Annual Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (CAN-CWiC)

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).

 

The event will be held at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Center in Toronto.

Students: 

If your school is participating in CAN-CWiC, it will provide the opportunity to sponsored students to attend the event and will arrange and pay for your transportation (by bus or air) and accommodation (on the 20th).  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 (outside the GTA – leaving from Ottawa, Kingston, and schools in the Golden Horseshoe, Windsor/Kitchener/Waterloo areas) and the University of Toronto. The buses leave in the morning of the 20th, drop you off at the hotel, and drive you back to your school on the 21st. 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 or by yourself.

Hotel shuttle:

The hotel offers a complimentary 24-hour shuttle bus service.
• From the Hotel: Every 30 minutes at the top and bottom of the hour
• From the Airport: Every 30 minutes at 15 & 45 minutes after the hour
AIRPORT PICK UP LOCATIONS
TERMINAL 1: Ground Level S5
TERMINAL 3 : Ground Level Post 41

CAN-CWiC will arrange and confirm your accommodation at the hotel once you have registered for the conference. Your hotel room will be double occupancy and you will share the room with another female student, and, in most cases, you have an option to be matched up with a person of your choice.

All your food and beverage, including the Friday October 20th CAN-CWIC Banquet, are included in your registration fee.

Not a Student?

A special $159 rate has been secured. Use this link to make your reservation. Deadline for reservations is Friday, October 6, 2023.

 

 

On Friday, October 20th all registered students will have an opportunity to attend the amazing CAN-CWiC reception and banquet. There are fun photo booths and we have some amazing keynote speakers lined up and you will receive a beautiful four course meal. It’s a great opportunity to dress up, mingle, meet other students from across Canada and have fun.

Steering Committee

The steering committee provides direction and advice to the co-chairs about the program. Co-chairs are chosen annually and move around from west to east. Co-chairs are responsible for finding and managing local support to run elements of the conference organization.

CO-CHAIRS

OULDOOZ BAGHBAN KARIMI

Lecturer, School of Computing Science
Chair, Computing Science Diversity Committee 
President, Academic Women
Simon Fraser University

Jeremy Bradbury

PhD Associate Professor Computer Science Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

Steering Committee Members

Joanne Atlee

Professor
Cheriton School of Computer Science
University of Waterloo

Sheila McIlraith

Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Toronto
Vector Institute, Canada CIFAR AI Chair
Associate Director and Research Lead, Schwartz Reisman Institute

Kate Larson

Professor
Cheriton School of Computer Science
University of Waterloo

 

Program

All events will take place at the Delta Hotel. Information about keynote speakers and parallel sessions will become available over the summer.

Friday, October 20th

12:00 noon – 5:00 pm:  CS-CAN|INFO-CAN Faculty Meeting
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. - Registration
6:30 p.m. – Banquet -  Keynote Speaker:  To be confirmed

Saturday, October 21nd

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 2 p.m.  - Registration

8:45 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
NCWIT Aspirations in Computing National Award  - ​Keynote Speaker: to be confirmed

9:50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Break

​10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. - Parallel sessions 
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. -   Lunch and Career Fair 
2:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. - Parallel sessions

3:50 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. Break

4:10 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Panel Session: Moderated by Joanne Atlee, Professor, University of Waterloo

5:30 p.m. End of the program

Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing Conference Program Schedule

On a Bus?

Your bus is leaving at in the parking lot at 5:30 p.m. sharp!! Don’t be late!!!

 

 

On a Plane?

Check your flight time and make sure you can be on the hotel shuttle in time for your flight.

