Programs & Events

WiCS Event and Banner

CS runs a number of programs and events for undergraduates and graduate students that aim to raise awareness, enhance skills, and promote mentoring and community building. Events are often run in partnership with our WiCS Sponsorsor with the . Below are events that we run annually.

FALL WINTER SPRING
September WiCS Orientation January Resume Critique May WiCS Con
September Resume Critique January/February Mock Interviews May Resume Critique
September/October Mock Interviews March Responding to Everyday Biases May/June Mock Interviews
September/October Grace Hopper Celebration March Student/Industry Lunch June Pride in STEM
October Responding to Everyday Biases April/May Technovation July Math Ready Day
October/November CAN-CWIC

On top of these, WiCS runs technical workshops, professional-development workshops, developer panels, end-of-term socials. Be sure to stay up-to-date with our WiCS Calendar of Events.

All WiCS events are governed by the WiCS Code of Conduct.

WiCS Orientation

What is WiCS Orientation?

WiCS Orientation is a welcome event for first-year students to learn how to improve their university experience. As as women and gender diverse individualsin tech, it is especially important to have a network of technical peers whose experiences are like one’s own, who have similar interests and goals, and with whom one can vent frustrations and celebrate successes.Get ready to kick-start your journey in Computer Science with our upcoming WICS Orientation! This is more than just an event - it’s an opportunity toconnect,learn, andgrow.

  • Connectwith like-minded peers and gain insights from upper-year students. Our event is a platform for you to start building your network within the CS community from day one.
  • Learnfrom the personal stories and experiences shared by our speakers. They’ll provide you withinspirationalandrelevantinsights that could guide you through your own CS journey.
  • Growby absorbing the wealth of information available. From the “how-to’s” of co-op and clubs to other essential topics, we’ve got you covered.

And let’s not forget - there will be great food in a welcoming environment!

Conferences

Please Note: WiCS will not be sending students to any conference hosted in the US due to security concerns surrounding recent attacks on DEI initiatives in the US.

WiCS Con

WiCS Con is a two-day multi-track conference hosted by WiCS in partnership with our industrial sponsors to offer something unique to our students. The conference sessions cover acing technical interviews, resume tips, unconscious bias, imposter syndrome, negotiating salaries, and lots of technical workshops, drop-in office hours with various companies, and networking.

In 2022, we added in a track for high school students to attend WiCS Con! We will continue to offer this in the 2023 WiCS Con.Each conference session will suggest which of the 2 tracks (high school or undergraduate) the session is primarily aimed at.

WiCS Con 2023 was a hybrid event. Some sessions were offered exclusively online, and others will be offered both in-person and online. Being online has its advantages, such as being accessible to attendees who are unable to travel (e.g., being on co-op).

WiCS Con 2025 was a huge success! The conference hosted mock-interviews in the morning and opened with a Women in Tech panel. Following the opening panel we had several concurrent sessions featuring presentations from WiCS sponsors for students and community members, and workshops hosted by UݮƵ graduate students for our high school attendees. The day ended with a networking reception featuring industry sponsors.

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

Each year, we try to fund as many students as possible to attend the.

  • The Grace Hopper Celebration is the world's largest conference for technical women that provides access to sessions covering a wide range of subjects and professional development for all career levels.
  • Leading researchers present their work, while special sessions focus on the role of women in today’s technology fields, including computer science, information technology, research, and engineering.
  • A special shout out tothe Mathematics Endowment Fund, whose generous funding provides 20 percent of the funds needed to send WiCS students to the annual Grace Hopper Celebration.

You can take a look at our Grace Hopper Celebration page to see more information and to read reflections from WiCS students that attended GHC.

CAN-CWIC

Closer to home, we aim for a significant ݮƵ presence at the; the generosity of sponsors makes the cost of attending very low.

Mentorship

Little WiCS' Big CSters Mentorship

The Big CSters Mentorship Program helps connect gender minority students in Computer Science and related fields, through events geared towards mentorship and community building. The events include technical workshops, social gatherings, and discussion circles about common issues that students face.

Sign Up for Fall 2025

Distinguished Lecture Series

WiCS organizes lunches for students, alumni, staff, and faculty to interact with women Distinguished Speakers to discuss their career choices and trajectories, topics related to women in computing, and provide advice to women who are interested in careers in research.

Look for ourfull listingof past and present speakers.

Early Undergraduate Research Experience Program

Call for Participants

We are currently inviting graduate students to serve as mentorsandundergraduate students to participate in an Early Undergraduate Research Experience program (EREP/UR2PHD) for Fall 2025. The goal of this program is to help ease undergraduate students with no prior research experience into their first research experience, preparing them to seek out URA opportunities afterwards.

In this program, undergraduate students will

  • work in teams (2-4 students) on a research project with a graduate student mentor
  • attend a mandatory, virtual and synchronous research methods course, taught by Computing Research Association (CRA), 2 hours per week over 12 weeks
  • attend a mandatory in-person weekly research meetup (on Fridays 12:30pm-1:20pm) with all undergraduate students and graduate mentors in the program, 1 hour per week over 12 weeks

CRA’s research methods course will cover the foundations of research with the goal of supporting students in completing their pre-identified research project. Participants will develop and apply practical research skills, like reading and interpreting research papers, conducting literature reviews, and analyzing and presenting data. Students will hone their research comprehension and communication skills, develop an understanding of research ethics, and build their confidence in their identity as a researcher. All concepts and skills will be taught in the context of students’ projects. The course will also provide participants with an opportunity to foster a peer network of support.

Upon successful completion of the CRA course and other program requirements, students will receive a certificate of completion from CRA, as well as CS399 course credit (graded based on their performance in the CRA course and in research). Please note that CS399 is just like any other courses, i.e., students are responsible for paying tuition for the course.

Learn More

I really enjoy WiCSevents! They give mevery insightful advice and it'salsomotivatingto see that there are so many career opportunities in CS.

- Undergraduate CS Student