BCSWomen is a Specialist Group of the BCS, The British Chartered Institute for IT. It is a diverse, UK-centred and yet global network to encourage women in to technology, by running a variety of events that are designed to improve women’s technology and personal skills and to provide networking opportunities.
We estimate that since its inception, by Dr Sue Black OBE in 2001, BCSWomen has helped over 10,000 women by providing them with hands-on coding, technology awareness and personal skill seminars, workshops and mentoring.
Our committee of volunteers, organises around 25 events a year. Some of the highlights include but are not limited to the following:
1- This year, recognising the importance of skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Sarah Burnett, the chair of BCSWomen, launched the AI Accelerator program. This is a series of free AI-focused webinars, seminars and workshops by experts, aimed at getting more women into the field of AI. The program is on target to reach 500 women by the end of the year.
2- Every year, we organise the Undergraduate Lovelace Colloquium for undergraduate women in computing, a one-day conference which started in Leeds in 2008 and now moves around the UK. The colloquium is for U.K. university women students studying Computing and related subjects. It was started by Dr Hannah Dee, who continues to play a key role in its organisation every year.
3- Many BCSWomen also contribute to the annual London Hopper Colloquium, which showcases exciting work of women in computing research and enables new PhD researchers to meet with each other as well as with senior women computer scientists. Grace Hopper was a pioneering American computer scientist.
4- BCSWomen organises other events for women. Highlights from 2017 to date include:
• Several AppInventor and other coding workshops
• Seminars on technologies such as blockchain and robotics
• Gender issues such as closing the pay gap
• A forthcoming event in October will be on how to get your voice heard, helping women get more confident at work
