Distinguished Lecture Series - Gender and Computing
Distinguished Lecture Series October 28, 2010
Gender and Computing
Dr. Maria Klawe, President of Harvey Mudd College, lectured on "Gender and Computing" at the University of Oregon on Thursday, October 28, 2010, as part of the Department of Computer and Information Science Distinguished Lecture Series. Dr. Klawe spoke of how girls and women differ from boys and men in their uses of and attitudes towards computing technology, and how this affects career choices and technology design. From playing computer games to pursuing computing careers, the participation of females tends to be low compared to that of males. Dr. Klawe explored why this is, and discussed research findings as well as best practices for increasing and retaining the participation of females in computing.
A renowned computer scientist and scholar, Dr. Klawe became the fifth president, and first woman, to lead Harvey Mudd College, in 2006. Prior to joining HMC, she served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University, and in administrative positions including head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. Prior to UBC, Dr. Klawe spent eight years with IBM Research in California.
Dr. Klawe has made significant research contributions in several areas of mathematics and computer science including functional analysis, discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, human-computer interaction, gender issues in information technology, and interactive-multimedia for mathematics education. Her current research focuses on the development and use of multi-modal applications to assist people with aphasia and other cognitive impairments.
Dr. Klawe has held many leadership positions, including with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. She was elected as a fellow of the ACM in 1996 and is the recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates.
"Gender and Computing" is the first CIS Distinguished Lecture Series talk of the 2010-2011 academic year. Distinguished lecture talks are designed to be of interest to all UO students and faculty, as well as the general public. The lecture was held on Thursday, October 28, 2010, at 7.30 p.m., in Room 110 of the Law School.
For additional information about the lecture see: http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Activities/Public_Talks/20101028-Klawe.php.