Sponsoring Student Initiatives
Women have played important roles in the history of computing – think about Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Barbara Liskov, and the many others who defined the field of computer science. Part of the mission of Girls Encoded is to support efforts that work to recruit and retain women and minorities in technical fields. As part of this mission, we are funding three new, student-led initiatives that work towards these goals. We've included more information about these initiatives below. All events are open to all students, regardless of gender.
Many thanks to Héctor García, Quincy Davenport, Laura Wendlandt, and Rada Mihalcea for participating in the Girls Encoded Funding Committee.
High School Coding Camp
Girls in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (GEECS) is a student organization that aims to encourage the professional, academic, and social development of students in technology. We can and will achieve this by promoting the education of students in technology related fields: our Girls Code event has been a vital part of our outreach. By educating students using hands-on coding, both academic development and interest in the EECS field grows.
GEECS volunteers are there to answer questions and help problem solve, as well as spend time getting to know the students in the program and share their experiences in EECS through one-on-one interactions. Our hands-on coding provides an in-depth and thorough approach to problem solving through code. We have a lesson plan for Arduino and Processing that involve detailed explanations and plenty of time for individual work with volunteers at the ready to answer any questions that may arise. This program has, in the past, had 20 participants. Our goal is to expand the number of attendees to double or triple, so that even more students can be exposed to EECS fields.
Diversity Discussions
This initiative attempts to address the issue of retaining females and underrepresented minorities already in the STEM pipeline. The goal is to provide a platform for discussions between females and underrepresented minorities who are knowledgeable about diversity issues prevalent in STEM, and students who are interested in learning more about these issues. During these discussions, student volunteers will lead dialogues about their experiences, while other students are encouraged to ask questions. The entire group is encouraged to brainstorm even more ideas to improve the recruitment and retention of females and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. We hope that this initiative will foster friendships between groups of people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet, as well as create a more welcoming environment for all students.
Professional Development Lectures
The Fearless Campaign aims to increase diversity in computer science by engaging students at various stages of their academic cycle. Through open discussions and a series of lectures, ranging from professional development to diversity as a whole, we will help students define their goals without letting their goals be minimized by societal norms.