About
The Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas Women in Computing (MINK WIC) conference is a regional meeting modeled after the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The conference began in 2011 and is held bi-annually. It brings together students, faculty, and technology leaders from the four state area to discuss the role of women in today’s computing and technology fields. They share experiences and strategies for success and explore issues common to women working in these fields. The goal is to provide an opportunity for young women to explore opportunities in computing, to network with other women from academia, industry, and government, and to create friendship among women in the region who share the same interest and passion for computing. This celebration is part of a nationwide effort to address the alarming decline of women choosing computer science professions.
This conference is a Project of ACM-W, the Association for Computing Machinery Council on Women in Computing.
Who should attend?
Undergraduate and graduate students with interests in computing and information technology
Faculty and technology leaders interested in meeting and mentoring the next generation of computing professionals
Women interested in learning about the challenges and rewards of computing careers
Women interested in advancing technology through broader representation of women
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
We are all part of a global society that includes people from diverse cultures, countries and backgrounds. In higher education, we are here together to learn, grow and explore a variety of ideas. By limiting ourselves we cannot reach our fullest potential. If we close ourselves off, avoid differences, or even shame those who are different, we create a world that is tragic. Together we must overcome our differences, to begin difficult conversations, to see change for the better, and build a bridge that connects all of us.
Why you should care
Students
As global markets emerge in importance and the workforce demographics shift, students entering the job market will be expected to embrace diversity and respect what diversity brings to their working environment. Students who want to land a job after graduation must understand themselves and the world that they will enter. We will explore many issues that women in computing face as part of a minority group, such as feelings of isolation, the imposter syndrome, and what to do to be more involved in the tech community.
Employers
A diverse workplace encourages workers to be more creative, more diligent, and harder-working. Multiple studies have shown that a more diverse staff fosters enhanced innovation, has higher financial performance than non-diverse staff and are more likely to experiment, be creative, share knowledge, and fulfill tasks than non-diverse staff.
Recruiting and engaging women and minorities in technology does matter. We will explore through our conference unconscious bias, how it starts, and what we can do to recognize unconscious bias, address these issues and mitigate the negative impacts by establishing appropriate recruitment practices, training, retention factors and advancement for women. Please join us to explore these issues.
