Recent News & Accomplishments
2015
The AWC's first ever dress week showed that being feminine and a programmer were not mutually exclusive.
Last week, the AWC hosted the first ever Dress Week, an event to show that presenting feminine and being a competent computer scientist are not mutually exclusive. The idea came in response to an article by a female computer scientist who goes by the handle Sailor Mercury, who wrote about the struggles of being feminine in a male dominated field. She explained how people said that she didn’t look like a programmer when she wore dresses, did her makeup, and was feminine. The article was posted to the AWC group by senior Margaret Gratian, who said, “There was definitely a time when I stopped... read more
The Department plans to make a strong showing at the annual celebration.
The 17 th annual Maryland Day will occur this Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, a "campus-wide celebration of innovation, creativity and academic excellence," will feature a bevy of over 400 interesting, fun, and compelling events from various colleges, departments, clubs, and organizations at the University. The Computer Science department and related organizations are planning to run some of their own events during the celebration! Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect to see Saturday: CompSciConnect Showcase (10 a.m. – 1 p.m., CSI 1121) – Students in the... read more
The Maryland Center for Women in Computing hosted the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Awards for high school girls.
This past Saturday on April 18th, the Maryland Center for Women in Computing hosted the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Awards for high school girls. Twenty-four young women with their parents and siblings filled the Multi-Purpose Room of Prince Frederick Hall. After a quick meet and greet with professionals from Northrop Grumman, the company that sponsored the event, the award winners split from their parents. Their families stayed in the room to learn about what computer science is, what it means to work in the field, and the stereotypes of computer science. It was a chance for the parents... read more
The student-run ensemble prepares for their first performance of the semester next Saturday.
Perhaps you've attended one of their performances. Perhaps you've heard about them secondhand. Perhaps you've heard of them in hushed whispers only as “that one group that performs video game music," and you still aren't sure if they're even real. Whatever the case, the fact remains that within its almost ten years of existence at the University of Maryland, the Gamer Symphony Orchestra (GSO) has captured student attention and participation on campus and it has redefined the norms of collegiate music ensembles. Founded by violist Michelle Eng in Fall 2005 and advised since Spring 2006 by... read more
The Professor's work in expanding and revolutionizing education is acknowledged by CMNS.
It was announced today, April 15, that Computer Science professor Dr. Adam Porter had won a Board of Visitors Creative Educator award from the College of Computer, Math, and Natural Sciences. The award, which is intended to “encourage and recognize significant creative and innovative contributions to the educational experience of undergraduate students,” is conferred annually to a professor within the College. A researcher in Software Engineering, Dr. Porter currently teaches CMSC433 (Programming Language Technologies and Paradigms) and will teach CMSC436 (Programming Handheld... read more
Some people know him as the PLUM co-director. Others know him as the programming languages professor. Still others know him as the lecturer in an online course. Regardless of which hat he wears, Michael Hicks always leaves a positive impact on those around him. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he was recently awarded the UMD Distinguished Scholar Teacher Award . Award Description This award honors senior faculty who have demonstrated excellence in three main activities: research, teaching, and service. Professors are often involved with obtaining research grants, mentoring PhD students, and... read more
It was known as Operation Transit Storm . On March 27th and 28th, qualifying teams from around the Mid-Atlantic region converged on Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab to defend a fictional public transit network from a team of rebels disgruntled by recent election results. The role-play might have been a little cheesy (the transit network served the great country of “Hackistan”), but the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) left little room for messing around. The competition was set as a traditional Red Team vs. Blue Team cybersecurity exercise. The competing... read more
The AWC not only raised money, but got students dressed up for fake money and prizes.
On March 27th, the CSIC lobby transformed into a casino. Students, dressed to the nines with sparkling masks, put down a couple hundred dollars on a hand of poker or bet it all on black at the roulette wheel. All in fake money of course. The AWC Casino Night 2015 brought over 200 students out of their rooms on a Friday night for blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, roulette, craps, and even a money wheel. There were even a few tables of Texas Hold ‘Em, which filled up faster than the 400 levels. Students got $500 in funny money to try their luck at the tables and compete for prizes. Google... read more
Ph.D. student Snigdha Chaturvedi gets her IBM Fellowship renewed.
Snigdha Chaturvedi, a fourth year Computer Science graduate student, won a 2015 IBM Ph.D. Fellowship on March 12th. read more
When you think of a hackathon, what image comes to mind? Does one think of an ambitious group of high school and college women sharing ideas, encouraging each other, and coding their hearts away? read more