About

About Us

UMass Amherst CS Women was founded almost 25 years by Professor Lori Clarke as a community to support and serve women faculty and graduate students. Since its beginning, the group’s vibrant leadership has been spearheaded by graduate women addressing the changing needs of our community. The undergraduate Women in Computer Science (WiCS) is another organization.

Today we serve almost a hundred graduate women. Our membership has expanded to include female undergraduate computer science majors from the five colleges, as well as advocates of any gender who promote the interests of women in computing.

Our focus is on community building. We work closely with the faculty and staff of the College of Information and Computer Sciences to provide programs and services for our female-identified students. We also organize social events, lectures, and other professional activities that are open to all students in the College of Information and Computer Sciences.

Two graduate women students, often joined by two undergraduate women, serve as co-chairs for 2-semester terms. If you would like to get involved, email us at womenchairs@cs.umass.edu.

Mission statement

The mission of CSWomen at UMass Amherst is to:

• build a strong community of female-identified computer science graduate students
• enhance the academic and professional successes of its members
• promote an inclusive community within the College, and highlight disparities
• celebrate accomplishments of women in computer science.

We achieve this mission by organizing and supporting

1. professional panels and career-building events,
2. academic talks from women leaders in academia and industry, and
3. informal social networks and events.

Miscellaneous

We are an organization of graduate women in computer science at UMass. Please check WiCS for the undergraduate group. Women in Computer Science (WiCS)