LSU Receives Grant, Partners with National Committee to Support Women in Computer Science
April 7, 2020
BATON ROUGE, LA – While computer science is a rapidly growing and opportunistic field,
there is still progress to be made concerning diversity among its professionals.
According to computerscience.org, only 18% of the bachelor degrees in CS are earned by women. In 1984, that number was 37.4%, but since the rise of computers, the percentage has steadily declined. The reason, according to NPR, was because initial advertising of computers was–for a mostly unknown reason–targeted toward men.
In response to this issue, LSU partnered with the National Committee of Women in Technology (NCWIT) and was awarded a $10,000 grant to develop better recruiting and retainment strategies of women in the field.
In the fall 2019 semester, LSU was selected as a NCWIT “Learning Circle” member. Out of 36 universities that applied nationwide, LSU was one of 15 selected. As part of the Learning Circle, LSU faculty and staff are given an opportunity to work with NCWIT committee members directly, receive funding for recruitment efforts, and work in conjunction with other universities to improve the number of women in computer science at the university level.
The LSU Learning Circle Recruitment and Retention Committee consists of Coordinator of Undergraduate Initiatives Brandon Trouard, Associate Professor Jianhua Chen, Recruitment Associate Mikey McCareins, Associate Professor Nash Mahmoud, Associate Director of Diversity Sarah Jones, and Professional-in-Residence for Retention & Diversity Initiatives Roberto Champney. Computer Science Instructor and Undergraduate Program Advisor Patti Aymond is the point of contact for the committee.
“LSU has prioritized involving women in computer science and encouraging a diverse population of students and faculty,” Aymond said. “For the most part, we’re doing pretty well. But while LSU has strategically addressed that, we always want to do better.”
Committee members meet together in-person once a month and attend bi-weekly online meetings with members from the other two universities, which are a part of the “central time zone” group—University of Utah and University of Nebraska. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced NCWIT to reevaluate and reschedule initial plans, the bi-weekly online meetings will continue throughout the spring semester.
“[The NCWIT committee has] experts in improving diversity and improving the involvement of women in programs,” Aymond said. “I want to learn what those best practices are and incorporate them into what we’re doing. One of the things that we do at LSU is bring women computer science students to the Grace Hopper convention. When our women come back from Grace Hopper, they feel so empowered and so encouraged.”
The Grace Hopper Celebration is a national convention described by the organization as, “the largest gathering of women technologists.” The name honors Grace Hopper, an influential computer scientist in the 20th century, as a pioneer for women in the field.
LSU female computer science and electrical engineering students have routinely attended Grace Hopper and benefit by obtaining job and internship offers from companies in attendance, as well as other career and academic opportunities.
Aymond noted that at a recent conference she attended in Washington, D.C., aimed at lifting women up in the industry, there was an odd and unrecognizable feeling for all in attendance.
“It was the first time we were surrounded by more women than men to talk about computer science,” she said. “We were almost speechless at first because it was such an unfamiliar situation.”
There are clear benefits for women who are interested in the computer science field. The pay gap between men and women computer scientists is one of the smallest of any industry, with women earning 94% of what men earn. Work/life balance is also strong, as many companies encourage working remotely, offer favorable parental leave packages, and more.
While numbers show that men have heavily outnumbered women in attaining bachelor degrees in computer science over the past few decades, Aymond noted that she has seen great progress when it comes to diversity in the field.
“In undergrad, it was common for me to be the only woman in my math class and the only one in my computer science classes,” Aymond said. “But over two decades in the industry, I could see a marked increase in the number of women and number of women in leadership. When I came back to academia, I was pleasantly surprised to see an increase of women, especially in leadership over the duration of my absence.”
Like us on Facebook (@lsuengineering) or follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@lsuengineering).
###
Contact: Mikey McCareins
Recruitment Associate
LSU College of Engineering
mmccareins1@lsu.edu