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Building the Future of Computing. Maria M. Klawe Harvey Mudd College. Outline. Computing educators are world changers The power of diversity The power of mentoring The power of access Q&A. Computing educator = world changer.
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Building the Future of Computing Maria M. Klawe Harvey Mudd College
Outline • Computing educators are world changers • The power of diversity • The power of mentoring • The power of access • Q&A
Computing educator = world changer • Leveraging the power of computing is changing society: disciplines, industries, culture, education • Computing educators open the doors of leverage • Learning computing changes individuals’ worlds • Luke and Starfish Enterprises • Sarah and MNE Creations
The power of diversity • Why recruiting more diverse kinds of people to computing matters • Diverse teams produce better solutions • Intense demand for more graduates with computing knowledge • Everyone deserves access to amazing careers • Supports leveraging of computing in other areas • Improves computing education for everyone
Getting from 10% to 40% at HMC • Female students at HMC over all: • 22% in 1997 • 32% in 2006 • 42% in 2010 • 45% in 2012 • Entering class in 2012 is 48% female • Female faculty at HMC over all: • About 20% in 1997 • 33% in 2006 • 40% in 2010 • 4 of 5 who got tenure in 2011, 4 of 5 recruited in 2011
What the CS department did… • Changed the intro course • Eliminated student macho behavior • Took first year females to Hopper • Provided summer research experiences between first and second year
Changing the intro course • Old course: learning to program in Java • New course: computational approaches to problem-solving using Python • Grouping by prior experience • CS 5 gold, CS 5 black, CS 42 • Elimination of macho behavior for CS 5 and CS 60 • Outcomes: everyone loves it, more majors, more non-majors in higher level CS classes
Other examples • Threads at Georgia Tech • Devices, Information Networks, Intelligence, Media, Modeling and Simulation, People, Systems and Architecture, Theory • Mini-streams at UBC • Social and Human Centred Computing, Scientific Computing, Software Development • 20 month second B.Sc. in CS at UBC
The power of mentoring • Encouragement to succeed in challenging situations • Role models • WitsOn • Impostor Panel
WitsOn (Women in Tech Share Online)A massive online mentoring project Brought to you by Harvey Mudd College and Piazza
What WitsOn is • Six weeks (Oct. 1 to Nov. 11) of online discussions between female undergrads in science and engineering and mentors • About 3,500 students and 600 mentors participating from over 100 institutions (15,000 students enrolled) • Hosted by Piazza (online study and discussion forum) • Mentors and students recruited by HMC
Original goals for WitsOn • Provide advice and encouragement to female undergrad students in science and engineering • Raise the visibility of HMC and Piazza • Media coverage: • NYT, Huffington Post, Chronicle of Higher Ed, USA Today, Businessweek, NewYork Newsday, Daily Nebraskan, RedOrbit • College newpapers at Berkeley, Dartmouth, U. Washington, U. Rochester, Pomona, Wisconsin
What actually happened • Most student engagement in “Name your fears” • Mentors contributed most of the posts and responses • Mentors and students expressed great appreciation for the discussions
Sample topics from students • Should I go to grad school? • How do I get research opportunities, internships? • Dealing with sexism in STEM • I’m struggling and not sure I belong in this field; everyone else seems smarter • Career in X vs motherhood • My undergrad major is in A but I think I’m more interested in B for grad school. • My family wants me to go to med school but I don’t want to. What else can I do with a chem degree?
Sample dialogue between S and M’s S: Chem major, family wants med school, what else can I do? M: What else do you like to do? S: I really like CS and programming but I only have a minor M: You can go to grad school in CS with only a minor M: Take more CS courses, work on a hobby programming project S: I go to a tiny college, only one CS prof, but have been programming since middle school M: Can you cross-register at other larger colleges in your area? S: Yes, I can do that! I will. Thank you so much for letting me know about all these other opportunities. I had no idea!
Sample mentor topics • Sexism: to intervene or not to intervene • Burn-out: a story of coming out the other side • Why we shouldn’t hate our obstacles • Academia vs industry careers • Integrating career and life • My path to a satisfying career and happy family
What comes next? • BitsOn (Blacks in Tech Share Online)? • GritsOn (Grads in Tech Share Online)? • LitsOn (Latino/a/s in Tech Share Online)?
Maria Klawe Presidential Impostor Harvey Mudd College
An Impostor’s Career • Corporate Director, Broadcom, 2011 - present • Corporate Director, Microsoft, 2009 - present • President, Harvey MuddCollege, 2006 - present • Dean of Engineering, Princeton 2003-06 • Dean of Science, U. British Columbia 1998-2002 • VP Student & Acad. Services, UBC 1995-1998 • Head, Dept. Computer Science, UBC 1988-1995 • Research manager, IBM Almaden 1984-1988 • Researcher, IBM Almaden 1980-1984 • Asst. Professor, CS, U. Toronto 1979-1980 • Grad studies, CS, U Toronto 1978-1979 • Asst. Professor, Math, Oakland U. 1977-1978 • Ph.D. Math, U. Alberta, 1977
I feel like an impostor when I… • Start doing something new that is • Something successful people do • Something women don’t often do
I have felt like an impostor… • 1975: eating in a restaurant, attending a math conference • 1980: taking a taxi, staying in a nice hotel, renting a car, giving a talk at Stanford • 1990: attending SIGGRAPH, giving a keynote address, doing a press conference • 2000: meeting CEOs, Nobel Laureates • 2008: meeting billionaires • 2009: joining the Microsoft board
Tips for success with impostoritis • Practice, practice, practice • Accept self-doubt as part of who I am • Surround with support • Look back as well as ahead
The power of access • MOOCs • A possible HMC approach to a MOOC for high school students • codewar.windward.neton January 26
Let’s change the world! • Educate everyone • Mentor everyone