ACM & CS-CAN INFO Annual Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (CAN-CWIC)
The event will be held at the York University Second Student Centre in Toronto.
Address: 15 Library Ln, North York, ON M3J 2S5
Address: 15 Library Ln, North York, ON M3J 2S5
The event will be held at the York University Second Student Centre in Toronto.
CAN-CWiC is the premiere Canadian computing conference for young women and non-binary people in technology. This annual event has been offered since 2011 and features networking, learning, sharing and mentoring. CAN-CWiC embodies the mission of encouraging curiosity and awareness for the digital innovations that change the community and world around us. Bringing together leaders in research, education and industry from across Canada. Get inspired by stories from women who have been there and done that and how they succeeded.
If you are a student interested in attending contact your department chair as they may coordinate the attendance of a number of students in your department. You can also register yourself via this website registration portal (opens in early spring).
Venue & Accommodations
The event will be held at the York University Second Student Centre in Toronto.
Students
If your school is participating in CAN-CWiC, it will provide the opportunity for some sponsored students to attend the event and will arrange and pay for your transportation (by bus or air) and accommodation (on the 25th). If you are not a sponsored student, you can still register yourself via the Registration Form and if you are a student in the below noted areas, you will be able to get a seat on the bus. If you are not in one of these areas, then you will then be responsible for your own transportation. CAN-CWiC is arranging for bus transportation for students from Quebec (leaving from Montreal) and Ontario (only from outside the GTA – leaving from Scarborough, Ottawa, Kingston, Oshawa, Windsor, Kitchener, and Waterloo). The buses leave on the morning of the 25th, drop you off at the hotel, and drive you back to your school on the 26st. Your department chair will have information on the bus schedule. If you are from outside Quebec or Ontario, you need to arrange transportation either through your department contact or by yourself.
Not A Student
We have booked a block of rooms at the Novotel for all faculty. Novotel Toronto North York Hotel 3 Park Home Avenue, Toronto. You can make a reservation at 416.733.2929 using block number #1750611.
The room rate is $190 plus tax. Please make sure to charge the room to your own credit card as the block has been secured with the CSCAN corporate card. UOIT and UfT Scarborough students will also be staying at the hotel. Students from other schools will not and are being routed to other hotels across North York. The hotel is about a 10 minute drive from the York University Second Student Centre
Accommodation
If you are arriving by bus or air, then your registration will include one night accommodation (on the 25th). CAN-CWiC will arrange and confirm your hotel accommodation once you have registered for the conference. Your hotel room will be guaranteed double occupancy (randomly assigned to either one King or two Queen) and you will share the room with another student of the same gender, in most cases, you have the option to be matched up with a person of your choice. All your food and beverages, including the Friday, October 25th CAN-CWIC Banquet, are included in your registration fee. Also, if you are arriving by bus, it will shuttle you between your hotel and the conference facilities. See your conference registration confirmation for more details.
Friday Evening Event
On Friday, October 25th all registered students will have an opportunity to attend the amazing CAN-CWiC reception and event. There are fun photo booths and we have some amazing keynote speakers lined up. It’s a great opportunity to dress up, enjoy some food and drinks, mingle, meet other students from across Canada and have fun evening of food and entertainment.
Chairs
Maleknaz Nayebi
Associate Professor Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
York University
Steering Committee Members
Joanne Atlee
Professor
University of Waterloo
Kate Larson
Professor
Cheriton School of Computer Science
University of Waterloo
Andrea Bunt
(2023-2026)
Professor Department of Computer science University of Manitoba
Vlado Keselj
(2023-2026)
Professor in The School of Computer Science
Dalhousie University
Ouldooz Baghban Karimi
Lecturer, School of Computing Science
Simon Fraser University
Sheila McIlraith
Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Toronto
Wendy Powley
Associate Professor
Queens University
CAN-CWIC Registration
Registration is Now Closed
Thank You for Your Interest!
Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing Conference Program Schedule
On a Bus?
The Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston buses leave 4:00 p.m. sharp. Don’t be late. Other buses leave at 5:00 p.m.
On a Plane?
You are responsible for getting to and from the airport. Book and UBER to get you to the airport on time.
Event Schedule
6:00pm – 10:00pm | |||||
| 6:10 p.m. Opening: Maleknaz Nayebi, York University, Chair CAN CWiC | |||||
| 6:15 p.m. Welcome to York University – Dr. Jane Goodyer, Dean – Lassonde School of Engineering | |||||
6:20 p.m. NCWIT Alison Adnani-Evans – Program Lead, Shopify NCWIT Campus Reps – NCWIT Aspirations in Computing and Present Winners | |||||
| 6:30 p.m. RBC – Natalie Ripp, Senior Director, RBC Digital Cheque Processing Topic: Career Journey | |||||
| 6:45 p.m. AWS – Teresa Huang, Head of Solutions Architecture for Startups, Canada Topic: My Career Story: Randint as a chameleon, a Druid at heart” | |||||
| 7:00 p.m. Electronic Arts – Urbashi Das, lead Analyst – Infrastructure Optimization & Cost Management – Topic: Journey to EA | |||||
| 7:15 p.m. Dinner Starts | |||||
| 10:00 p.m. Friday Program Ends |
Event Schedule
7:30 am – 8:30 am | |||||
| Breakfast (open to students and speakers) | |||||
8:30 am – 9:30 am | |||||
| 8:30 – 8:45 BMO – Susan White, Chief Information Operating Officer, Commercial Banking and Capital Markets Topic: TBC | |||||
| 9:00 – 9:15 CN Rail – Elena Boguslavsky, Delivery Manager – Information Security Office of the CISO, I&T Topic: Introducing CN | |||||
| 9:15 – 9:30 CGI – Christina Fung, Senior Vice President, Consulting Services – Topic: AI for Good and Economics of AI | |||||
9:30 am – 10:00 am | |||||
| Coffee Break | |||||
10:00 am – 10:55 am | |||||
| Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 (large middle room) | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| Electronic Arts | RBC | Turing Society, University of Alberta | AWS | University of Guelph | CN |
| Ivana Jovasevic, Manager, Software Development | Ioana Ravoiu, Manager, T&O Early Talent Programs Robertha Alvarez/ Rochelle Etwaroo/ Youyi Deng | Emma McDonald | Victoria Granova / Janet Weldon / Janet Shea ** | Kate McRoberts | Elena Boguslavsky, Cybersecurity Delivery Manager |
| Choose Your Own Adventure – How to DIY a Career Path | Panel Discussion: Early Talent and Tech@RBC | Gathering Voices for EDI: A Student-Led Movement | Panel discussion on: “Embracing, shaping and building with GenAI” | Code Your Future: Strategies for Securing Internships and Co-ops in Tech | Cybersecurity in Rail |
11:00 am – 11:55 am | |||||
| Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| CGI | Ontario Tech University | Dalhousie University | BMO | Morgan Stanley | Algoma University |
| Maria Voicu, Campus Recruitment Consultant | Dr. Annie Lee | Tammy Moorse / Suzanne Whitehead / Reshmi Choudbury / Beatrice Tam ** | Elizabeth Ramirez | Dr. Mahreen Nasir | |
| Resume and Interview Prep | Empowering the Future with Multilinguality and Language Diversity | Discover four initiatives reshaping CS: outreach programs, school partnerships, adult reskilling, and a Women in Tech Day. | Panel discussion: Girls Vision for the Future | Technical Debt Management | Trends in AI: Deep Neural Networks in E-Commerce Recommendation Systems |
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | |||||
| Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| Dr. Sara Nabil | Lightning Talks | Lightning Talks | Lightning Talks | Lightning Talks | Lightning Talks |
| Queen’s University | McMaster University | Queen’s University | University of British Columbia, Okanagan | McMaster University | Carleton University |
| Smart Textiles and Empowering Women in STEM | Nishttha Sharma | Farida Mohamad | Linda Okpanachi | Feyi Adesanya | Charelle Jazmin |
