Georgia Tech's College of Computing continues to seek opportunities for its student body to become more diverse and inclusive, and learn how to better allies. It annually sends students to the ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing conference, and this year the college is able to send 94 percent more students than in a normal year. The increase is primarily due to reduced registration fees and no traveled needed for the now virtual conference.
This year, 44 bachelor’s, 13 master’s, 10 Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS), and nine Ph.D. students will attend Tapia, the premier venue for acknowledging, promoting, and celebrating diversity in computing. Eight of these students are first-year students who are being aided by IMPACT, a program supported by the Hopper-Dean Foundation. Seven of the Ph.D. students attending are FLIP Scholars and are attending the conference as a part of the Diversifying Future Leadership of the Professoriate (FLIP) Alliance.
College of Computing Dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair Charles Isbell will participate on the panel Increasing Diversity in Doctoral Programs: Insights from the Trenches and moderate a session featuring Jeff Dean (Google), Beata Shahriari (JP Morgan and Chase), Navdeep Jaitly (D.E. Shaw Group), and Ruth Tadesse (Qualcomm).
“After getting the chance to hear Dr. Tapia speak to students at the Ferst Center back in March, I was inspired to think about what I could personally do to help create a more diverse community in tech. I’m excited to attend this conference to not only to learn about how I can help other women that can relate to my own intersectional identity — queer, first-generation women of color — but to also learn about groups and identities that I'm not a part of and how I can be a successful ally,” said Christine George, a fourth-year computer science major.
Held September 16-18, Tapia brings together students, faculty, researchers, and professionals in computing from all backgrounds and ethnicities. Attendees have the opportunity to celebrate the diversity that exists in computing and connect with others with common backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, and gender in an effort to create communities that extend beyond the conference.
With leaders from industry and academia in attendance, students also have the opportunity to obtain advice and make contacts from across the computing spectrum.
Other networking opportunities include a virtual career fair. Students will have the chance to meet with recruiting representatives from employers like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dropbox, and IBM.
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Several Georgia Tech faculty members will give presentations or participate on panels.
Director of Enrollment and Alumni Jennifer Whitlow, Constellations Center for Equity in Computing Director of Educational Innovation and Leadership Lien Diaz, Constellations Research Director Jeff Forbes, and Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Professor and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing, Ayanna Howard will also participate on panels.
Another highlight of this year’s Tapia is that Howard, along with founding College of Computing Dean Peter Freeman, are being recognized with virtual rooms named after them.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Tapia. This conference represents one of the most vital aspects of all we do in our research – that diversity in computing is essential. I believe that computing can offer important solutions for future generations. But if our researchers and innovators don’t reflect the world in all of its beautiful diversity, then we aren’t creating effective solutions for the entire world. This conference highlights that diversity, reminding us of how far we’ve come and how much we still have left to do,” said Howard.
Ph.D. student Michael Johnson and his advisor IC assistant professor Matthew Gombolay will present their poster, Trust in Teamwork: Human Perception of Robot Outcomes in Kinesthetic Teaching during the poster session.
A long-time supporter of the conference, the College of Computing is a platinum academic sponsor of this year’s proceedings. The Office of Enrollment, Outreach, and Community plan to host virtual meet-ups for Georgia Tech students to discuss the conference with details forthcoming.
