Best Time Ever to be a Women in Theory

1. Best Time Ever to be a Women in Theory Maria M. Klawe President Harvey Mudd College

2. outline • Why it’s the best time ever • To be female in CS • To be in theory • Getting more women into CS • Advice for success • Maria • Sheryl • Having it all vs having more of it

3. Best time ever for women in CS • Industry and academia recognize that women have talent • Almost everyone wants more women • Industry – intense demand for CS skills at all levels • Academia – recognition that female faculty are an asset

4. Progress on combining career and personal live issues • Solving the two body problem • Facilitating mothers and careers • Significant variance in practice among institutions • A lot more progress is needed • It’s come a long way over the last 25 years

5. More visibility for women in CS • Two female Turing award winners in last 5 years • Sheryl Sandberg calling for more women leaders in tech • Hopper conference now annual with 3000+ attendees (600 in 2002)

6. Best time ever for theory • Computational thinking • Algorithms are changing the world • Advertising • Science • Education • Simons Institute at Berkeley

7. Getting more women into CS • Female % of CS bachelor degrees given by Ph.D. granting departments fell from 20% in 2001 to 11 – 14% during 2005 – 2010. • HMC CS majors went from 10% female in 2006 to 40% female in 2009 and have stayed there (37 – 50%).

8. What works • Increasing interest in computing • Increasing confidence • Encouragement

9. How it happened at HMC • Change to intro CS class • Increased interest, confidence • Hopper trip for first year females • Increased interest, sense of belonging • Research opportunities in the summer after first year • Increased interest

10. Change to the intro CS class • Intro CS class changed from: • “learning to program in Java” to • “team-based solving science problems using computational approaches in Python” • Intro CS sections grouped by prior experience into “gold”, “black”, “green” and 42 • macho bad behavior eliminated

11. Advice for success (Maria) • Pick something important to work on • Work hard and persist especially when success seems doubtful • Build teams and alliances • Regularly re-evaluate your strategy and be willing to change • Ask for help

12. Advice for success (Sheryl) • Believe in your self • Aim high • If you want to have children pick the right partner • Lean forward into your career • Raise awareness of issues facing women in tech careers

13. Having it all vs having more • Nobody ever has it all; life is always a sequence of choices and compromises • Going to IBM Research • Going to UBC • Going to Princeton • Going to Harvey Mudd College • Painting vs Math vs CS vs Administration • Many choices are not irreversible

14. Why numbers are increasing in grad students, faculty, leadership … • Industry, academia, professional organizations providing programs to keep women in the pipeline • In recent years • Female % grad students > % undergrads • Female % assist. profs hired > % Ph.D.s • Techleaders

15. Why numbers are decreasing in undergrad majors… • Myth about IT jobs disappearing • Dot-com crash, media emphasis on outsourcing • Image of computing jobs • No life, no people interactions, boring • Image of CS courses being all about computers • CS classes being cut in high schools

16. What can WE do to attract girls before college… • Outreach to schools, parents, teachers • Focus on the unconverted • Take whatever opportunities are offered • Insert truth about CS as an aside • Go where the girls are • Craft messages for math, bio, chem, art, English, psychology teachers • Awesome CS summer camps • Adjust selective college admissions criteria • Have CS engagement count as a creative or volunteer activity

17. Questions and Comments