| Redefining Data Dependencies: Harnessing the Power of Rate of Change for Modern Data Challenges | Revolutionizing Vital Sign Measurement with Remote Photoplethysmography (rPPG) in Healthcare | Combating Diabetes Misinformation in Africa: A Transformer Model Approach | Systems of Twinned Systems: State of the Art | Turning My Pants Into a Synthesizer: The Unexpected Journey of My Undergraduate Research Internship | |
| Room 1 (12:30 – 1:00) | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | University of TorontoRoom 5 | Room 6 |
| RCMP | McMaster University | Queen’s University | Ontario Institute of Technology | University of Toronto | McMaster University |
| Anshu Pandeya | Fatemeh Norouziani | Mahzabeen Emu | Stacey Koornneef | Rue Sriharsha | Swati Mishra |
| The process of Cybercrime investigations | The design of small-scale robots | Hybrid Quantum Classical Computing For Optimization | Run, Llama, Run: Designing and Evaluating a Cost-Accessible Computational Thinking Educational Game for K-5 Students | Beyond the Degree: Min-Maxing your Career Growth | Designing Usable, Sustainable and Reliable AI systems for Healthcare |
| Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| Queen’s University | University of British Columbia | Queen’s University | York University | University of Toronto | |
| Nisha Simon | Parinda Rahman | Hebatalla Ouda | Karolina Tchilinguirova | Kashaf Salaheen | |
| What your LLM won’t tell you: Telling Stories with Large Language Models and Automated Planning | Ethics and Trust in Persuasive Technology | Digital Twins For Equitable Access To Surgical Care in Canada | Biases in gendered citation practices in software engineering literature: An exploratory study and some reflections on the Matthew and Matilda effects | Early Career Advice – Imposter Syndrome, WFH vs. Hybrid vs. Office, Job Hopping, WHAT IS GOING ON!? | |
| Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 |
| NYIT | Queen’s University | ||||
| Fariha Chowdhury | Megan Bryson | ||||
| Breaking into Cybersecurity: A Guide for Women and Inspiring Success Stories | The Tortured Mathematics Department: A Graph Theory-Based Look at the Lyrics of Taylor Swift | ||||
Lightning Talks Time Slots | |||||
| 12:00 – 12:12 | 12:00 – 12:20 | 12:00 – 12:20 | 12:00 – 12:20 | 12:00 – 12:12 | |
| 12:15 – 12:27 | 12:22 – 12:42 | 12:22 – 12:42 | 12:22 – 12:42 | 12:15 – 12:27 | |
| 12:30 – 12:42 | 12:45 – 1:00 | 12:45 – 1:00 | 12:45 – 1:00 | 12:30 – 12:42 | |
| 12:45 – 1:00 | 12:45 – 1:00 | ||||
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | |||||
| Lunch (open to students, speakers, and sponsors) – start of photo booth | |||||
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm | |||||
| Career Fair – Quebec and Ottawa/Kingston buses leave at 4:00 | |||||
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch and Career Fair :On Ground Floor.
Career Fair from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Second Floor. Buses for Montreal and Ottawa are leaving at 4:00 p.m.
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Faculty Mentoring Circles
Faculty/Academia Mentoring Circles
Participate in Mentoring Circles that focus on advice and experiences with different Career Paths in academia:
Academic Leadership
If you are interested in taking the path to become a leader in an academic institute and want to be familiar with the problems, challenges, and solutions, learning from the experiences of our mentors can be the best choice. Come with your questions and hear advice and stories from women who have walked the same path.
Tenure and Promotion
Join our mentoring circle for pre-tenure faculty, a supportive space where early-career academics connect with experienced mentors. Navigate the path to tenure with insights, advice, and a collaborative community dedicated to your professional growth in academia.