Hotel shuttle:

The hotel offers a complimentary 24-hour shuttle bus service.
• From the Hotel: Every 30 minutes at the top and bottom of the hour
• From the Airport: Every 30 minutes at 15 & 45 minutes after the hour

TimeRoomActivity Info
3:00 pm. – 6:00 pmInternational Ballroom
Lobby of hotel

Pick up registration badge

Pick up hotel key

On a Bus?
Your badge will be delivered to you on the bus. Remain on the bus until your badges have been delivered. Then proceed to the hotel lobby if you have a hotel room for your room key.
Not on a Bus?
Go to registration first to pick up your badge and then go pick up your room key.
12:00 – 5:00 pmNew York

Faculty Meeting

12:00-1:00Lunch

1:00-1:30 Introductions

1:30-3:00 Statistics on the under representation of Women in Computing

3:00-3:30 Break

3:30-5:00 Encouraging and Supporting Marginalized Students

N/a
6:30 pm – 10:00 pmInternational BallroomDinnerThere is no assigned seating. All food will be nut-free, some vegetarian, no pork.
6:30 pm – 7:00 pmInternational BallroomKeynote Speaker Topic: We didn’t come this far to only come this far

Keynote Speaker:

Tanjulia Akter | Software engineer | Electronic Arts

Saturday, October 21nd  7:30 am – 10:00 – Opening of the Conference

TimeRoomActivitySpeaker
7:30 am – 8:15 amPlaza C (2nd floor)Light BreakfastN/A
8:15 am – 8:30 amInternational BallroomNCWIT Aspirations in Computing National Award PresentationWendy Powely
8:30 am – 9:00 amInternational BallroomKeynote Speaker
Topic: Breaking Gender Barriers in Tech

Victoria Granova | Security Technical Program Manager | Amazon Web Services

9:00 am – 9:15 amInternational BallroomKeynote SpeakerNailah Ogeer | Senior IT Manager| TD Bank | My journey from rags to riches – an immigrant success story
9:15 am – 9:30 amInternational Ballroom

Keynote Speaker

Generative AI

Christina Fung | Global Head of AI Enablement | CGI

9:30 am – 9:45 amInternational Ballroom

Keynote Speaker

A woman in STEM: from trials to triumph

Pauline Keeton Curtis | Managing Director Portfolio Technical Support | BMO

Saturday, October 21nd  10:00 am – 10:50 – Parallel Sessions (choose one)

RoomSession TitleSpeaker
International Ballroom ATeaching Track Career Paths

Jacqueline Smith | Professor | University of Toronto

Bethany Edmunds | Professor | Northeastern University

International Ballroom BNational Cyber Threat Assessment – 2023-24

Anne Marie Salter | Data scientist and Machine learning researcher | Canadian Center for Cyber Security – Communications Security Establishment 

Alicia Greeley | Manager of Cryptographic Services & Operations | Cyber Centre, Communications Security Establishment

New YorkAI in the Rail Industry

Maryam Ahmadi | Expert – Machine Learning | CN Rail

TorontoBridging Worlds: The Proxy Product Owner role in orchestrating between Business Vision And IT RealitiesMarwa El-Khatib | Scrum Master | Morgan Stanley
MontrealResponding to Everyday Biases

Joanne Atlee | Assistant Professor – Interaction Design | York University | Social and Technological Systems Lab

Ottawa

Enas Aitarawneh – York University Conversation Derailment Forecasting with Graph Convolutional Networks

Hajer Mejri – University of Montreal Interpretable Northern Leaf Blight disease classification through Counterfactual Explanations

Lorena Barreto Simedo Pacheco – Concordia University A Deep Dive into user-reported issues

 

Mahzabeen Emu – Queen’s University Quantum Computing Era for Optimization

Moderated  by:

Stacey Scott , Algoma University

Saturday, October 21nd  11:00 am – 11:50 – Parallel Sessions (choose one)

RoomSession Title Speaker
International Ballroom AUnlocking the Gaming Industry : Your Non-Gaming Experience is the Key

Tanjulia Akter | Software engineer | Electronic Arts

International Ballroom BLeveraging AI and Emerging Technologies for your Career Journey

