EDI
This page contains information on groups in the Computing Science Department that work on, or promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Turing Society
EDI and peer support group for graduate students
About
Our mission is to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion for graduate students within the computing science department at the University of Alberta. We work towards creating an inclusive culture in the department, with an effort to anonymously and confidentially address concerns that are specific to graduate students in computing science, provide a safe space for visible and non-visible minorities, and to provide a framework for allies to better understand minority groups.
Initiatives
Peer support channel
The Turing Society has a text channel in University of Alberta CS graduate students Slack workspace (uofacsgrads.slack.com). The intention is for this to be a safe place for students to talk about their personal issues, as well as to provide support to others in need. If you want to join, please read the guidelines below, and contact CSGSA, Kristen Yu, or Niko Yasui.
Links to resources when in need
Although the first goal of the Turing Society is to provide peer support, and a place for students to talk openly, there are simply some issues we are not trained to handle. In these cases, we suggest seeking help from other services the University of Alberta provides. We provide links to all the support resources we are aware of so that students can find them in one convenient place.
Balancing work and leisure
We are collecting stories and tips from students who have had positive or negative experiences with balancing work and leisure in grad school.
You can share your stories or tips with us by submitting them via this form.
Imposter syndrome
We are collecting stories from students who have felt like they didn't belong in graduate school. These stories show that although this is a common sentiment, it doesn't reflect reality.
Read more about the imposter syndrome here and here.
You can share your imposter syndrome story with us by submitting it via this form.
Council members
Kristen Yu
Hi! I am currently a fourth year PhD Candidate and I do research in Video Games and AI. My hobbies include reading, playing variant sudoku, and playing video games. I recently picked up cross stitching as well!
Niko Yasui (she/her)
Hi! I'm a third year PhD student studying mechanism design and fairness in our department's MSc program admissions. I love to read, play badminton, and build community!
Previous council members
Leticia Wanderley: 2020-2021
Fatima Davelouis: 2020-2021
Micheal Przystupa: 2020-2022
Eric Graves: 2021-2022
Ada's Team Newsletter
Ada's team is a student group that promotes diversity in computer science. For more information check out their website. You can also join their bi-weekly newsletter here.
Department EDI Committee
The Department of Computing Science is committed to ensure a teaching, research, and employment environment that is aligned with the principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). As such, the responsibilities of the Department's EDI committee include, but are not limited to:
Identify and track departmental demographics within different groups (undergraduate students, graduate students, research staff including post doctoral fellows, faculty members and administrative staff).
Identify potential EDI gaps and develop improvement plans.
Maintain an inclusive learning and working environment for all members, as well as ensure diversity in our recruitment and retention practices.
To contact the committee, please use the following email: cs.edi@ualberta.ca. Emails sent to this address will reach only current members of the EDI committee. You can also use our Anonymous form to send anonymous feedback, comments, or complaints. Subscribe to our Mailing List to receive announcements and monthly newsletter.