The Universidad Mayor de Santiago will host ChileWiC 2024, the most important event for women in computing in the country.
October 2024. "It is necessary to expand women's access to technology and challenge the patriarchal history of science and technology, which has considered these disciplines to be inherently masculine."
This is the vision that droveThelma Estrin, anAmericancomputer scientistand pioneer in the application of computer technology in the fields of health and medicine, who actively promoted women's participation in computing throughout her life.
It is precisely because of her key role andinfluence in the fight for gender equality inSTEM that theChileWiC 2024Chilean Women in Computing Conferencewill pay tribute to Thelma Estrin atits twelfth edition, to be held this year in Santiago.
XII ChileWiC 2024 will take place onFriday, November 29,atUniversidad Mayor, in the Manuel Montt Auditoriumof this university, located atManuel Montt, 367, Providencia.
For regular updates on the program, dates, and other topics, we invite you to follow ChileWiC on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chile.wic
As every year, the event will feature a competition segment for students, as well as presentations and forums with academics, professionals, and innovators in the field of technology. Apply to participate in the student competition at thislinkuntil October 11.
ChileWiC is organized by academics from various universities in Chile, includingthe Pontifical Catholic University of Chile,Federico Santa María Technical University,University of Santiago,University of Los Andes,University of La Frontera,Universidad Mayor, andthe Autonomous University of Chile. The event also has the support ofNIC Chile, theInstitute of Complex Engineering Systems (ISCI), theNational Center for Artificial Intelligence (Cenia), and theMillennium Institute Foundational Research on Data IMFD).
Thelma Estrin: A pioneer in computer science and advocate for women in STEM
Thelma Estrin, born in 1924, left an indelible mark on biomedical engineering and computing applied to medicine, as well as on thepromotion of gender equalityin these fields.
Estrin began her career at a time whenwomen were a rarity in engineering.After earning her PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1951, she joined her husband in creating Israel's first supercomputer, theWEIZAC, in 1954. Later, at UCLA, she headed the data processing laboratory at the Brain Research Institute, whereshe revolutionized the application of computer science in the medical field and neuroscience, with significant advances in the digitization of brain signals.
(Thelma Estrin teaching. Source: Courtesy Engineering and Technology History Wiki)
In the 1970s, Thelma realized that women in engineering and science were a minority in workplaces and scientific conferences, becoming anactive advocate for women in STEM. In 1982, she was the first woman electedvice president of the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and she founded multiple programs at UCLA to discuss the challenges women faced in these fields. Estrin firmly believed that women could excel as much as men in technical fields, and she organized workshops and conferences to encourage the inclusion of women in science.
Her legacy lives on through awards such as the Grace Hopper Conference's Pioneer in Computing Award, and her work continues to be a beacon of inspiration for women around the world.
Estrin's famous quote:"Talent is not tied to gender," a principle that guided her work to break down gender barriers in technology.
To learn more about Thelma Estrin, we recommend the following links:
Source: ChileWiC