Stefan Shetty | Senior Partner Sales Manager | AWS

New YorkTips and Tools to Land the Internship/Co-op You Want

Kate McRoberts | Co-Op Coordinator | University of Guelph

Laura Gatto

Anne-Marie Zawadzki

Toronto

I’ve been there!” Succeeding through your career stages”

 

Sharon O’Sullivan | Head of Technology Research & Innovation

Adela Nae | Director – Technology Delivery and Transformation

Raksha Kannan | Senior Analyst – Credit Strategy

Jennifer Chan | Senior Manager – Strategic Initiatives

(moderator)

BMO

Montreal Fireside chat: Advice to Ignite your Career

Wendy Powley | Associate Professor | Queen’s University

Kelly Lyons, Professor, University of Toronto

Ottawa

Medha Muppala | University of Windsor | Designing for Accessibility

Mélisande Teng | MILA Species distribution modelling using remote sensing and citizen science data

Meriem Ben Chaaben | University of Montreal | Using Few-Shot Prompt Learning for Automating Model Completion

Mouna Dhaouadi | University of Montreal Exploring Developers Rationale in the Linux Kernel

Namrata Kundu | University of British Columbia | Closest Convex Function Approximation: Algorithms and Application

Moderated by:

Zille Huma Kamal | University of Waterloo

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Lunch and Career Fair – Plaza Ballroom (2nd Floor)

If the lineup for lunch is long, visit the career fair first!  Lunch will be available until 1:30 pm

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Faculty Mentoring Circles – Plaza Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Faculty Members Only: Grab lunch and join us for an opportunity for faculty to connect for peer-to-peer mentorship. Planned topics are: Academic Leadership Roles; Planning for Promotion; Teaching Track Faculty. Other topics may be added depending on attendee interest.

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.

2:00 pm – 2:50 – Parallel Sessions (choose one)

RoomSession Title Speaker
International Ballroom A

Computer Science Research: Areas, Methodologies, and Resources

Ouldooz Baghban Karimi | Lecturer | Simon Fraser University

International Ballroom BEarly Talent and Coop Opportunities

Olga Mpampanis | Early Talent Acquisition Partner- Platforms & Technology | TD Bank

New YorkChanging the face of technology

Japnit Ahuja | Founder | Go Girl Organization

TorontoTalking Sense Into AI: On The Role of Conversation in Human-AI Collaboration

Anastasia Kuzminykh | Assistant Professor | University of Toronto

MontrealResume & Interview prep Workshop

Mary Wittman | Vice President | Consulting Services

Mariia Merkulova | Campus Recruitment Consultant.

Maria Khan | National Campus Recruitment Manager | CGI

Ottawa

Parnian Eslamloo – University of Saskatchewan Harmonizing Technical and User-Centric Elements: A Framework for Bug-Inducing Commit Prevention

Pooja Joshi – D2L How different people rock climb and what I have learned from it

Pragya Bhandari – The University of British Columbia BuggIn: Automatic Intrinsic Bugs Classification Model using NLP and ML

Sandra Kumi – University of Saskatchewan SleepSynth: Evaluating the use of Synthetic Data in Health Digital Twins

Moderated by:

Karen Reid, University of Toronto

3:00 pm – 3:50 pm – Parallel Sessions

RoomSession Title Speaker
International Ballroom AInclusive Teaching

Jacqueline Smith | Professor | University of Toronto

Sadia Sharmin | Professor | University of Toronto

International Ballroom BNavigating the AI Era: Preparing for the Future

FeiFei Han | AI Consultant | Deloitte

TorontoLearnings from the Center for Inclusive Computing and MS Pathways Consortium Projects

Jodi Tims | Associate Dean of Global Network Programs | Northeastern University

Montreal

Canceled

Shital Desai 

Ottawa

Shri Harini Ramesh – Carleton University | An Interactive Data Visualization System for Analyzing the Virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation (VCR) Journey of Older Adults: Prior, During, and Post VCR Program

