There will be plenty of opportunities for women in computer science to foster connections this year – inside and outside the university.

The Computer and Information Science department’s Women in Computer Science group (WICS) will focus on fostering those connections with a number of programs.

Project HATCH, a K-8 outreach program, returns for another year, beginning Winter Term.

In the past, the program taught Scratch programming to middle and elementary students in Springfield, with Adjunct Instructor Kiki Prottsman serving as faculty liaison to the district. WICS will offer volunteer training workshops to help volunteers become comfortable with the technology and also to educate volunteers about working with students in a variety of age groups.

WICS will also teach a session of Mad Duck Science, a middle school extracurricular STEM education program hosted by members of the UO Chemistry and Physics departments. Professor Kevin Butler is the faculty liaison for this effort and WICS will partner with other departments to offer a computer-science introduction for middle school students.

Within the department, WICS and ACM will host joint workshops. The first will be a hardware demonstration by David Ross, chief of social media, who will dismantle and demystify several defunct desktop computers.

WICS has also applied for official recognition as an ASUO organization and will build support for acceptance once a hearing date is scheduled. Other events include a registration party when DuckWeb registration opens and Friday afternoon movies, coordinated by Vice President Hannah Pruse.

Meetings are Mondays, 11 a.m., in the undergraduate student lounge, room 127, Deschutes Hall. Join the WICS mailing list by emailing Cheri or by contacting WICS President Emily Schwarz.

- from UO Computer and Information Science