About the BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium
This year two Edinburgh Napier students got their poster accepted to speak at the Lovelace Colloquium. This conference was created in 2008 and is specifically for women and gender minorities in computing and related degree courses. Every year a university in the UK hosts this one-day event full of incredible people in tech. The day consists of speakers, poster-presenting sessions and a social afterwards. The idea is to create a place for women and gender minorities in computing to come together, not with gender as the focus, but to present and discuss computing in an open space. We all know the issue of the gender gap in computing (around 20% of students in tech are women). We face imposter syndrome, misogyny, and a multitude of things to battle to be able to thrive in our careers. This conference also strives to allow speakers to attend without barriers, so travel and hotels, if needed, are paid for by the conference or by the university. This year there were over 250 women and other gender minorities there. Clara and Alyanna describe their conference below.
Lovelace Participant Experience: Clara Headstrong
I went to the conference after having my poster about digital forensics in private browsing accepted. It was my first academic poster and I was quite nervous to meet everyone and scared that I wouldn’t be able to answer the questions people asked. However, when I got there, the atmosphere was so lovely and I felt comfortable around all these amazing people. The posters I got to see were absolutely incredible and I kept getting into long discussions on a poster and talking for half the time slot. I probably only saw about a quarter of the posters in depth. I was on crutches during the event and the organising team were lovely and kept checking in that I was doing okay. The speakers were really interesting and I learned about robotics and AI bias as well as what Ocado does and how they operate their warehouses. Very futuristic! While it was predominantly women, there were a fair few non-binary people and as a non-binary person I never felt uneasy about it. Overall, I had the most amazing time and will definitely be going back next year – especially as it’s just in Glasgow!
Lovelace Participant Experience: Alyanna Posadas
For my poster, I decided to focus on optimising web accessibility in real-time using generative AI. This was my first time presenting a research poster at an event like this, and I absolutely loved it! I came away from the event learning a lot of interesting things from both speakers and students, connecting with my top choice employer, and making new friends in industry. The best part of the day was listening to the research done by other participants. The subject matter varied wildly, and a lot of it concerned things I was completely unfamiliar with. It made me realise how much of a bubble I was in when it came to computer science! Overall, I loved taking part in the event and am grateful to be a part of it.
Why should you apply?
I strongly recommend to any women or gender minorities in university to take advantage of this opportunity as well! The colloquium increased my confidence in myself and my own skills, and got me more excited about the future of computing as a whole. It exposed me to many different research areas and the great innovations happening within them. I talked to a lot of amazing people and was able to build real connections that day.
The events of the day were incredibly valuable as well. There were employers from big and small companies, companies that assist with job applications, and universities promoting their postgraduate programmes. The speakers discussed various subjects, but I found it all very valuable. The topics ranged from current trends facing the industry, working at a specific company, or advice about how to land your dream job. There was also a panel where we got to ask questions. And it was great to hear career advice from people who could speak on their experiences being a woman or gender minority, or the struggles of breaking into tech.
It was also the first time I got to research a subject matter I had a lot of passion and interest for in such great detail. It gave me an excuse to reach out to professors and professionals online to ask about generative AI, data processing, web accessibility so I could learn more. This helped me build connections and made me feel less intimidated by my field. Many university students, especially Masters or Honours Project students, are already completing an in-depth research dissertation. It’d be very easy to apply your own project to this conference and take advantage of the networking opportunities present (e.g., employers) and connect with other women and gender minorities in the field! I’ll definitely be taking part in it next year, especially as it’s in Glasgow nearby!
