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Abstract:
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This paper tells the story of two student initiatives, driven by a desire to diversify the images that surround computing-related disciplines and those who work in them. We believe it may hold some useful pointers for those interested in showing that computer science is so much more than ?coding?. It offers easily adaptable models for those interested in launching outreach programs to encourage more girls and women (and boys and men) to participate in computing-related fields.
Women@SCS students, at Carnegie Mellon, were particularly concerned that so few images of computer science showed the breadth and excitement of the field and its potential for diverse participants. They saw this as a challenge --and an opportunity --to develop new outreach endeavors aimed at changing how computing-related fields are perceived in the public consciousness.
Their first initiative generated an outreach presentation, the Women@SCS Roadshow, which tackles two important questions: ?Who can be computer scientists?? and ?What can you do with computer science?? The second initiative set in motion a weekly series of technology skills workshops called ?Creative Technology Nights for Girls?. These initiatives are planned and presented by women students who share their enthusiasm and technology know-how with their audiences. In this way they challenge stereotypes and promote new images of computer science and related disciplines.
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