Events

AiC Labs: Step Into Quantum Computing

Date: July 17, 2025
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Online
Green and blue graphic with the full color ncwit.org logo and text: “Step into Quantum Computing | Discover a career in the rapidly expanding field of Quantum Computing | Join the Webinar; July 17th | 10 am MT | Access is open to the public”

Get ready for an inspiring session. Join us at 12 pm ET // 11 am CT // 10 am MT // 9 am PT to learn about quantum computing.

Dr. Martonosi will discuss the current state of quantum computing, emerging opportunities, the critical role of computer scientists, and the need for talent at every level—not just PhDs. Discover how you can break into this exciting and rapidly expanding field, and learn practical steps to start your quantum journey.

This session is open to everyone, but is especially valuable for students planning to attend the upcoming NCWIT Virtual Career Fair. It’s the perfect way to prepare for connecting with leading quantum companies—Elevate Quantum, Infleqtion, Quantinuum, TreQ, Atom Computing, and Bifrost Electronics—all of whom will be actively recruiting at the fair.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a leading expert and prepare yourself to stand out at the Career Fair!

Register Now

About the Speaker

Margaret Martonosi is the W. M. Addy ’82 University Professor at Princeton University, an NCWIT Board Member, and a leader in computer architecture and quantum computing. With a career marked by groundbreaking research and prestigious honors—including the ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award and the ACM Frances E. Allen Award for Outstanding Mentoring—Dr. Martonosi brings unparalleled insight into the future of technology.

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Conversations for Change

Date: July 23, 2025
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Online
Green and blue graphic with speech bubble icons featuring the ncwitorg  Workforce Alliance logo at the top Text reads Conversations for Change  Mirror Mirror on the Wall Is that merit after all  Explore how workplace representation and true merit can coexist  and how to build systems that recognize both  Join the Webinar July 23rd  11 am MT  Join NCWIT Workforce Alliance today to attend

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Is That Merit After All?

The Workforce Alliance (WA) team is hosting a Conversations for Change event on July 23 at 11 AM MT.

Merit and meritocracy are having quite the moment. Many are rushing to defend them, but few are able to define them. Despite bold claims, our existing workplace and educational systems often function more like a hall of mirrors — reflecting the same profiles over and over while overlooking highly qualified talent that doesn’t fit the mold. Backed by research and real-world examples, this session will challenge the false binary between inclusion and merit and ask: if the mirror’s distorted, what would it take to see talent clearly? Attendees will leave with new language for better ways of talking about merit and practical strategies for building workplace and educational systems that better reflect it.

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Meet the Panelists

Dr. Brad McLain is a social scientist interested in the nature and psychology of identity development, learning, and leadership. He is the Director of the Center for STEM Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of Corporate Research at NCWIT, where he routinely works closely with companies on the subject of identity, inclusive culture construction, and change leadership. Prior, he served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Jane Goodall Institute and was the United States Chair of Dr. Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Leadership Committee. He has served as principle investigator and researcher on numerous federal, foundation, and privately funded programs, resulting in frequent collaborations with state and federal government agencies, corporations, non-profits, and private organizations. Before that, Dr. McLain was an educational researcher at the Space Science Institute, a NASA educational lead for the Space Shuttle Program as well as NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research, and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and was a social science researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He is also an accomplished filmmaker, having produced and directed three documentary features and dozens of short films. His new book is Designing TransformativeExperiences: A Toolkit for Leaders,Trainers, Teachers, and Other Experience Designers (BK Publishing, 2023): His TEDx talks, podcasts, and other work can be found online. Dr. McLain lives in Boulder Colorado with his two children.

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Dr. Catherine Ashcraft is a Senior Research Scientist with NCWIT at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on issues related to gender, diversity, and technology; organizational change and curriculum reform; and popular culture, media representations, and youth identity (especially as it relates to race-ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality). She also has taught and presented at national and international venues on these topics for the past 15 years and has worked with a variety of government entities, advocating for CS/IT/ICT education and workplace policy.

In her role at NCWIT, she employs a unique blend of research and practice, overseeing primary research projects and translating that research into practical resources that organizations can use for diversifying their technology workforce and for creating more inclusive technology workplaces. She also directs reform initiatives for NCWIT’s Workforce Alliance, a consortium of leading, global technology companies and departments, and works with senior executives to implement these initiatives.

Catherine has published widely in top education and interdisciplinary journals, nationally and internationally, including the American Educational Research Journal, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Men & Masculinities, Curriculum Inquiry, Teachers College Record, Anthropology & Education Journal, Youth & Society, among others. Her most recent NCWIT publications include Girls in IT: The Facts and Male Advocates and Allies: Promoting Gender Diversity in Technology Workplaces. She also is responsible for securing funding for CS/IT/ICT research initiatives and has served as a principal investigator on several research grants.

Before coming to NCWIT, Catherine was an assistant professor of multicultural education and director of Diversity Learning at Western Washington University.  She also has worked as a middle/high school public school teacher and as the community education director for a battered women’s shelter, where she implemented programs to address a variety of gender inequities, including workplace and dating violence. She obtained her MA in organizational communication and her PhD in education from the University of Colorado.

