January 2024 Newsletter | Women in Computer Science

Events

WICS X BAM event

We are excited to invite you to a unique event in our new Toronto office! This event will provide you with in-depth insights into the various internship and career opportunities available at Balyasny. You will have the privilege of hearing from individuals across data and technology who will discuss our new Data Academy internship program and the Technology Academy, a rotational program for recent graduates. Discover how these programs provide students and new graduates with hands-on experience, collaborating with industry experts and contributing to cutting-edge projects. This event will be an excellent opportunity for you to network with professionals from Balyasny, gaining valuable insights into the innovative data and technology initiatives at the core of our organization.

WiCS will refund students up to $50 for receipted travel costs to and from the event (on public transit, Uber, and taxi).

Speakers: TBD – from Technology and Data primarily

Location: Toronto Office – 81 Bay Street

When: February 16, 2024.

Time: 1-3pm

REGISTRATION HERE

Volunteers Wanted: Technovation Girls Waterloo 

Technovation Girls is a free, 12-week program that equips girls and young women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) ages 10-18 with the skills to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. With the support of volunteer mentors, students work in teams to code mobile apps or AI solutions that address real-world problems they’ve identified. 

Technovation Girls needs many volunteers to make things happen. People like you! Read below to learn some more information about the volunteer roles we have available. 

Logistics Support at Kick-Off Event/Monthly In-Person Sessions: Help the events run smoothly by assisting with set-up/take-down, facilitating registration and child pick-up, distributing food and refreshments, and being on-call for assistance. Volunteers are needed for a few specific dates from January to April 2024. 
Coach or Ad-Hoc Mentor at Monthly In-Person Sessions: Answer questions and provide feedback to Technovation Girls teams at our monthly sessions. Coaches act as a consultant in many areas, including: technical code/app development, business and entrepreneurship, AI, presentations and pitches, and videography. Expected time commitment is 2-4 hours a month. 
Mentor for a team throughout January-April: Mentors are assigned to a team of Technovation participants and act as their project manager throughout the term! You don’t need to be an expert on technical subjects, you just need to be willing to support your team and keep them on track. Consider volunteering if you are on co-op! (It is harder for students on study term to be a mentor because final push for the project submission is during the exam period). We recommend co-mentoring with a friend or a WiCS peer. Expected time commitment is ~2-3 hours a week from January to April. 
App Inventor/Thunkable Coach: Are you a Technovation Girls alum? Are you able to serve as a App Inventor or Thunkable coach to this year’s teams? If you are interested in helping out but are not in a position to be a team member, consider volunteering for one of WiCS’s Technovation workshops for local teams and helping to answer questions that teams/mentors have about their project.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, visit the Technovation website and UW Technovation Page to learn more and click the link below to indicate your interest in volunteering. 

Location: On-campus and within the KW Region 

WiCS Info Session on Undergraduate Research Assistantships and Graduate School in CS

Are you interested in CS research as an undergraduate student but not sure where to start? Come out to WiCS’s information session on research opportunities for women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) undergraduates, as well as information about graduate studies in Computer Science. Some of the topics we’ll cover are URAs, URFs, and EREP along with the grad school experience!

Date: February 3rd, 2024

Where: Online (Zoom)

Time: 10:00am-11:00am

New Math Faculty 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Group

A group of individuals are interested in forming a new group for 2SLGBTQIA+ undergraduate and graduate students. The group will be student-led, and there is a call for students who are interested in being involved in these efforts. Please sign up if you are interested in attending the organizational meeting. Please feel free to contact the Faculty of Mathematics Equity Office (matheqcp@uwaterloo.ca) if you have any questions.

Rewriting the code   

RTC is a nonprofit organization empowering a free community of 17,000+ college and early career women in tech. Join us as a member or partner! They are a peer-to-peer network for students and junior professional women in tech. It’s free to join the community and engage at any level. They never charge for access to their private, online community of women.

RTC WEBSITE HERE

WiCS Study Room   

The WiCS Study Room (DC 3150) is a place where WiCS students know they can meet and study with other WiCS students, making it easier for them to find like-minded peers and role models. As a secondary benefit, the room also serves as a space where WiCS students can take a short break from being in the minority.  

To get the fob to the study room, you must fill out a request form for the access fob. The WiCS Event

Coordinator will send you an email once it is ready for you to pick up!  

Register a Request: REGISTER HERE  

Learn more about the WiCS Study Room on our Study Room website!  

WiCS Innovation Fund 

The WiCS Innovation Fund supports student-initiated activities such as hackathons, workshops, conferences, and much more, that support women and non-binary students in computing. WiCS will give out two awards worth $500 this winter! 

If you’re interested, send an email to wics@uwaterloo.ca with an explanation of the use (e.g., organizing an event, attending a conference or hackathon) and what you will get out of attending. The Fund will sponsor future events only (not past events). 

WWIN Innovation Fund

The WWIN Innovation Fund supports creative and interesting ideas by students to improve the campus experience for women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) in the Faculty of Math. This year there is $4000 dollars to grant to student’s whose applications are accepted!

Application Details: APPLY HERE

Application Deadline: January 15, 2024.

Questions can be sent to mathwwin@uwaterloo.ca

FS-ISAC Women In Cyber Scholarship

Are you passionate and curious about cyber security? The FS-ISAC Scholarship is for women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) interested in pursuing a career the field of cyber security. The scholarship award for the 2024-2025 academic year is $10, 000 USD and includes the opportunity to learn directly from experts in the field and attend the FS-ISAC Sumit/Event. If you are interested in applying, please click below, applications are due March 17th, 2024. The scholarship is open to students attending a Canadian University and who are eligible to work in Canada.

Application Deadline: March 17, 2024

Application Link: APPLY HERE

AI4Good Lab 2024 Applications Open

Looking to get more experience with AI? The AI4Good Lab is a 7-week AI camp (not a co-op position) that will run from May 6th to June 26th 2024. The program gives women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) undergraduate and newly graduated students the opportunity to learn more about AI. Click on the AI4GOOD WEBSITE HERE to find out more information such as application qualifications, fees, locations, and financial aid options.

When: May 6th – June 26th 2024

Application Deadline: January 31, 2024

Application: APPLY HERE

WiCS Social Media Channels 

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