The CSE department attends Grace Hopper Celebration and Richard Tapia Celebration 2022
Faculty and staff attended the conference in person for the first time in several years
The Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is a conference that highlights research and career interests of women and nonbinary technologists. This annual conference involves both technical and career sessions along with a strong focus in mentorships and networking opportunities. As an actionable way to advance inclusion, representation and diversity in computer science and engineering, the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) has been a participating member for numerous years now at GHC with the help of Women & Engineering (W&E) and Women in Computer Science (WiCS). CSE, W&E and WiCS work together to coordinate this experience for CSE students along with providing full and partial funding to attend the conference. Additionally, CSE supports its staff and faculty to attend and emphasizes diversity when recruiting prospective faculty, staff and students at GHC.
Due to the pandemic, the CSE department participated virtually the past couple of years. However, GHC returned to an in-person conference for the Fall 2022 date. This marked CSE’s first in-person attendance with CSE students since the start of the pandemic. Along with CSE faculty and staff, a range of CSE PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students attended the conference in Orlando, Florida, in September 2022. Some students joined virtually through GHC’s live sessions, virtual rooms and events.
To provide CSE students with additional support and opportunities that advance diversity, representation and inclusion, CSE also participated for the first time as a department in the CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference (also known as Tapia). The Tapia Conference brings together students, faculty and professionals in computing from all backgrounds and ethnicities to engage in technical panels, workshops and poster sessions; the latter offered at various levels from undergraduate to PhD students. The conference also provides networking opportunities via their Career Fair. A few undergraduate students attended with a couple of CSE PhD students, staff and faculty in Washington, D.C. in September 2022. Since this was the first time the department attended, CSE fully funded and coordinated this opportunity. CSE would like to grow attendance and provide greater support in the coming years.
If you are an engineering student interested in attending GHC or Tapia this Fall 2023, an application will be sent out via email in mid-April or early May by CSE’s undergraduate coordinator, María Sanchez. If you haven’t received the email application by mid-May, please email María at smaria@wustl.edu.
