U.S. Naval Academy hosts the 2020 Jean Bartik Computing Symposium
POSTED ON: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 2:13 PM by Dr. Adina Crainiceanu
On February 27 -28, 2020, the Computer Science Department at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) hosted the second Jean Bartik Computing Symposium (JBCS). Named after Jean Bartik, one of the early pioneers of computing, the event brings together the service academies’ women and underrepresented minorities studying computing and connects them with industry, government, and military professionals in the field. Taking place over a two-day period, the attendees participate in talks, obtain hands-on experience in workshops, receive career mentoring, and network with the professionals in attendance.
In her opening remarks, the USNA co-chair for the symposium and associate professor in the Computer Science department, Dr. Adina Crainiceanu, thanked all the sponsors, the faculty, and the midshipmen who helped organize this event. Dr. Crainiceanu also thanked the other co-chairs, Dr. Suzanne Matthews from the U.S. Military Academy and Lt. Col. Traci Sarmiento from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and extended appreciation to the speakers and workshop presenters for making this symposium an exciting and empowering event for women and minorities in computing at the service academies.
Thirty-seven midshipmen, seventeen West Point cadets, and ten U.S. Air Force cadets attended the event. These students were joined by faculty members from the service academies, distinguished speakers from DOD labs and agencies, and industry partners. Based on the feedback provided at the end of the symposium, the students valued the opportunity to hear f about the experiences first-hand from the speakers . They enjoyed the hands-on workshops, and appreciated the opportunities to network not only with their peers from the other service academies but also with the presenters.
The opening keynote was given by Jeanné Woodfin, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who majored in computer science and has the joint distinctions of being the first Marine female flight officer and the first female Marine who flew in combat. She is the founder and CEO of XenaTech Software Integration Services and spoke at length of her leadership experiences in both the military and industry. In addition, Colonel Ahmed T. Williamson, a U.S. Naval Academy computer science graduate, gave a fireside chat over lunch on Friday. He currently serves as Military Assistant to the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
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