Women in Computer Science (WiCS) is dedicated to promoting gender equity in computing by advocating for and supporting women, trans, gender-fluid, gender-queer, and non-binary students enrolled in computer science and related computing programs at the University of Waterloo. Specifically, WiCS initiatives and events foster community, empowerment, and mentorship:
- To ensure that young women+ see computer science as an option in their studies and their careers
- To create an inclusive learning and working environment in the School of Computer Science
- To connect with other organizations and initiatives for women+ in computing
WiCS is a committee of faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates drawn from the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. The committee works to build an environment in the School of Computer Science where women are supported in their work and studies. Its initiatives aim to ensure that young women entering university see computer science as an option and to reduce gender-based obstacles to women’s success in their studies and their careers.
The members of the 2022-2023 Committee are:
Jo Atlee (Director)
Stacey Watson (Co-chair)
Tammy Vucicevich (Financial Co-ordinator)
Hillary Matt (Outreach Coordinator)
Lori Case
Prabhakar Ragde
Jeff Avery
Zille Huma Kamal
Xie He
Mina Tahmasbi Arashioo
Nancy Day
WiCS has a very active undergraduate committee (warmly called "Little WiCS") that is student-run. They offer a number of events throughout the year, including the Big CSters Mentoring program, technical workshops, a speaker series, and panels and discussions about diversity in computer science and STEM.