The Kentucky Community College (KYCC) Women in Computing (WiC) Conference will be held at OCTC March 22- 23, 2019. The conference serves as an extension of the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) Celebrations of Women in Computing. ACM-W’s international annual conference is the Grace Hopper Celebration. The KYCC WiC conference is the first celebration event designed explicitly for community colleges, and this year will be the fourth biennial event.
OCTC’s Computer & Information Technologies Program Coordinator, Theresa Schmitt chairs the planning committee added, “We are very excited to host this conference in Owensboro and want our visitors to experience what Owensboro is known for and that includes BBQ, bluegrass and great hospitality!”
The conference will have presentations and panel discussions covering a wide range of computing topics of interests to faculty, students and industry partners. The conference is designed for men and women, and will be a place where our community can collaborate, network and celebrate the contributions of women in computing. The theme of this year’s conference is “Busting Barriers in the Bluegrass.”
The first keynote speaker is the award-winning novelist of African-based science fiction and fantasy, Nnedi Okorafor. She is the co-author of the Black Panther comics from Marvel Comics. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is known for weaving African culture and folklore into creative, evocative settings with memorable characters. She is an inspirational speaker; encouraging women to pursue their career goals.
Smita Bakshi, CEO of Zyante, is the second keynote speaker. Smita is a high-tech professional with over fifteen years of experience spanning product management, business development, engineering and education across several software industries. Her specialties include Education Technology and Enterprise Software. One of her passions is encouraging young women to seek careers in STEM fields.
One of the unique features of all regional ACM-W Grace Hopper Conferences is the low cost of attending. See the website for registration and detailed information. www.kycc-wic-octc.org
