What is WICS?

Women in Computer Science (WICS) is a student group affiliated with the University of Oregon Department of Computer & Information Science. The purpose of WICS is to provide UO CIS women with benefits that contribute to their success. WICS is also interested in increasing the number of women in the field of Computer Science as a whole. In the past, WICS has provided scholarships, K-12 outreach, tutoring, mentoring, a monthly lunch series, a lecture series, and educational/career workshops.

Goals

  • Contribute to the success of UO women in CS
  • Increase participation of women in CS

Home Projects Resources Blog Contact Photos 2012-13 Plan

2012-13 Projects

  • K-8 Outreach: Project HATCH, Winter - Spring 2013
  • Mad Duck Science
  • Build Your Own Website Workshop
  • Friday Afternoon Movies
  • CIS Course Registration Party
  • ASUO Recognition Effort
  • OrgSync

2011-12 Projects

Robotics Meet-and-Greet, May 19, 2012

WICS hosted local Elementary, Middle, and High School robotics teams that exhibited their creations to other teams, students interested in starting teams, prospective mentors and coaches, and community members. Each team is part of a FIRST robotics league: Junior FIRST LEGO League (ages 6-9), FIRST LEGO League (ages 9-14), FIRST Tech Challenge (ages 14-18), or FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14-18).

Lunch Series, Winter - Spring 2012

Lecture Series GuestTechnical women from industry and academia are visiting the Computer & Information Science Department to talk with WICS! See schedule below for the dates of upcoming lectures and discussions. All affiliates of the university are welcome to attend.
Meetings take place in Deschutes 100 at noon. Refreshments are provided.

  • May 14, 2012 — Sarah Douglas, UO Professor of Computer & Information Science

  • May 7, 2012 — Kevin Butler, UO Professor of Computer & Information Science

  • April 23, 2012 — Ginnie Lo, UO Professor of Computer & Information Science

  • February 27, 2012 — Annie Zeidman-Karpinski, UO Mathematics & Computer Science Librarian

  • February 13, 2012 — Helen Chu, UO Director of Academic Technology

  • January 30, 2012 — Shelby Wills, Pipeworks Software Senior Producer

  • January 23, 2012 — Michelle Brown, UO Student Affairs Operating System / Network Analyst

K-12 Outreach: Project HATCH, Winter - Spring 2012

Scratch cat

WICS has launched Project HATCH 2012, a 15-week effort to introduce computer science concepts to Elementary, Middle, and High School students from local schools. WICS is partnering with Willamalane Parks & Recreation and Springfield Public Schools to offer after-school classes that teach students Scratch, a drag-and-drop programming language developed at MIT that is widely used for introducing programming to people of all ages.

The goals are to help young people feel empowered by technology, to open their minds to the innumerable applications of programming and computer science, and to encourage creativity, imagination, and fun! The project was designed with especial focus on providing early computer science exposure to young females, with hopes of improving the percentage of women studying computer science at the college level and beyond. According to the Computer Research Association, only 13.8% of computer science Bachelor's degrees were awarded to females in 2010 (United States and Canada).

The first day of Project HATCH 2012 was January 24. During the first week, after just a few hours of Scratch exploration, Middle School students were already comfortable with assignment, loops, conditionals, and other fundamental programming concepts. They were also delving into variables, sophisticated physics, collision detection, and elaborate storytelling. During the second week, Middle School students and WICS volunteers introduced Scratch to Elementary School students, providing leadership opportunities and even earlier exposure to programming.

Project HATCH needs more student volunteers! If you are interested in participating, contact Lara Letaw, the 2011-12 WICS President. This highly-rewarding opportunity is open to all UO CIS students. There is a for-credit option.

Project HATCH was created by Kiki Prottsman, visionary former leader of WICS and founder of Thinkersmith.

Career Development, Fall 2011 - Spring 2012

  • Visit from Public Speaking Specialist — February 3, 2012

  • Quest for Professional Interview Attire — January 22, 2012

    We went to Portland on in search of professional attire, etc. It was fun and successful! We tried the Lloyd Center Mall, but ultimately discovered far better shopping grounds:

    Goodwill (thrift store) on Hawthorne
    3557 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
    Portland, OR 97214

  • Tour of the Career Center — December 1, 2011

    Several of us took a field trip to the Career Center in Hendricks Hall to learn about the many resources they offer to UO students. I'd say the four big categories are as follows:

    1. Online job and internship postings for UO students. Here's how to get there:
      • Go to http://career.uoregon.edu/.
      • Click the "Sign in with your Duck ID" link, and then sign in.
      • Once redirected, click the "UO-JobLink" link.
      • From the "postings" menu, you can select "Posting for UO Students" if you want to see off-campus jobs, and you can click "On-Campus + Work-Study (SJS)" to see student jobs.
    2. Workshops and group sessions. I've attended a couple of these so far, they're quite helpful. They're held at the Career Center. To see upcoming sesions: Example sessions topics:
      • resumes and cover letters
      • interview prep
      • personality type
      • making career decisions
      • strong interest inventory
      • exploring internship/job opportunities
      • skills and strengths
      There are also Alumni events in the Alumni section of the site.
    3. Individualized career counseling. You're encouraged to make an appointment with a career counselor, to discuss probably whatever you can think of related to careers. Call this week: (541) 346-3235. There are also drop-in times.
    4. General career-related information, in the Career Center library and online. Library resources include info on:
      • occupations
      • occupations that match you
      • salaries
      • majors
      • graduate schools
      • non-profits
      • working for the government
      Online resources include some of the same types of information as the library, and also information about:
      • resumes
      • cover letters
      • networking
      • job search strategies
      • interview prep
      • informational interviews

    Here is a handout we got that summarizes the Career Center services.

  • Trip to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing — November 10-11, 2011

  • Business Cards — November 6, 2011
    Students were provided with free WICS business cards.

  • Mentorship

Community Building, Fall 2011 - Spring 2012

WICS holds numerous events throughout the year with the goal of creating and maintaining a community of UO students, faculty, staff, and affiliates who support the goals of WICS. Below is a listing of some of the 2011-12 community-building events.

Grace Hopper Trip, November 10-11, 2011

Admiral Grace Murray Hopper Students from the Computer and Information Science Department attended the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing November 10-11, 2011 in Portland, OR. The Grace Hopper Celebration is a combination technical research conference, career fair, and forum for discussion of women in computing. It is the largest conference of its kind, this year attracting almost 3000 attendees from around the globe.

WICS secured conference funding for all UO CIS graduate and undergraduate students who submitted a statement of interest. Five of the students will attend the conference on a departmental scholarship that covers registration, travel, and hotel accommodations, and one student is funded by Professor Kevin Butler. Scholarship recipients shared their Grace Hopper Celebration experiences at a formal departmental presentation Wednesday, November 16.