In the United States, demand is rising for qualified computer and information research scientists. Employment in these areas is projected to grow 15 percent between 2019 and 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but many people may be missing out on opportunities to be a part of this critical talent pool. Why? In the United States, women represent fewer than 20 percent of computer science graduates.

To help address that gender gap, remove barriers, and increase the number of women graduating with computer science degrees at Cal State Fullerton, the University was awarded a $650,000 Best Practice grant from the Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC) at Northeastern University. The Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University is funded by Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates.

“Many professional, much-needed jobs are not filled because women feel unqualified to apply, even though they have the qualifications,” says Doina Bein, principal investigator for the CIC | PCUBED grant and associate professor of computer sciences.

The CIC | PCUBED grant helps enhance Cal State Fullerton’s existing efforts to support women in computer sciences. “PCUBED” refers to its three pathways for doing so: designing inclusive curriculums, encouraging women to transfer from community colleges, and engaging with established students to increase the number of women pursuing and completing computer science degrees and minors.

Beth Harnick-Shapiro – co-principal investigator (PI) on the grant, a lecturer in computer science, and faculty coordinator for the Women in Computer Science and Engineering (WiCSE) program at ECS – and Bein have been involved in many initiatives to increase women’s involvement in computer science at all ages. Their efforts include student-led community outreach programs and events presented in collaboration with the Association for Computing Machinery – Women in Computing (ACM-W), such as their annual STEM Expo with the Girl Scouts of Orange County. They’re both advisers for the ACM-W student club. The grant also allows WiCSE, which supports women first-year and transfer students during the first years of their education at ECS, to extend its support programs throughout students’ whole college experience, enhancing retention and student success.

Recently, the grant supported two virtual cybersecurity events at CSUF: “Online Surveillance and Data Collection: Why Should You Care?” hosted in collaboration with Fullerton College on Nov. 18, 2021, and “Exploring the Benefits of Cybersecurity and an Inclusive Workplace in the Modern Era,” on Nov. 19, 2021.

“We recognized that our grant is capable of providing this event as a safe space for women to learn about all of the resources and opportunities that are available to them, should they pursue a degree in computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity,” says Britt Rhodimer, the CIC | PCUBED grant administrator, of CSUF’s cybersecurity events.

Connecting Students With Experts and Career Possibilities

Bein, Harnick-Shapiro, Rhodimer, and students involved in the grant program worked together to pull off the two-hour “Exploring the Benefits of Cybersecurity and an Inclusive Workplace in the Modern Era,” workshop on Nov. 19, 2021. The event featured videos from ECS faculty members, who discussed what cybersecurity-focused courses ECS offers and the importance of creating an environment welcoming to all.

“Women do not find it easy to thrive in a male-dominated environment without strong inclusivity efforts from their colleagues.”

Doina Bein, principal investigator for the CIC | PCUBED grant and associate professor of computer science

A panel of cybersecurity professionals from The Trade Desk, GitHub, Deloitte, and the Office of Information Technology at UC Irvine offered their insights into potential cybersecurity career opportunities. The CSUF Offensive Security Society gave an interactive demonstration of the most critical web security vulnerabilities identified by the Open Web Application Security Project^® (OWASP) Top 10, during which attendees were able to complete beginner-level cybersecurity activities using the training platform TryHackMe. The event closed with a brief explanation of how interested students could switch their majors or minors to computer science.

Taylor Noh, CSUF sophomore and president of the ACM-W chapter, says the workshop was an “amazing experience.”

“I felt that even I could pursue a career in cybersecurity after watching the speakers’ presentations and demos,” Noh says. “As one of the workshop’s coordinators, I found the experience very fulfilling.”

Rhodimer says the goal was to connect with students who identify as women, giving them an inside look at the cybersecurity courses, careers, and opportunities available to them. Bein says by exploring the real-world problems that cybersecurity tackles, students could better understand how pursuing careers in this area could help them improve their own lives and those of others.

Collaborating to Reach More Students

ECS’s workshop was being planned when Samantha Krag, a professor in the English department at Fullerton College, reached out to Harnick-Shapiro. She was holding a virtual workshop on Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener, that author’s story of working in tech, primarily in Silicon Valley. Krag wanted to include a professional perspective on the cybersecurity concerns raised in the memoir. Harnick-Shapiro agreed, and the workshops were marketed together as a two-day event, increasing their reach.

Harnick-Shapiro says this collaboration is an important example of effective interdisciplinary collaboration. The dual workshops emphasized how cybersecurity impacts everyone’s lives, as technology is ingrained in so many facets of the modern world.

In this first collaboration between PCUBED and Fullerton College, Harnick-Shapiro served as the guest speaker, discussing the basics of online surveillance and data collection, like how collected data is used, and the potential impacts of these activities. Harnick-Shapiro shared that responsibly addressing cybersecurity concerns like data leakage is important for everyone.

Planning for the Future

According to Rhodimer, additional events focused on engaging more women in computer science and cybersecurity are in the works, including a two-day ECS Diversity and Leadership Summit scheduled for spring of 2022. Open to all CSUF students, the summit will provide skill-building and networking opportunities, speed mentoring, and free goodies.

Harnick-Shapiro says she and Krag are in talks to launch a women’s mentorship program between ECS and Fullerton students to foster greater interest among Fullerton College in computer science and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Bein says the goal of these combined efforts is to increase the number of women graduating with computer science majors or minors by 10 percent within three years. She and her grant program collaborators seek to increase enrollment in cybersecurity courses among women, raise awareness of on-campus resources, and empower women to lead.

Bein, Harnick-Shapiro, and Rhodimer’s work is likely to have a lasting impact at ECS and beyond by creating a community that’s a welcoming space where new members – especially women – will find encouragement, support, and inspiration to succeed in their intended field of study.

“Women do not find it easy to thrive in a male-dominated environment without strong inclusivity efforts from their colleagues,” Bein says.

Explore the student-run WiCSE website, and visit the ECS website to learn about degrees (including those with a cybersecurity concentration) and clubs for students interested in computer science. Follow the ACM-W chapter on Instagram at @acm_w_csuf or contact the chapter at taylornoh@csu.fullerton.edu.