Record Number of Students Attend Largest Women in Tech Conference

The College of Computing is sending more than 100 students to the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. Many are attending the annual conference for the first time.

Although the event is taking place virtually this year, it’s still one of largest gatherings of women in computing with more than 30,000 people from 115 countries representing academia and industry.

Thanks to scholarships from the College, 63 undergraduate students, 32 master’s students, six Online Master’s of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) students, and 12 Ph.D. students are able to attend.

They have the opportunity to watch more than 200 panels and keynotes. Some highlights from Georgia Tech include a fireside chat with Joy Buolamwini, an alumna and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, on Decoding Bias on Oct. 3.

The Constellations Center for Equity in Computing’s Director of Educational Innovation and Leadership Lien Diaz joins the panel Seeing Beyond Yourself: Effective Allyship, Advocacy, and Activism for Women in Computing on Sept. 29.

“I am particularly interested in the wide array of topics that GHC speakers will be addressing from tech careers to applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence,” said OMSCS student Michelle Adea.

The conference is just as much about networking as learning. As a silver-level sponsor, the College will connect with prospective students.

Some students are excited to meet other women in computing.

“I’m looking forward to engaging with other like-minded women in different career positions and levels of education and making connections,” said undergraduate Rashmi Athavale.