Through the efforts of the late Vivian Borst, the Women in Computer Science Program Series (WCS) began in 1998 with a grant from the Office of University Women. The main directive of the program is to promote and enhance the visibility of accomplishments of women in computer science, as well as to address the issues that contribute to the retention and recruitment of women in the sciences. Since funding began in 1998, the women of the department have been meeting to share their experiences, to meet distinguished women of computer science, and to enhance their professional skills. Subsequent funding has come from the Office of University Women and Unisys.

Members feel that the group has succeeded in forming a sense of community and in providing guidance for a career in computer science. They hope that this encourages more women to apply to the department, thus helping to combat, at a local level, the declining percentage of women pursuing professions in computer science.

WCS has also succeeded in making visible role models of the field. It has been host to Dr. Ruzena Bajscy, Directorate of the CISE Division of the National Science Foundation, Christine Maziar, Vice President of Research at UMN, and Barbara Liskov, full professor at MIT. Additionally, WCS has sponsored a variety of workshops including the history of women in computer science, self-perception as a professional, and achieving an academic career. More workshops on negotiation techniques and reaching out to the community are under development for the following semester.

To learn more about the Women in Computer Science Program, please visit http://women.cs.umn.edu.

-Amy Larson