Teaching Professor
Engage with experienced educators who are ready to share insights, strategies, and stories about navigating the challenges and triumphs in the academic world. Bring your questions, and benefit from the collective wisdom of mentors who have walked a similar path. Join our teaching circle, where collaboration and shared experiences can enhance your journey as an educator and leader in academia.
Speakers List Profiles
Full speakers listing will become available in September.
Speaker List Profiles
Keynote Speakers
Parallel Session Speakers
Christina Fung
University of Toronto
Anne Marie Salter
Canadian Center for Cyber Security - Communications Security Establishment
Bethany Edmunds
Northeastern University
Banani Roy
University of Saskatchewan
Jennifer Chan
BMO
Joanne Atlee
University of Waterloo
FeiFei Han
Carnegie Mellon University
Jacqueline Smith
University of Toronto
Japnit Ahuja
Go Girl Organisation
Jodi Tims
Northeastern University
Kate McRoberts
University of Guelph
Mary Wittman
CGI
Wendy Powley
Queen's University
Ouldooz Baghban Karimi
Simon Fraser University
Raksha Kannan
BMO
Kelly Lyons
University of Toronto
Maria Merkulova
CGI
Maria Khan
CGI
Marwa El-Khatib
Morgan Stanley
Shital Desai
York University
Stefan Shetty
AWS
Sadia Sharmin
University of Toronto
Lightning Talk Speakers
Enas Aitarawneh
York University
Lorena Barreto
Concordia University
Mahzabeen Emu
Queen's University
Medha Muppala
University of Windsor
Mélisande Teng
MILA
Meriem Ben Chaaben
University of Montreal
Mouna Dhaouadi
University of Montreal
Parnian Eslamloo
University of Saskatchewan
Pooja Joshi
D2L
Pragya Bhandari
The University of British Columbia
Sandra Kumi
University of Saskatchewan
Shri Harini Ramesh
Carleton University
Somayeh Fatahi
University of Saskatchewan
Swati Goswami
The University of British Columbia
Wejdene Haouari
York University
Yan Yan
University of Guelph
Speakers List Profiles
Why CAN-CWiC is Your Ultimate Canvas
Showcase Brilliance
This is your moment to bring your innovation, hard work, and creativity to the forefront. Share your projects and achievements with a receptive audience that hungers for inspiration.
Energize Discourse
Engage in spirited discussions and steer conversations toward the next horizon of computing. Your input could be the spark that ignites new ideas and collaborations.
Ignite Connections
Forge connections with like-minded minds and potential collaborators. CAN-CWiC is a bustling hub of future computing leaders.
Elevate Your Profile:
Woven into a conference experience that fosters growth, CAN-CWiC provides a unique opportunity to bolster your professional standing. Your contribution will be recognized among the brightest minds in the computing sphere.
Deadline
Applications remain open until the stroke of midnight on September 30, 2024.
Session Length
Each lightning presentation on October 26 is slated for a 15 minute duration.
Seize The Spotlight:
Step forward into the limelight by expressing your interest through the form below. The CAN-CWiC Program Committee will curate an electrifying program that aligns with the conference’s essence, making every effort to accommodate as many remarkable sessions as possible. We will notify you the second week of October if your presentation made it into the program.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Become a beacon of inspiration at the 2024 Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing – where your voice, your insights, and your journey shape the next generation of computing excellence.
Ignite curiosity. Fuel progress. Spark connections. Join us at CAN-CWiC 2024.
Please Register For Your Lightning Talk
For more Info Contact:
Gina van Dalen, Executive Director, CS-CAN|INFO-CAN
Call For Presentations
Unveil Your Expertise & Knowledge at Canada's Premier Conference for Emerging Computing Minds!
Do you possess an enthralling academic research endeavor craving a spotlight among fellow burgeoning computer scientists? Are you eager to unravel a riveting real-world case study from your journey in the corporate or non-profit realms? Brace yourself for the exceptional opportunity that awaits you at the 2023 Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing (CAN-CWiC). This is your stage to illuminate, captivate, and spark dialogues that resonate long after the event.
