GHC10 Talks

It's that time of year again! My travel scholarship application is in, our committee on online communities is starting to make headway, and the results of our talk submissions are out. Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2010 to be held in October in Atlanta, Georgia is in season.

I was involved with a couple of submissions this year, but unfortunately only one got in (but I'm still excited to be a speaker in some capacity!). The panels I organized were on making the most of grad school. The concept was that there are lots of risks and rewards for going beyond the research, and not everyone is aware of them, nor does everyone know about the extra-curricular opportunities available. The topics and panelists I gathered together were really amazing, but our submission document probably needed some work. For instance, it looked like we had too many panelists and topics for a one hour slot. I learned a lot from the reviewers and will definitely try again next year.

The other panel I'm on came out of the blue, and I'm really excited to meet and work with the other ladies on that one. It's going to be on outreach using video games, but with a particular focus on attracting girls to the programs in the first place. I've had good luck with my mini-course, but other groups have had a harder time with recruitment, so what is it that makes them give it a chance?

This conference always reinvigorates me and makes me that much more motivated to be the best I can in my graduate program. This time I'll be more or less just starting my PhD research when I attend, and expect that I'll have many interesting conversations with chances to mentor and be mentored. I can't wait for October!