GWICS) as part of its mission to reduce the gender gap in computer science and foster an environment of collaborative research among female graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The symposium gives undergraduate and graduate women access to resources that can lead to a successful career in computing, as well as valuable guidance from experienced women in the industry.

Marie Nesfield, a graduate student and president of GWICS, said that the symposium is designed to “expose women to the breadth of research possible in computer science and related fields.”

“A lot of women join the major later than their male counterparts, and our goal with this event is to jumpstart their exposure to research areas in computer science while making those subjects seem approachable.”

With a variety of research presentations and networking opportunities spanning more than five hours, Nesfield hopes that there will be something for everyone.

“Because this event is geared towards undergrads,” Nesfield said, “the goal is to expose them to what is possible. There is a focus on core computer science as well as collaborative areas like bioinformatics, medical imaging and mathematics.”

Dr. Cynthia Sturton, an assistant professor of computer science, will deliver the opening keynote address at 9:30 a.m. Sturton will share career advice based on her professional and personal experiences while covering her own research in computer security.

The event will feature two sessions of brief research talks from UNC faculty, graduate students and industry professionals on topics including applied computer vision, security, serious games and virtual reality.

At 1:30 p.m., alumni from Microsoft will join UNC faculty and students for a panel discussion on the challenges they have faced and the resources and practices that helped them succeed in coursework, research and the job hunt.

To learn more about the Women in Computing Research Symposium and to see the full schedule, please visit the webpage at bit.ly/1O1IVuS.