How To Get Involved

The biennial Michigan Celebration of Women in Computing (MICWIC 2009) will bring together students, faculty, and technology leaders from across Michigan and neighboring states to discuss the role of women in today's computing and technology fields, share experiences and strategies for success, and explore issues common to women working in these fields. It will be held April 3-4, 2009 at the Kellogg Biological Station Conference Center in Hickory Corners, Michigan. We entreat you to take part in this historic conference in any of a number of ways.

Attend:

You should attend if you are interested in learning about the challenges and rewards of computing careers or in advancing technology through broader representation of women. We encourage undergraduate and graduate students with interests in computing and information technology to attend and also to submit work in the appropriate categories above. We invite faculty and technology leaders to come meet and mentor the next generation of computing professionals. A special track addressing initial pipeline issues will be of particular interest to high school teachers and principals.

Contribute:

MICWIC 2009 invites contributions in the following categories:

Call for Participation

SUBMISSIONS

MICWIC invites undergraduate and graduate students to submit research papers and posters for presentation, and invites everyone to submit topics for panel presentations, small group discussions (known as Birds of a Feather, or BoF, sessions) and short Lightning talks. We encourage joint participation and collaboration, and submissions may have multiple authors.

PAPERS

MICWIC 2009 welcomes papers from students on any topic in computer science or information technology, including social and ethical issues. Submissions will be lightly reviewed for content and suitability only. Our goal is to mentor young researchers and to help students gain confidence in the publication process. Selected papers will be presented at the conference. All suitable papers will be included in the Proceedings of MICWIC 2009. Papers should be from 2 to 6 pages in length including text, figures, and references. See below for submission details.

POSTERS

Students are encouraged to submit posters on research, class projects, and work-in-progress for a poster reception on Friday, April 3, 2009. The poster reception gives students the opportunity to discuss their work with conference attendees in an informal setting. Submit a poster abstract of no more than one page summarizing the key idea of your poster. Poster abstracts will be lightly reviewed for suitability only. Our goal is to help students gain confidence in discussing their work. All suitable poster abstracts will be published in the Proceedings of MICWIC 2009. Posters should be no larger than 36"x48". See below for submission details.

Prospective poster presenters may wish to see the ACM Crossroads for guidance on creating posters or our list of topic ideas.

Birds of a Feather

These sessions are informal group discussions about technical or social issues in computing fields. Topic proposals may include anything related to computing, academia, industry, student organizations, or a topic of your choice.

Lightning Talks

Lightning talks are 5-minute presentations on any subject. Submit a brief proposal describing what subject your talk will cover.

Faculty and Professional Women

Women from academia and business are invited to share their experiences by participating as a panelist or engaging in informal discussions with students throughout the conference. Interested volunteers should submit a brief bio and a synopsis of the topic(s) you would like to share.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

The deadline for paper and poster submissions has been extended to March 13, 2009. Notification of acceptance will be made by March 18, 2009. Lightning talk and BOF abstracts will be accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full. Please submit early to guarantee a spot in the program. All submissions should be via EasyChair. Brief account information is needed as well as a fax number. Any fax number is acceptable. For instance, you can give the fax number for your school or department, which you should be able to find on your school or department website. Papers must be submitted in PDF format; PDF files should be created using this Word template. All other submissions (i.e., talks, poster abstracts) should be submitted in plain text.