Distinguished Guest Lecturer

Must There Be So Few Women in Computer Science?

J. McGrath Cohoon
University of Virginia

Thurs., Nov. 20th
3:30pm; 480 Dreese Labs
All interested parties are invited.
Refreshments will be served immediately preceding the talk.

Abstract:
Women are under-represented in computer science. Inherent gender characteristics do not offer a likely explanation for this fact. However, an examination of environmental factors does provide some useful insights. For example, at the college level, there are a few CS departments that retain their men and women undergraduates at the same rates. These atypical departments make this contribution to gender equity by providing women the support and encouragement their male classmates can take for granted.

Joanne McGrath Cohoon received her BA in Philosophy from Ramapo College of New Jersey; her MA in Student Personnel Administration from Columbia University; and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Virginia in 2000. She is a former Coordinator of Student Activities at a women’s college, Research Project Manager and Methodology Consultant at the Cooper Center for Public Service, and Assistant Researcher at the UVA Center for Survey Research. She has taught courses to both returning and traditional students in sociology and in computer science. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Cohoon applies both the perspective and empirical tools of sociology to issues concerning technology, higher education, and gender. With support from the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she researches the features of academic departments that either foster or impede women’s success in computer science. She has presented her findings to educators, sociologists, and computer scientists.

Host: Bettina Bair