CUW Women in Computing Group Chartered By ACM-W

Concordia University Wisconsin’s women in computing student group has been chartered by the Association for Computing Machinery for women, making Concordia the first private university in the state to have an official ACM-W chapter.

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In response to the relatively few number of women in computing careers, ACM-W aims to support, celebrate, and advocate internationally for women in all aspects of the computing field by providing a wide range of programs and services to ACM members.

Concordia’s computing group, GRACE, received its charter in early February, and now joins the two other ACM-W university chapters in the state.

“I’m so excited to be involved with this new organization within the Computer Science department,” says Valerie Locklair, CUW Computer Science department system administrator and the driving force behind GRACE. “The opportunity to support women who are not only excited about Computer Science, but passionate about their faith, is truly a wonderful thing.”

GRACE was formed last fall and has already hosted a variety of hands-on educational events, such as a trivia night and “Take Apart a Computer Day.”

The group’s next event, “Maze Runner: The Robot Trials,” is at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in S118E. Participants will compete to see who can maneuver several mini robots through a maze the fastest.

The group is open to women – students, faculty, or staff – with an interest in computer science or information technology. For more information or to join, contact Professor Toni Spencer, GRACE’s faculty sponsor, at Antoinette.spencer@cuw.edu, or Locklair at Valerie.locklair@cuw.edu.

— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.

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