Dal 200 planning profile: Faculty of Computer Science

This article is part of an ongoing series highlighting plans in the works for Dalhousie’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2018. For more information on Dal 200, visit dal200.ca.

Computer science is everywhere and for everyone – this is the message running through everything the Faculty of Computer Science is organizing for Dalhousie’s bicentennial anniversary.

From tackling gender diversity within the Faculty head on, to telling the story of women in technology and demonstrating research excellence, the Faculty of Computer Science is lining up a host of initiatives and activities to prove “We Are All CS.”

That’s the name of the Faculty’s most prominent campaign for Dal 200 — one that will double the number of female students entering Computer Science undergraduate programs during Dal’s 200th year.

Christian Blouin, associate dean, academic of the Faculty, says that Dalhousie’s bicentennial anniversary will act as a turning point.

“Computer science plays an integral role in almost all aspects of our lives and it is our responsibility to ensure we are truly representing society within the sector,” says Dr. Blouin. “Through our bicentennial activity, and beyond, we are urging everyone from education, industry, government and the student body to use computer science as a catalyst for change.”

Increasing representation

We Are All CS recognizes that computer science is a field that, for many years, has been dominated by men. In 2016-17, for example, just over 16 per cent of undergraduate CS students at Dal identify as female.

Not only will the We Are All CS initiative double the number of new female undergrads in Dal’s bicentennial year, but its overall goal is to have women represent at least 40 per cent of the Faculty’s undergraduate ranks by 2020.

You can learn more about the story behind We Are All CS in the latest Dal Magazine.

There will be even more opportunities throughout 2018 for faculty, staff, students, alumni and the communityl to contribute towards fostering an impactful and inclusive computer science community for everyone, including:

• A Virtual Lobby Exhibit in the Goldberg Computer Science Building to tell the story of women in computing in Canada, internationally and at Dalhousie.
• A series of lectures and innovation events taking place throughout 2018 to celebrate the Faculty’s research excellence and impact on the world, highlighting strategic research areas such as Big Data & Machine Learning, Human-Computer Interaction & Visualization, and Systems & Networks.
  

Together, the Faculty is hoping Dalhousie’s bicentennial anniversary celebration will kick off the opportunity to make a lasting change, inside the classroom and on the world.