Mason's Women in Tech Spotlight: Kelly Glebus

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 19:24:53 +0000

Mason's Women in Tech Spotlight: Kelly Glebus Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/15/2021 - 15:24

Senior computer science (CS) major, Honors College student, and aspiring software engineer Kelly Glebus was surprised by how few women were among her peers. Once Glebus reached higher-level CS classes, she says it wasn’t uncommon for her to be one of four or five women in a class of 30 to 40 students.

Kelly Glebus.

When she was a junior in high school, she enrolled in a pre-AP computer programming class as an elective. While the class wasn’t her first choice, she quickly developed an interest in programming and learned that she was adept at problem-solving.

“On the first day and my teacher got out these huge pieces of butcher paper and had us create these “thread” conversations on them,” says Glebus. “We were answering questions like ‘What jobs are we going to lose to computer automation?’, ‘What are ways that computers make our lives easier,’ and things like that. I thought that it was a very interesting way to begin a class, so I stayed in it.”

Her interest in programming did not go unnoticed by her teacher. Glebus says “he encouraged me to continue (and gave me all the extra work I asked for), and I decided that I was going to college for computer science. He really changed my life, and I’m very grateful for him. We’re still in touch today!”

Since then, Glebus has developed into a young professional. She interned at Forward Integration Technologies as a junior software developer, where she worked with Angular and Python to do full-stack web app development. She is currently a cybersecurity intern at Colvin Run Networks doing user interface design amongst other projects.

Some more notable achievements Glebus is proud of was being “a part of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates held at ��ӽ紫ý in 2018, where I did some research with wearable technologies. I’m also currently a class facilitator for CS395: Student-Initiated Class Introduction into the Internet of Things.”

Given her passion for the field, Glebus encourages other women to try computing. She praised ��ӽ紫ý's Department of Computer Science for being inclusive towards all students.

“I think a lot of super qualified women feel intimidated either by the subject or even by the male-dominated environment,” says Glebus. “Like I said before, computer science is hard, there are classes that you couldn’t pay me to retake, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I wish more women would take the leap and try it; I think they’d find that they’re really good at it. Like I did.”

On March 3, Mason announced a new initiative, Break Through Tech, that aims to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at Mason by 12.5 percent by 2026.

For more information about Break Through Tech at Mason, visit this site.

Topics

Break Through Tech

computing

software development

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

Mason faculty design Break Through Tech Program

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:15:32 +0000

Mason faculty design Break Through Tech Program Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/04/2021 - 11:15

Topics

diversity

Break Through Tech

women in computing

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

College of Engineering and Computing

Volgenau; Diversity

information sciences and technology

Learn more about Break Through Tech's program and mission

“Women represent 57 percent of all bachelor’s recipients in the U.S. but only 19 percent of CS graduates,” said Sanjeev Setia, proposed School of Computing Division Dean. “For social equity and inclusion, it is imperative that we work towards gender parity in the technology sector.”

��ӽ紫ý received a grant from Break Through Tech to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building.

The grant’s goal is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at Mason by 12.5 percentage points by 2026.

Mason’s Break Through Tech program will be directed by the Volgenau School of Engineering, the proposed School of Computing, and the Departments of Computer Science and Information Sciences and Technology.

The faculty working on this initiative seek to attract and retain women and underrepresented communities pursuing computing degrees and careers in tech in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Mason’s Break Through Tech program will include:

A summer program for rising first-year students designed to ignite interest in tech by teaching them how to code mission-driven, real-world applications;
A new, innovative introductory sequence of computing courses;
A paid, three-week mini-internship program called a “Sprinternship®” that gives first- and second-year students a resume credential and real-world experience to make them more competitive when applying for a paid summer tech internship;
A networked cohort of individuals who identify as women and non-binary—both peer-to-peer and student-to-professional—in the D.C. metro area to support, engage and motivate one another.

“We are very excited about the opportunities this grant provides for curriculum innovation and industry partnerships that will strengthen our ability to recruit, train, and incorporate more women as successful professionals to the computing disciplines,” said Ozlem Uzuner, chair of the Department of Information Sciences and Technology. “This project will have a lasting positive impact in terms of improving diversity in the workplace, and we are well-positioned to make our mark.”

Department of Computer Science Chair David Rosenblum echoes the importance of curriculum innovation. Notably, adjusting the introductory computing courses offered at Mason.

“An increasing number of institutions, most notably Harvey Mudd College, have experienced tremendous success in attracting female students into their computing programs, through innovations to the design and content of their introductory computing courses,” said Rosenblum. “At Mason, we will apply the best practices that have been established by these pioneering institutions while introducing homegrown innovations of our own.”

Huzefa Rangwala, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and principal investigator for the grant, said that in addition to revamping Mason’s introductory computing course, a free “bootcamp” will be offered over the Summer to prepare students for the course.

“By 2026, estimates are that the U.S. will only be producing 17 percent of the graduates needed to meet the nation’s tech workforce needs. This is a national problem,” said Rangwala.

Break Through Tech at Mason is purposefully working to ensure long-term tech success for the program participants through community building efforts. Volgenau School of Engineering’s Chief Diversity Officer Christopher Carr says Mason is taking a holistic approach.

“From our K-12 outreach, we will utilize structures like our Early Identification Program, which works with communities across the National Capital Region, with particular emphasis on those communities that have been historically oppressed and marginalized,” says Carr. “We will then ensure that all participants have support through not only mentorship and cohort development, but by intentional efforts to connect the participants to all that is Mason - from our student organizations to living-learning communities, and so much more.”

Allison O'Donnell

Mason's Women in Tech Spotlight: Kelly Glebus

Topics

Mason faculty design Break Through Tech Program

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Learn more about Break Through Tech's program and mission