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Dr. Sarah Blithe is a Research Scientist with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) at the University of Colorado Boulder.  Her research is in in organizational communication, with specific attention to intersectional feminism, inclusivity, occupational identity, work-life balance, policy inequalities, and management learning.  Her research is applied and practical; oriented toward implementing positive changes for workers and organizations.

Before joining NCWIT, Dr. Blithe was an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the author of Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance: Glass Handcuffs and Working Men in the U.S. and Sex and Stigma: Stories of Everyday Life in Nevada’s Legal Brothels. She is also the co-editor of Badass Feminist Politics: Exploring Radical Edges of Feminist Theory, Communication, and Activism. She has published widely in national and international journals, including Human RelationsManagement Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Communication ResearchCulture and Organization, the Journal of Gender StudiesManagement Learning, and the Journal of Communication. Dr. Blithe is the recipient of multiple research and teaching awards, including seven book of the year awards and the 2019 Thornton Peace Prize for her social justice advocacy.

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Dr. Jamie Huber Ward is a social scientist and Associate Director of Higher Ed for NCWIT at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on issues related to organizational change in higher education; collaborative pedagogical practices; curriculum reform; and post-secondary student experiences.

In her role, Jamie works with the Higher Ed team to implement and analyze research projects designed to enhance all students’ success and sense of belonging post-secondary computing programs. This includes working with faculty and staff from a variety of collegiate computing programs to facilitate their local implementation of evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies and translating these programs successes into resources accessible to post-secondary computing programs on a nationwide scale. She also engages in project management and strategic planning efforts for the NCWIT Higher Ed team.

Prior to joining NCWIT, Jamie served in various roles in student affairs administration and as a faculty member in several Communication Studies departments and interdisciplinary programs. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, an M.A. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville, and a B.A. in Psychology and English from Illinois College. Jamie has published chapters in edited book collections and in a number of scholarly journals, including: AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work; Kaleidoscope: A Journal of Qualitative Communication Research; Journal of Research in Personality; Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology; and Women and Language. She served as a Women’s Center Committee Pre-Conference Co-Chair for the National Women’s Studies Association from 2013-2015. She also has served on the WEPAN Board of Directors from 2020-present and was the WEPAN Board President for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Facilitated By

Dr. Andrea Bowens-Jones is a former Procter & Gamble (P&G) R&D Section Head. She has managed multi–discipline teams of scientists and engineers to drive technology, formulation, and process development for top personal care brands such as Secret, Old Spice, and Gillette.

A polymer chemist by training, Dr. Andrea cares deeply about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education and inspiring the next generation of technical leaders. In 2004, she developed the Resident Scholar Program (RSP) while at P&G. RSP is a unique job-shadowing program for minority youth interested in careers in STEM. The program expanded its reach to Duracell Company in 2011, and continues to impact students at both companies today.

Currently, Dr. Andrea is the President/CEO of IDG Vision, LLC, where continues to impact the STEM talent pipeline as a consultant, speaker, coach, and trainer.

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2025 NCWIT Virtual Career Fair

Date: August 6, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Online
Rectangular bluegreen graphic with lighter intersecting circles in the lower right the ncwitorg  Workforce Alliance logo and text Tech Career Fair 2025 connect with dynamic tech talent August 6 2025

Registration is open now!

Members of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community and member companies in the NCWIT Workforce Alliance are invited to attend an exclusive annual virtual career fair hosted by NCWIT.

The 2025 NCWIT Virtual Career Fair will take place on August 6th and will be held online using vFairs from 11 am – 2 pm PT | 12 – 3 pm MT | 1 – 4 pm CT | 2 – 5 pm ET. Attendees can join 1:1 video chats that connect dynamic tech talent with values-aligned employers in the tech industry.

Learn More
AiC Community members who want to find their next collegiate-level internship or full-time tech role can register using the Community dashboard on aspirations.org.

Want to become an AiC Community member? Join today for free to gain access to exclusive benefits, including the annual NCWIT Virtual Career Fair! Here’s a step-by-step guide to register.

NCWIT Workforce Alliance member companies who want to hire the future of tech can become event sponsors and set up an online booth for free. To learn more about how to participate, contact your alliance representative.

Not a member of the NCWIT Workforce Alliance yet? Join today and explore the AiC Community Resume Book, which features hundreds of innovative technologists who are the future of tech. Already a member? Register here.

2024 Event Sponsors & Participating Employers

Amazon | Bank of America | Capital One | CDC
Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Intuit | Jane Street | KeyBank
Match Group | MITRE | NRO | PNC | RBC | Topologic | Uplight

About the NCWIT Virtual Career Fair

Each year, NCWIT hosts virtual career fairs to connect sponsor companies and Workforce Alliance members with over 30,000 individuals in the Aspirations in Computing Community. This robust and engaged community is comprised of high school, collegiate, and career professionals who want to connect with you and learn more about your company and its opportunities.The annual online event is free to access, and is only available to AiC Community and NCWIT Workforce Alliance members.

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