The Delaware Valley Lecture Series in Computer Science, in conjunction with the Distinguished Visitor Series at Haverford, present Maria Klawe President of Harvey Mudd College Gender and Computing: What are the Issues? Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Tea at 4:15 p.m., Talk at 4:30 p.m. KINSC - Hilles 109 campus map | directions | flyer (PDF)

This talk explores how girls and women differ from boys and men in their uses of and attitudes towards computing technology, and how this affects career choices and technology design. From playing computer games to pursuing computing careers, the participation of females tends to be low compared to that of males. Why is this? We discuss research findings on this issue, as well as best practices for increasing and retaining the participation of females in computing.

Brief Bio:

Maria Klawe became the fifth president of Harvey Mudd College on July 1, 2006. Prior to joining HMC, she served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University. She moved to Princeton from the University of British Columbia where she served as Dean of Science from 1998 to 2002, Vice-President of Student and Academic Services from 1995 to 1998, and Head of the Department of Computer Science from 1988 to 1995. Prior to UBC, Maria spent eight years with IBM Research in California, and two years at the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. (1977) and B.Sc. (1973) in Mathematics from the University of Alberta.

Maria has made significant research contributions in several areas of mathematics and computer science including functional analysis, discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, and interactive-multimedia for mathematics education. She was the founder and director of the EGEMS project, a collaborative project on the design and use of computer games in enhancing mathematics education for grades 4 to 9.

During the decade from 1993 to 2002 EGEMS developed several innovative and successful prototype games, and did seminal work in identifying important factors in the design of effective educational software. EGEMS research also studied the role of gender in technology-based learning environments and identified significant gender differences in how students interact with computers and software. This research was extended under the auspices of the NSERC-IBM Chair for Women in Science and Engineering that Maria held from 1997 to 2002, and the SWIFT (Supporting Women in Information Technology) project on how to attract and retain women in information technology careers.

Maria was one of the founders and is currently Chair of the Board of Silicon Chalk, a Vancouver-based company developing software to support interactive learning and collaboration in classes where each student has a wirelessly communicating laptop computer.

Maria has served on many boards and advisory councils, including the ACM Council (98-00, Vice President 2000-2002, President 2002-present), the Board of Trustees of the American Mathematical Society (92-97), and the Board of Computing Research Association (90-96). Maria was elected as a Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery in 1995, and received the Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Science and Technology in 1997. Her awards in 2001 included Wired Woman Pioneer, Canadian New Media Educator of the Year, BC Science Council Champion of the Year and an honorary doctorate from Ryerson University.