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Conference celebrates, promotes female success in computer fields

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jamesmadisonlogopurplepcA career and college fair, workshops on various computer-related topics and keynote addresses by women who have had success in computer fields will all be part of the 2015 Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing at James Madison University.

The two-day event, Friday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, Feb. 28, caters to high school students, college students and professionals.

“Our goal is to help increase the number of women in this discipline in which they are underrepresented and whose voices are needed to face the computing challenges today and into the future,” said Nancy Harris, a lecturer in the JMU Computer Science Department and co-chair of the event.

The celebration features prominent and inspirational speakers from academic and professional settings with topics including “Wearable Technology in the 21st Century,”  “How To Get A Tech Job” and “Identity and Privacy.”

The conference includes hands-on workshops that introduce women to different types of IT environments, provides an opportunity to network with others in the field, and a place where attendees can show off their work. Both days conclude with a career/college fair.

Students will have an opportunity to present their research in a poster competition where the winner receives a free trip to the Grace Hopper Conference, the largest gathering of women technologists.

CAPWIC is sponsored by ACM-W, Microsoft, Capital One, Carnegie Mellon University, PureStorage, FireEye, Deloitte, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Center for Open Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Eastern Mennonite University, James Madison University, the Shenandoah Valley Tech Council, Signature Consulting and Excelacom.

More information and a schedule of events is available on the CAPWIC website.

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