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June 19: NY Times letter urges diversity in field of computer science

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  • 06-21-2011
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Jane Margolis' letter to the editor published

A recent New York Times' article "Computer Studies Made Cool, on Film and Now on Campus" about the increased interest in computer science majors led IDEA senior researcher Jane Margolis to write to the editor.

Though welcoming the uptick, Margolis' cautioned that it was important to consider the people admitted, especially since women and minorities are still underrepresented in the field.

Margolis is the author of two award-winning books: Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing and Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing

In the letter, Margolis wrote:

Without continuing, concerted efforts by a community of computer science educators, social scientists, education reformers, nonprofit organizations and industry to increase the numbers of women and underrepresented minorities in computer science, the latest surge in interest may risk worsening the persistent representational disparities.

Now, more than ever, is the time to be vigilant with the commitment to diversity so that a field that is changing everything about our world reflects the full richness of our heterogeneous population.

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