The only conference dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise our engineering and computing workforce.The vision of the CoNECD (pronounced, “connected”) Conference is to provide a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented populations in the engineering and computing professions including gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, disability, veterans, LGBTQ+, 1st generation and socio-economic status. This could byour community if your work supports broadening participation in engineering and computing – well pretty much all STEM fields. CoNECD supports both researchers and practitioners! You can find collaborators for your own research and learn what is currently being done within this discipline. See practical applications of evidenced based research into how to broaden participation. You can showcase your work through a technical session or a workshop.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) held its annual conference on Oct. 24-26 in Chicago at McCormick Place, the largest convention venue in North America. With a record-setting 19,100+ attendees, the event was a resounding success on many fronts, including sustainability. McCormick Place is the largest convention venue in North America and an Events Industry Council silver-certified facility for Sustainable Events Standards. The venue has scored many hits in sustainable event management. Last year, the venue host, McCormick Place, shared some sustainability metrics with SWE to highlight the impact of the practices implemented and the systems in place during the event: Energy efficiency was prioritized with LED lighting and motion sensor technology installed. McCormick Place also purchased renewable energy certificates to offset 100% of the electricity used on campus. During the WE24 conference, 287,471 kWh of electricity was consumed. Aluminum cans of water and water coolers with five-gallon capacity per unit were used as alternatives to single-use plastic bottles during the conference as aluminum can be recycled multiple times. McCormick Place has an on-site nonprofit partnership committed to reducing food wastage. Housed in the East Kitchen, Fight2Feed rescues and repurposes food from such large-scale events. Thanks to conservation efforts at McCormick Place, 12.13 tons of waste was diverted away from the landfill for a 58% diversion rate during the event. That represents 206 trees saved, 84,910 gallons of water conserved, 48,520 kWh/ton electricity saved, and 958 gallons of oil conserved. It’s important to SWE that our events are not only nurturing and supporting all our attendees, but also the communities in which we host and the environment as a whole. We are proud to partner with event venues like McCormick Place to further these goals. You can save the date for WE25 on Oct. 23-35 in New Orleans.

The C3E webinar series provides a forum to hear the latest on clean energy topics from women who are making a difference. The goal of the quarterly webinars is to highlight the outstanding work of clean energy professionals in various fields and to foster discussion around clean energy opportunities and solutions. Get to know the work of today’s leaders, including C3E Ambassadors and recent Awardees, by participating in an upcoming webinar, followed by a discussion session, allowing participants to ask the speakers questions, share their own ideas and experiences, engage in conversation, and network with other clean energy professionals.

A diverse and inclusive tech workforce is the key to unlocking the full potential of technological innovation. Yet, the field has historically been dominated by a narrow demographic, hindering progress and limiting the scope of solutions. To combat systemic underrepresentation in computing, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation in Computing Alliances, including NCWIT and CSforALL, are tackling this challenge. Backed by significant NSF funding, these organizations set goals and develop initiatives not only to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in computer science (CS), but also to build a more inclusive and equitable CS education landscape. Established in 2016, CSforALL recognizes that systemic change is essential to improve computer science education. By focusing on institutions such as schools and school districts, curriculum providers, out of school time providers, and funders, a more supportive environment for teachers to deliver culturally-relevant and accessible learning experiences to students is possible. By aligning curriculum with research-based best practices, CSforALL connects members to ensure learners have the opportunity to succeed beyond the K-12 classroom. In 2022, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the CSforALL Alliance a grant to advance equity in computer science education by promoting inclusive practices, enhancing member capacity, and utilizing data-driven strategies to assess impact. Historically, CSforALL catalyzes the community through time-bound, specific, and measurable pledges known as CSforALL Commitments. In 2024, the alliance activated the CS education community to make commitments aligned specifically to broadening participation in computing (BPC).

