Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing facts for kids

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) is a big event for women interested in computers and technology. It's the largest meeting of women in computing worldwide. The conference is named after Grace Hopper, a famous computer scientist. It's put together by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Association for Computing Machinery. In 2020, the conference was held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

History of the GHC Conference

In 1994, two amazing women, Anita Borg and Telle Whitney, started the Grace Hopper Celebration. They wanted to create a conference just for women computer scientists. They planned it over dinner, starting with a blank piece of paper! The first GHC was in Washington, D.C., in June 1994. About 500 technical women attended.

Since then, many conferences have been held. It became an annual event starting in 2006. The 2010 conference was so popular that 2,147 people from 29 countries attended. Because it kept growing, the conference has been held in large convention centers since 2011.

What Happens at the Conference?

The Grace Hopper Celebration has many different parts. It includes talks about technology and careers. There are also poster sessions, a job fair, and an awards ceremony. More than 650 people give presentations at the conference. People can suggest ideas for panels, workshops, and talks.

Conference Topics (Tracks)

The Grace Hopper Celebration covers about 20 different topics, called "tracks." These tracks help people find talks and sessions that match their interests. Some of the topics include:

• Academic (for students and teachers)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Career (how to get a job or grow in your career)
• Computer Systems Engineering
• Data Science (working with large amounts of information)
• Emerging Technology (new and exciting tech)
• Hardware (the physical parts of computers)
• Human Computer Interaction (how people use computers)
• Interactive Media (like games and digital art)
• IoT/Wearable Tech (devices connected to the internet, like smartwatches)
• Mentoring Circles (getting advice from experienced people)
• Open Source (software that anyone can use and change)
• Organizational Transformation (how companies change with technology)
• Poster Session (showing off research on posters)
• Products A to Z (how products are made)
• Security/Privacy (keeping information safe online)
• Software Engineering (how to build computer programs)
• Tech Meetups (meeting other tech enthusiasts)
• Tech for Women (technology that helps women)
• Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR, AR, and MR)

Important Speakers

The Grace Hopper Celebration invites famous women in technology to speak. These include keynote speakers and special guests. Some past speakers include Sheryl Sandberg, Melinda Gates, and Maria Klawe. You can watch many of their presentations online after the conference.

Poster Session and Student Competition

The conference has one of the biggest poster sessions of any tech event. Over 175 posters are usually displayed. These posters show off new research and ideas. Students can also enter their posters into the ACM Student Research Competition. This is the largest student competition at any tech conference.

Awards for Women in Tech

The Abie Awards celebrate women in technology and those who support them. There are eight different Abie Awards. They honor women for leadership, vision, social impact, and more. Each year, five Abie Awards are given out at the Grace Hopper Celebration. Past winners include Ruzena Bajcsy and Elaine Weyuker.

Career Mentoring Workshops

The Computing Research Association (CRA-W) holds special sessions at GHC. These are for college students and new researchers. They cover topics like applying to graduate school, writing research papers, and balancing work and life. It's a great way to get advice!

Workshop for K-12 Teachers

There's a two-day workshop for teachers who teach computer science to younger students. It helps them learn how to get more girls interested in computer science. This workshop started in 2009.

Grace Hopper Open Source Day

Grace Hopper Open Source Day started in 2011. It's a day focused on "open source" projects. Open source means software or projects that anyone can use, change, and share freely. The day includes a "codeathon" (where people work together to write code), workshops, and an exhibition.

A group working on Wikimedia projects at Grace Hopper Open Source Day.

Many groups have taken part, like Google Crisis Response, Mozilla, and the Wikimedia Foundation (who run Wikipedia!).

Career Fair

The Grace Hopper Celebration has a large career fair. Over 70 tech companies, government labs, and universities attend. They are looking to hire people or find students for their programs. It's a great place to explore job opportunities.

Scholarships for Students

About half of the people who attend GHC are students. The Anita Borg Institute offers scholarships to help college students go to the conference. These scholarships often cover:

• Registration for the conference
• Hotel costs
• Money for meals
• Airfare and travel money

In 2010, 321 scholarships were given out. There's also a special program with Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. GHC Scholars who get into master's programs there can receive tuition scholarships.

Things People Have Said About GHC

The GHC conference has received some comments over the years. Some people have pointed out that there could be more diversity, especially racial diversity. This means having more people from different backgrounds attend and speak.

Another point raised is the cost. The conference can be expensive, which makes it hard for some people to attend. For example, in 2019, a student ticket was $450, not including travel or hotel.

In 2015, some people were upset because the main speakers did not include any Black women. The organizers listened to this feedback. They then worked to have more diverse speakers and started collecting information about the race and background of attendees.

Also, speakers at GHC are not paid for their talks. In the past, speakers even had to buy their own tickets. Now, speakers get a free ticket, but their travel and hotel costs are not covered. Some people, like author Gayle Laakmann McDowell, think speakers should be paid.

Past Grace Hopper Celebrations

Here is a list of past and upcoming Grace Hopper Celebrations:

See also

In Spanish: Grace Hopper celebración de la mujer en la computación para niños