A 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce found that only one in seven engineers is female. Additionally, women have seen no employment growth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs since 2000. No matter where you turn, the statistics are unimpressive. Today, women hold only 27 percent of all computer science jobs, and that number isn’t growing. This is not surprising when we take into account how many women are actually studying computer science in college; less than 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees in computer science go to women, even though female graduates hold 60 percent of all Bachelor’s degrees.
In 2007, at UCF a student organization was formed to help turn these numbers around. Women in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (WEECS) was created. WEECS is a student organization under the department of EECS. The primary purpose of the organization is to foster community among women in the fields of electrical engineering and computing. The mission of WEECS is to foster community and professional development of the women within the Department of EECS. WEECS hosts social, professional, and volunteering events throughout the year.
UCF sophomore McKenna Reed, working toward a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering and current President of WEECS, has this to offer:
“It can be a little daunting to walk into a lecture hall full of 300 people on the first day of class and see, if you’re lucky, five or six other women in the room. Why is it daunting? It’s daunting because people enjoy being around others that are like them because they feel more comfortable (i.e. most women like to be around other women). That’s one reason why Women in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (WEECS) was created. We strive to provide encouragement to other females in staying the course in pursuing a STEM degree.
If you’re interested in learning more about WEECS, participating in the organization, or becoming a sponsor, please contact us at womeneecs.ucf@gmail.com for more information.”
