BCSWomen

{{Short description|Specialist Group of the British Computer Society}}

File:BCSWomen logo 2020.jpg

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}

BCSWomen is a Specialist Group of the British Computer Society, The Chartered Institute for IT, that provides networking opportunities for all BCS professional women working in IT around the world, as well as mentoring and encouraging girls and women to enter or return to IT as a career. Founded by Sue Black, {{as of|lc=yes|March 2020}} the Chair of BCSWomen is Andrea Palmer. BCSWomen has the aim of supporting women working in and considering a career in Information Technology.[https://archive.today/20120711064652/http://itnow.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/citation/46/1/34 Spotlight: BCSWomen Specialist Group], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051024032411/http://itnow.oxfordjournals.org/ IT Now], 46(1):34, January 2004. {{doi|10.1093/combul/46.1.34}}

The group was founded in 2001.Justin Richards, [http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/04/04/215212/bcswomen-celebrates-five-years.htm BCSWomen celebrates five years], Computer Weekly, 4 April 2006. It has more than a thousand members and an active mailing list. Activities include meetings, networking, and mentoring. They organise the Undergraduate Lovelace Colloquium for undergraduate women in computing, a one-day conference which started in Leeds in 2008[http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/bcswomen/ The BCSWomen Undergraduate Lovelace Colloquium], University of Leeds, UK, 16 June 2008, 16 April 2009. and now moves around the UK.[http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/BCSWomen/ The BCSWomen Undergraduate Lovelace Colloquium], Cardiff University, UK, 8 April 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223141140/http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/BCSWomen/ |date=23 December 2010 }}[http://events.cs.bham.ac.uk/BCSWomenLovelace2011/index.php The BCSWomen Undergraduate Lovelace Colloquium], University of Birmingham, UK, 14 April 2011[http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/43741 The BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium, Bath] University of Bath, UK, 12 April 2012[http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/computerscience/events/bcswomen-lovelace-colloquium-2013.aspx The BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium, Nottingham], University of Nottingham, UK, 4 April 2013[http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/lovelace-colloquium/ Lovelace Colloquium, Aberystwyth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035717/http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/lovelace-colloquium/ |date=22 February 2014 }} Aberystwyth University, UK, 16 April 2014 named in honour of Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the first computer programmer. The colloquium is for U.K. university women students studying Computing and related subjects. It was started by Hannah Dee, who continues to play a key role in its organisation every year.{{cite web|url=http://users.aber.ac.uk/hmd1/bcs.html|title=BCSWomen & other BCS stuff from Hannah's Homepage}} Many BCSWomen also participate in the annual [https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215219/http://www.dcs.qmul.ac.uk/women/LondonHopper.php London Hopper Colloquium], which showcases exciting work of women in computing research and enables new PhD researchers to meet with each other as well as with senior women computer scientists. Grace Hopper was a pioneering American computer scientist. BCSWomen organise other events for women in computing both technical and social, such as day trips to computer-related sites such as Bletchley Park.