Our audience, a dynamic assembly of post-secondary students ranging from freshmen to accomplished graduates, is eagerly poised to absorb your insights.
Why CAN-CWiC is Your Ultimate Canvas
Showcase Brilliance
This is your moment to bring your innovation, hard work, and creativity to the forefront. Share your projects and achievements with a receptive audience that hungers for inspiration.
Energize Discourse
Engage in spirited discussions and steer conversations toward the next horizon of computing. Your input could be the spark that ignites new ideas and collaborations.
Ignite Connections
Forge connections with like-minded minds and potential collaborators. CAN-CWiC is a bustling hub of future computing leaders.
Elevate Your Profile:
Woven into a conference experience that fosters growth, CAN-CWiC provides a unique opportunity to bolster your professional standing. Your contribution will be recognized among the brightest minds in the computing sphere.
Deadline
Applications remain open until the stroke of midnight on September 30, 2024.
Session Length
Each parallel presentation on October 26 is slated for an engaging 45-minute duration, allowing ample time for immersive insights and vibrant exchanges.
Note on Participation Compensation:
Participation in this captivating journey is a voluntary endeavour, an investment in your personal growth and in nurturing the future of computing. While monetary compensation isn’t part of the equation, the intrinsic rewards of knowledge sharing and community engagement are boundless.
Seize the Spotlight:
Step forward into the limelight by expressing your interest through the form below. The CAN-CWiC Program Committee will curate an electrifying program that aligns with the conference’s essence, making every effort to accommodate as many remarkable sessions as possible. We will notify you the first week of October if your presentation made it into the program.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Become a beacon of inspiration at the 2024 Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing – where your voice, your insights, and your journey shape the next generation of computing excellence.
Ignite curiosity. Fuel progress. Spark connections. Join us at CAN-CWiC 2024.
For more information contact:
Gina van Dalen, Executive Director, CS-CAN|INFO-CAN
Sponsorship
Thank you for your interest in the 14th Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (CAN-CWiC)
CAN-CWiC provides an excellent opportunity to connect with hundreds of female computing students from across the country.
Sponsorship Benefits:
CAN-CWIC is funded by sponsorship by industry, government and universities/colleges. Becoming a sponsor of the CAN-CWIC affords your organization the opportunity to:
- Influence and attract tomorrow’s computing professionals.
- Showcase your commitment to diversity.
- Provide opportunities for your technical women to develop leadership, mentor and network.
- Participate in the career fair.
- Promote your organization’s needs.
- Strengthen relationships with participating universities, scope out potential collaborations.
- Support a program that improves the climate for the sector at large.
- Academic Sponsorship - recruit Graduate Students.
Statistics from 2023:
CAN-CWIC is funded by sponsorship by industry, government and universities/colleges. Becoming a sponsor of the CAN-CWIC affords your organization the opportunity to:
- 650 attendees.
- Over 35 organizations attended.
- 30+ institution were represented from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
- Over 30 sponsors.
- 100% of sponsor funding went towards supporting students allowing them to attend the event.
- 25 amazing lightning talks.
- 3 awards presented through our partnership with NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award.
- 30 booths at the job fair.
CAN-CWiC is 75% funded through sponsorship by industry, government, universities and colleges.
All funds are used to support student participation. Sponsorship allows CAN-CWiC to offer highly subsidized fees for students to attend all presentations, panels and workshops, participate by giving talks or presenting posters, network with other attendees and attend the career fair and banquet. Thanks to our sponsors, we are also able to provide overnight accommodation, and, in many cases, transportation for students.
Sponsor Packages and Intent to Sponsor Form
Information for Sponsors
Sponsorship Terms
Welcome
We had another great Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing. Hope to welcome you next year. Dates and location will be announced in early 2025
Thank you to the 2024 Sponsors
