The overall representation of women in STEM fields has increased over time, while particular subfields like computer science have experienced decreases in female representation over time. In 1843, Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer program, paving the way for women to continue pioneering paradigm-shifting innovations in computer science for the next century and a half. By 1991, women held 34% of computing occupations, but now, for a number of sociocultural reasons, only hold only about 24%.
Women comprise 40% of the undergraduate student body at GW Engineering, and the Computer Science (CS) Department has similar female representation, with 45% of CS CyberCorps program graduates being women. The CS Department is committed to welcoming women into the computing fields, and as part of this commitment, on March 29, the Department hosted the Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing (CAPWIC) 2025 in the GW Science and Engineering Hall.
CAPWIC convenes women and minorities in computing and allies to promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women and minorities in computing. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), CAPWIC 2025 was the fifteenth such celebration and its celebration in the Science and Engineering Hall reflected GW’s commitment to advancing women in computing across the capital region, country, and world.
Nearly two hundred attendees from twenty-five universities and four high schools attended the conference, with 30 of those attendees coming from GW Engineering. Benitha Gadupudi, a CS graduate student, reflected on her experience as a CAPWIC volunteer and attendee.
“CAPWIC plays a vital role in fostering community building, mentorship, and networking among women and supporters in computing,” Gadupudi began. “I chose to volunteer to help create a welcoming and supportive environment where attendees can connect, learn, and grow.”
CAPWIC is hosted by a different university in the Capital Region each year. CS Professors Tim Wood and Adam Aviv helped organize the conference, alongside fellow Capital Region professors from the University of Pennsylvania, James Madison University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Loyola University of Maryland, University of Mary Washington, Randolph-Macon College, and University of Maryland Baltimore County.
"We were excited to have GW host CAPWIC this year and bring attendees from across the region to see our university and meet our students, Professor Wood shared.
“Now more than ever, it is important for us to run events that bring all of our community together to celebrate our successes, but also to discuss challenging issues like combating bias and promoting equity for everyone engaged in computing."
The conference involved technical workshops, keynote panels, research talks, and a student poster session. The event tackled compelling topics from across the computing field, from the public perception of AI-generated social media content of the 2024 U.S. presidential debate to the role of AI in shaping the next generation of computer scientists.
"This was GW's first major involvement in CAPWIC for some time, but we are excited to attend and support the event again next year when it is planned to be held at Virginia Tech's nearby Innovation Campus,” Wood said. “I've already had students ask about how they can get involved again!"