The Computing Research Association's Committee on the Status of Women
in Computing Research (CRA-W) aims to increase the number of women who
chose a career in computing research. Mentoring and networking are
thought to be effective in increasing retention and success of women
graduate students. Thus, the CRA-W Graduate Cohort Program strives to
build peer support networks for women pursuing graduate study a field
that is dominated by men.

The second CRA-W Graduate Cohort Workshop brought together 220 first-
and second-year women graduate students from 73 universities to
network with one another and with 26 successful women researchers in
computing. Laura Dillon shared experiences and offered advice on the
question, "To continue for a PhD or not?"

Students attest to how much they learned and how inspired they were by
attending the workshop in an article in Campus Technology Magazine

This year's Graduate Cohort Workshop was sponsored by Microsoft,
Google, and Lucent.

Additional information about the workshop can be found at
http://www.cra.org/Activities/craw/gradcohort/index.php