Dr Sue Black Centre for Systems and Software Engineering

Dr Sue BlackCentre for Systems and Software Engineering

School of Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics

South Bank UniversityLondon SE1 0AA

[email protected]://www.sbu.ac.uk/blackse

Why BCSWomen?• Experiences at conferences in

software engineering• Women in Science conference • BCS Central London branch and

LondonBCSWomen• BCSWomen

Grade Male Female Total % Male % FemaleFellow 1,294 66 1,360 95.1 4.9Member 14,066 1,417 15,483 90.8 9.2Associate 1,476 210 1,686 87.5 12.5Affiliiate 3,949 491 4,440 88.9 11.1Student 6,650 1,653 8,303 80.1 19.9Graduate 4,736 788 5,524 85.7 14.3Companion 17 3 20 85.0 15.0TOTAL 32,188 4,628 36,816 87.4 12.6

BCS Membership By Gender - As at 1 June 2000

BCSWomen objectives:• Provide an opportunity for networking• Provide support for women working in IT• Support and encourage women and girls

entering IT/IS careers• Provide a central contact for media channels

requiring comment of issues relating to women in IS/IT

• Assist women in IS/IT to find, and become, mentors for other women

• Contribute to BCS policy

• Lift off! 29th October 2001• First topics:

– Introductions– >100 messages on the first day– Advice: programming, careers,

courses etc.– Difficult situations/bad experiences

Current projects/activities• Running: raceforlife + T-shirts• Schools project• Help with CVs – CV clinic• Brownies/Guides computing badge• Regional events – recent joint event with

IBM• Working with other relevant

groups/organisations eg. WES, AWISE

Recent news/Highlights 2003• Free mentoring negotiated: www.mentorset.org.uk• BCSWomen now a Women’s National Commission

partner - official, independent, advisory body giving the views of women to the Government

• BCSWomen member Karen Petrie of Huddersfield University won research scholarship to work @ NASA

• We are setting up regional groups• We want to produce a digital archive of women in

computing starting with those who worked at Bletchley Park

To join BCSWomen email: [email protected]

BCSWomen homepage:http://www.bcs.org.uk/bcswomen