National Center for Women & Information Technology awards grant to new computer science club at Rowan University

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has awarded the newly founded Association for Computing & Machinery-Women in Computer Science (ACM-W) club at Rowan University a $3,000 Student Seed Start-up Funding Award.

The Rowan ACM-W club is a student chapter of the International ACM-W, the Association for Computing Machinery’s group that supports, celebrates and advocates internationally for the full engagement of women in all aspects of the computing field. Rowan’s ACM-W club recently was established to support a comfortable environment for the women of computer science and further their success in the field by volunteering their knowledge to the Rowan community and beyond.

The group, which is open to all Rowan students regardless of gender, will promote the knowledge and interest of women in computing, improve their learning and working environments, increase the recruitment and retention of both undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, increase the exposure of K-12 students to computer science and increase recognition of contributions by women in the field of computing.

Rowan University Computer Science Professor Dr. Jennifer Kay encouraged the group to apply for the NCWIT Student Seed Start-up Funding Award to further its mission and enhance the resources necessary for their success.

“I have been completely overwhelmed by the way these women came together and were so passionate as they discussed their ideas for making the club a reality,” Kay said. “This is a highly motivated group of students who are enthusiastic about increasing female recruitment, promoting computer science to the youth and supporting their peers by coming together to charter a new ACM-W chapter on campus.”

The NCWIT Student Seed Start-up Fund is sponsored by Google and is meant to create or expand upon existing ACM-W clubs. Since 2011, the NCWIT Student Seed Fund has invested more than $234,250 in more than 141 student-run programs for women in computing at non-profit U.S. Academic Alliance member institutions nationwide. The Student Seed Fund now offers multi-tiered awards to better support the needs of Women in Computing groups at different stages of development and varied institutional sizes.

Under the direction of Kay and professor Chia Chien, the club will use the $3,000 grant for various projects, including outreach to area middle and high schools, hosting on- and off-campus workshops and inviting well-known leaders to visit and showcase women in the technology industry.

Rowan University has emerged as a leader in accessible education and groundbreaking research. Scholarship funds and grants, like that from NCWIT, support Rowan’s mission of providing top students the opportunity to join its community of scholars.

About the National Center for Women & Information Technology

The National Center for Women & Information Technology is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization chartered in 2004 by the National Science Foundation. NCWIT is a “collective impact” effort, a community of more than 700 prominent corporations, academic institutions, government agencies and non-profits working to increase the participation of girls and women in technology and computing.

About Rowan University

Rowan University is a public comprehensive state-designated research institution with approximately 16,000 students. Its main campus is located in Glassboro, New Jersey, 20 miles southeast of Philadelphia, with additional campuses in Camden and Stratford. The University comprises seven colleges and five schools: the William G. Rohrer College of Business; the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering; the Colleges of Communication and Creative Arts, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Performing Arts, and Science and Mathematics; Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine; the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; the School of Health Professions; and the School of Earth and Environment. Rowan is one of only two public universities in the country to offer M.D. and D.O. medical degree programs.​

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