On Saturday and Sunday, February 16 and 17, 2018, UMD is hosting MinneWIC, a regional conference for students, faculty, and computing professionals to share strategies for recruiting and retaining women in computing fields.
The conference takes place in the Kirby Ballroom and Kirby Rafters, 1120 Kirby Drive.
Key events are as follows:
Saturday, February 16, 2019
- 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Group presentations
- 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Interview opportunity with MinneWIC organizer Dr. Arshia Khan
- 3:15 - 4:30 p.m. Poster session, career fair
Sunday, February 17, 2019
- 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. Career panel
- 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Lightning talks by students, faculty, and industry attendees
Empowering Partnerships
Between 80 - 100 participants from across the upper Midwest are expected. Many partnered with faculty last fall and will present their research at the poster fair from 3:15- 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 16, 2018. The students are continuing to work with their mentors after MinneWIC, in effort to empower women studying computer science.
Organizer Dr. Arshia Khan says that currently only 11% of computer professionals are female, and her goal is to provide support to young women entering this male-dominated field. “In my computer science classes, only two or three students are young women. I want to make sure that they know they belong so they emerge into their field with confidence.”
This is the first year that the annual conference is being held in Duluth.
It’s sponsored by Google, ACM-W, and Microsoft.