This award provides funding for approximately one hundred undergraduate and graduate students each year to attend the 2012 - 2014 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conferences. The Grace Hopper Celebration is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Leading researchers present their current work and special sessions focus on the role of women in today's technology fields. NSF scholarship support allows students who could not otherwise attend to participate and become part of the broad Hopper community of young computing professionals that is nurtured through the event.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in the access to the many technical presentations and researchers at the conference. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in poster sessions and receive feedback from discipline specialists. The Grace Hopper Celebration provides a unique, supportive environment for intellectual discourse that is particularly appealing for women and other under-represented groups.
The broader impacts of this project deal with providing resources and support to students that will help them persist in their programs as well as access to avenues to continue through the IT workforce pipeline. Students who attend the Grace Hopper Celebration will be exposed to leaders who are creating, improving, and studying computer and information technologies who serve as role models and mentors. This travel scholarship support provides a unique opportunity to directly affect the careers of future computer scientists and impact the serious problem of broadening participation in computing.