The tech industry is currently widely regarded as one of the most innovative and progressive fields, yet even with all of its achievements and perks it has to offer, it continues to grapple with a long-standing issue: the underrepresentation of women. Despite the growing demand for diverse perspectives in the creation and development of modern technology, women remain significantly underrepresented in Computer Science (CS) and engineering. Currently, while the overall percentage of female degree recipients is 53.1%, women make up only 20% of the CS degree holders and 22% of the engineering degree holders. Many argue that this imbalance in percentages stems from the inherent disinterest or unsuitability of women in the tech industry. In 2017, James Damore, a Software Engineer at Google at the time, wrote a memo where he urged the company to stop trying to bring women into tech, because they are inherently unsuitable for the industry, and thus, these efforts just waste everyone’s attention and company’s resources (Damore, 2017). In his argument, Damore referred to the field of Evolutionary Psychology as support for his claims, suggesting that differences in career preferences and abilities between men and women are rooted in biological and psychological traits shaped by evolution.

The NPA Annual Conference is the largest national conference and networking event dedicated to the postdoctoral community. Attendees of the conference - postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, administrators, faculty members, and representatives from disciplinary societies, industry, and corporations - are offered a unique platform for fostering their professional development and honing their leadership abilities.

The AWIS Virtual Career Fair is designed for individuals at various stages of their professional journey. Whether you’re seeking a fresh career challenge, aiming for your first or next leadership role, transitioning from academia to industry, or simply exploring new opportunities, our event caters to diverse aspirations: Professionals in science or related STEM fields seeking exciting career prospects; Students eager to embark on their professional journey; Professionals keen on discovering avenues for career advancement and growth. The Virtual Career Fair will take place March 13, 2025 from 1 – 4 p.m. ET.

The Master of Advanced Study in Engineering (MAS-E) on Coursera is Berkeley Engineering’s first fully online master’s program. Because learning on Coursera includes flexible experiences, like on-demand lectures for desktop and mobile that students can watch anytime and anywhere, working professionals can earn their MAS-E around their schedule and on their timeline. With added flexibility from self-paced, one-credit courses, MAS-E students can graduate in one year or as many as four years. Current engineers can advance their careers with the knowledge and skills they gain from the MAS-E. These students can apply to the program with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related STEM field. Others can pursue their MAS-E even if they’ve been working in an unrelated field, switching their career to engineering after earning this degree. These students can apply to the program by showing they have a quantitative or technical background and the math prerequisites to succeed in graduate-level engineering courses. Once enrolled in the MAS-E program, students tailor their learning to fit their professional goals by building their experience out of the one-credit courses that comprise the curriculum, focusing on the technology areas that most interest them.

Do you have what it takes to win Science’s “Dance Your Ph.D.” competition? As the kangaroo-friendly researcher who was last year’s winner showed, where there’s a will (and a thesis) there’s a dance. As always, we’re challenging scientists to explain their research obsession with fancy footwork, but no PowerPoint slides or jargon. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting your Ph.D. or you completed it decades ago; you just need imagination and the ability to keep a beat. The annual contest, in its 17th year and now sponsored by the artificial intelligence and quantum technology company SandboxAQ, features four traditional categories (physics, biology, chemistry, and social science) plus a special category on AI research and quantum science. Winners in each category take home $750. The overall winner gets an extra $2000. In the special category, the dance doesn’t have to be on a personal Ph.D. thesis, but it should still convey a paper, a talk, or research project on AI research and quantum science. Beyond that, it’s simple. Go dance some science, create a video of it, and upload it to YouTube. The deadline for submissions is 28 March 2025.ag

The Master of Advanced Study in Engineering (MAS-E) on Coursera is Berkeley Engineering’s first fully online master’s program. Because learning on Coursera includes flexible experiences, like on-demand lectures for desktop and mobile that students can watch anytime and anywhere, working professionals can earn their MAS-E around their schedule and on their timeline. With added flexibility from self-paced, one-credit courses, MAS-E students can graduate in one year or as many as four years. Current engineers can advance their careers with the knowledge and skills they gain from the MAS-E. These students can apply to the program with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related STEM field. Others can pursue their MAS-E even if they’ve been working in an unrelated field, switching their career to engineering after earning this degree. These students can apply to the program by showing they have a quantitative or technical background and the math prerequisites to succeed in graduate-level engineering courses. Once enrolled in the MAS-E program, students tailor their learning to fit their professional goals by building their experience out of the one-credit courses that comprise the curriculum, focusing on the technology areas that most interest them.