Student Travel Support for ACM SIGSOFT 2006/FSE 14 INSPIRATIONS: A Ph.D. Orientation for Undergraduate and M.S. Students

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT 0630455 Adriaan W. Van Der Hoek University of California - Irvine Today more than ever a need exists to encourage American students matriculating in computer science to pursue doctorate degrees. According to the 2003-2004 Taulbee Survey published in May 2005, there was an 8% decrease in the number of students enrolling in U.S. computer science doctoral programs and the previous year there was a 5% decrease. In addition to this decrease in new enrollments, the Taulbee Survey indicates that only a very small number of the underrepresented population are pursuing doctorates in computer science (African-American 1.6%, Native American 0.2%, Hispanic 1.2%, with Asian leading at 11%). The survey furthermore indicates that 30% of the enrollment is white and over 50% of the enrollment is nonresident alien. Finally, the gender gap still remains and, in fact, has worsened in recent years. This trend is as equally visible in Software Engineering as it is in other subdomains of computer science. Combining this serious decline in applications from abroad with an ever-strong demand for computer science technologists trained with advanced degrees, it is critical that a racially and gender diverse group of bright undergraduate and M.S. students in the United States be encouraged to pursue doctoral degrees. The inaugural Inspirations Ph.D. orientation will be held at the ACM SIGSOFT 2006/FSE 14 conference, which will take place November 5-11, 2006. This orientation aims to increase the number of students interested in pursuing doctorates in software engineering. Inspirations will be a three-day event intending to give the student a taste of active research in the area of software engineering, consisting of interactive sessions with established researchers and current Ph.D. students, audit of the doctoral symposium and poster session, and attendance of the first day of the conference. To help support our effort, we request NSF funding to provide travel grants for the participants, who otherwise will not have sufficient institutional funding to attend.