Women in tech: How one Canadian university is changing the face of Computer Scie
Source: Dalhousie FCS

Chinese student Lulu Huang, currently studying her Master of Computer Science at Dalhousie FCS. Image courtesy of Dalhousie FCS

“I just believed. I believed that the technology would change people’s lives. I believed putting real identity online — putting technology behind real identity — was the missing link.” – Sheryl Sandberg

There are few greater inspirations for young women looking to enter the tech industry than the words and actions of Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg.

Widely recognized as the most powerful woman in tech, Sandberg has used her knowledge and determination to amass a $1.4 billion fortune and become a top executive at the world’s fifth most valuable brand.

While she may be the poster girl for women in tech, Sandberg isn’t an isolated figure in the upper echelons of the industry. Women like Susan Wojcicki (CEO, YouTube), Meg Whitman (CEO, HP) and Ginni Rometty (CEO, IBM) are inspiring examples for female IT students and graduates from around the world.

It is now widely recognized that diversity is essential within the global tech industry. Diverse companies tend to enjoy more customers and a greater market share, and as the demand for female IT graduates continues to rise, more and more Computer Science faculties are establishing clear strategies to attract more female students.


Within these carefully laid out strategies, successful results have already been observed. In 2011, 41 percent of sophomores who declared Computer Science at Harvard University were female. Many other Computer Science faculties have seen similar results as more young women become incentivized to pursue careers in tech.

One such innovative university is Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, where the Faculty of Computer Science (Dal FCS) is working to double the number of incoming undergraduate female students in September 2018, when the university celebrates its 200th anniversary through a number of unique initiatives; such as the Culture of Respect, for example – a scheme that promotes inclusiveness as a fundamental core of education. This is part of the numerous opportunities that are given to students to help them have a successful and enriched four years within the Faculty.

The enhancements to curriculum, resourcing, and student engagement opportunities will benefit the entire Faculty and all of its students in the years to follow as the Faculty works towards 40% of their population being female.





Dalhousie’s Women in Technology Society (WITS). Image courtesy of Dalhousie FCS

Dalhousie’s FCS boasts the facilities, faculty and ambition to achieve this impressive goal; it is a vibrant center for learning, research and innovation, providing a comprehensive education for 900 current students and 3,000 talented alumni. It offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, all of which are supported by an intimate and inclusive learning environment.

Education at the FCS goes far beyond its high quality education and diverse classroom settings. Crucially, students gain industry experience through co-op and internship programs, allowing them to apply their education, expertise and knowledge to a real world IT environment.

Bachelor of Computer Science graduate Sage Franch pursued her professional co-op with Microsoft. She is now a full-time Content Developer with the company, creating and delivering courses for developers to learn key technical skills surrounding Microsoft technologies – a position she secured before her graduation.

“In my experience, Dal FCS has done a great job of taking action, both proactive and reactive, to make sure students of all demographics feel that they are welcome and have a voice in the community,” she says.
Sage French


Sage French. Image courtesy of Dalhousie University FCS

Women at Dal FCS also embark on exciting and innovative research projects – at both the student and faculty level. Lula Huang traveled from China to complete her degree after hearing of the excellent opportunities for female IT students at Dalhousie. After graduation she decided to further her studies at the FCS, joining the Master of Computer Science degree program. She is also a student of the Training in Big Text Data (TRIBE) program within the Institute for Big Data Analytics.

“With my degree, I want to find a job and gain more experience from real world problems,” says Lulu. “Location is not an issue – I can go anywhere in the world – but Canada might be my first choice. After all, I will graduate from Dalhousie University and I may want to consider a PhD after several years of work. A PhD is a great way to catch up with the latest technologies.”

Women at Dalhousie’s FCS also lead the way at faculty level. Professor Nur Zincir-Heywood leads a team of 20 of the faculty’s best and brightest students at the Network Information Management and Security Group; also known as NIMS lab.

This team of ‘cyber Sherlocks’ tackle one of the greatest challenges of the online world – Cyber Security.



Professor Nur Zincir-Heywood leads a team of 20 of FCS brightest students at NIMS lab. Image courtesy of Dalhousie University FCS

“In our lab, we are interested in discovering ‘emergent behaviours,’” says Nur. “Security is an interesting application domain in which there are many forms of emergent behaviours. Attempting to design systems capable of autonomously looking within these environments is very exciting for us.”

These are just some of the success stories from the female cohort at Dal FCS. Others have raised awareness of the plight of child soldiers through an innovative computer game, or represented the university at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing – and the list goes on.

Innovative Computer Science faculties like Dalhousie’s are changing global perceptions. Success stories like these are attracting more women to a technology education, which can only be good news for professionals and the industry.