Did you know that some neuroscientists — concerned that research may be used to justify sexism — may actually be refusing to acknowledge the existence and impact of sex differences? At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in a panel called “The Promise and Peril of Research on Sex Differences,” scientists discussed this and such issues as stereotypes (girls differ from boys, but girls also differ from other girls); monocausality (beware any explanation that relies on a single factor: hormones matter, but so does socialization); and comparison games ( boys have slightly better math scores than girls in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan … but between the three countries, Taiwanese and Japanese girls outscore American boys.)
*****************************
Did you know that you can accelerate the on-ramping process for new hires by creating “starter projects”? Introduce untrained employees to your “stack” (technology, infrastructure, process) with a starter project and you’ll end up with engineers who can then join your teams in a useful way. “It’s a tax,” say Douglas Merrill, the founder of ZestCash, “but after you pay it, you get top-notch talent trained exactly how you want.” Get more of Doug’s tips for finding and building great tech talent outside of Silicon Valley.
*****************************
Did you know that money is not necessarily the best incentive for attracting professional women? According to a study by More Magazine, the majority of women aged 35 to 60 would rather have more flexibility than more money at their jobs. Even 68 percent of women without children also prefer more free time than a higher salary. How about you – if you had to choose, which would be more important to you? Does your company give employees flexibility or choices in their benefits?
*****************************
Did you know that when Stanford offered its Introduction to Artificial Intelligence class for free online this fall, more than 160,000 people signed up? So far, about 35,000 of those have stuck with it, according to the university. Now Stanford is considering making more of its computing courses free and available online, including Software as a Service, Computer Science 101, Machine Learning, Human Computer Interaction, and Probabilistic Graphic Models. What do you think about this? Have you checked out Stanford’s delivery model? Has your institution considered making its computing courses available in an online format?
*****************************
Did you know that the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are both getting makeovers? The College Board says it has worked with high school teachers to tweak AP courses so that they place more value on critical thinking and appeal to a broader demographic, citing studies show that students from underrepresented populations who take AP science courses are more likely to major in a scientific field. Meanwhile, the IB program is expanding its requirements to include technical and vocational tracks that include liberal arts tenets: IB students are required to take at least six IB courses, including a foreign language and a theory of knowledge course that promotes critical thinking, as well as perform community service and write a 4,000-word research essay. The new program could “produce more articulate and creative engineers and computer scientists,” its proponents say.
Did You Know? is a brief round-up of information and news that crossed NCWIT’s radar this week that we think might be of interest to you. Practices or content of the news presented are not vetted or endorsed by NCWIT.
- K-12
- K-12
- I Want To
- K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities.
- K-12 Programs
K-12 Programs
Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels.
- K-12 Alliance
K-12 Alliance
Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Higher Education
- Higher Education
- I Want To
- Higher Ed Resources
Higher Education Resources
Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Education Programs
Recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- Higher Ed Alliance
Higher Ed Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Workforce
- Workforce
- I Want To
- Workforce Resources
Workforce Resources
Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions.
- Workforce Programs
Workforce Programs
Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more.
- Workforce Alliance
Workforce Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Resources
- Resources
- Programs
- Programs
- Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career.
- BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting.
- Color of Our Future
Color of Our Future
The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American).
- Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is an online thought leadership series that presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing.
- Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed programs recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition.
- Regional Initiatives
Regional Initiatives
NCWIT’s Regional Initiatives bundle research-backed programs and practices to increase the local participation of women and girls in tech fields and careers. To understand local computing ecosystems, and cater content and programming to needs on the ground, NCWIT partners with community stakeholders to build awareness, inspire participation, and connect women to like-minded peers, role models, and opportunities.
- Sit With Me
Sit with Me
Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion.
- Tech Inclusion Journey
Tech Inclusion Journey
The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures.
- Aspirations in Computing
- Media Hub
- News & Events
- News & Events
- NCWIT Summit
NCWIT Summit
The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.
- News
News
Check out NCWIT’s latest press releases, press mentions, newsletters, blogs, and articles we are talking about!
- Events
Events
NCWIT offers various in-person and virtual events throughout the year and is also present at many other industry events. Find out about past and upcoming items here.
- re:think Magazine
- NCWIT Summit
- About NCWIT
- About NCWIT
- LOG IN