Somayeh Fatahi – University of Saskatchewan | From Insights to Impact: My Adventures in Data Science

Swati Goswami – The University of British Columbia | FlowCache: Accelerating Network Functions using Programmable Switches

Wejdene Haouari – York University | Improving reliability efficiency through log mining and multi-objective optimizations

Yan Yan – University of Guelph | Machine Learning on High-Dimensional Biological Data Analysis

Moderated by: Mahreen Nasir

 

Women in Tech Leadership Panel Discussion

 

4:10 pm – 5:00 pm – International Ballroom

Panel Session:

Moderated by Joanne Atlee, Professor, University of Waterloo

Speakers:

  • Alicia Greeley, Manager of Cryptographic Services & Operations at Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE)

    After attending Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic in St John’s, NL, Alicia accepted a job as a software developer with CSE. Alicia has held various technical and technical leadership roles at CSE over the last two decades and is currently working within CCCS. She is passionate in creating diverse and inclusive working environments within technical fields. In her spare time, she spends time with her family, two daughters and is known to love cats!

     

    Sonia Kulwant Singh, Team Product owner, Scrum lead, DevOps Engineer at SAP

    Sonia has 13+ years of Information technology experience with a techno-functional profile spanning across multiple roles of Product Owner, Scrum lead, Development, Devops, Research and Design, Quality, Maintenance, Customer Support and Consulting in products like IoT, S/4 Hana, Digital manufacturing cloud, Cloud for Analytics, Business ByDesign and more at SAP. She is also part of the AI Ambassador Network at SAP and had recently delivered a session about “Demystifying AI technology like ChatGPT” across SAP Canada.

    Kelly Lyons, Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto

    Associate Director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

    Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she was the Program Director of the IBM Toronto Lab Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS). Her research interests include service science, knowledge mobilization, data science, and software engineering. She has held a number of senior administrative roles at the University of Toronto, co‐authored several papers, received research funding from industry and government, served on program committees for conferences, given many keynote and invited presentations, and co‐chaired several workshops. She is currently on the Board of CS-Can/Info-Can. From 2020 to 2022, she served on the Board of the Informs Service Science Section. From 2008 to 2012, she was a Member‐at‐Large of the ACM Council and a member of the Executive Council of ACM‐W.

Leadership in Tech:
It can be difficult to think beyond the next internship, the first post-grad work placement, or the next promotion, but it is important to be more deliberate in one’s career choices. In this panel, we discuss different career trajectories in leadership in tech, with lots of time for questions from the audience.

 

Speaker List Profiles

Keynote Speakers

Tanjulia Akter

Electronic Arts

Christina Fung

CGI

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

Kelly Lyons

University of Toronto

Marwa El-Khatib

Morgan Stanley

Wendy Powley

Queen's University

Ouldooz Baghban Karimi

Simon Fraser University

Shital Desai

York University

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

Meriem Ben Chaaben

University of Montreal

Mouna Dhaouadi

University of Montreal

Parnian Eslamloo

University of Saskatchewan

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

Lightning Talks

Unveil Your Expertise & Knowledge at Canada's Premier Conference for Emerging Computing Minds!

Do you possess an enthralling academic research endeavour craving a spotlight among fellow burgeoning computer scientists? 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.

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 October 3, 2023.

Session Length

Each lightning presentation on October 21 is slated for a 5 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 2023 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 2023.

For more information contact:

Gina van Dalen, Executive Director, CS-CAN|INFO-CAN

gina_vandalen@cscan-infocan.ca

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 October 3, 2023.

Session Length

Each parallel presentation on October 21 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 endeavor, 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 2023 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 2023.

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 2 MB.

For more information contact:

Gina van Dalen, Executive Director, CS-CAN|INFO-CAN

gina_vandalen@cscan-infocan.ca

Thank you for your interest in the 13th 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

Statistics from 2022

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

 

  • 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.

 

 

 

 

OUR SPONSORS

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