Women in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

WICSE promotes gender diversity in the graduate school of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department through organized efforts of mentorship, outreach, seminars, conferences, and other community involvements. WICSE was founded in 1977 by CS graduate students Paula Hawthorn, Diane McEntyre, Barbara Simons, Mary Ann Niemat, Susan Eggers, and Deborah Estrin and celebrated its 30th anniversary in January of 2008. This robust networking and advocacy organization has been successful in attracting and sustaining women students through sponsoring pre-college outreach and hosting activities from weekly lunches to national conferences. Sheila Humphreys, academic coordinator for student matters in EECS, credits WICSE's success to its continuity, its ongoing contact with successful alumnae and other prominent women in the field, and to the support it receives from EECS for staff, space, and funding. Using the WICSE model, many Berkeley alumnae—like Mor Harchol-Balter at Carnegie Mellon University and Amy Wendt at the University of Wisconsin-Madison—have initiated similar advocacy organizations on their campuses across the country. WICSE was recognized with the 2002 award from the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocacy Network for the “sustained national impact” of its efforts.