In Reading, in 2014, the BCS press office came along and took some videos. If you’d like to see interviews with organisers, speakers and attendees, check the videos here: http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/52734
Here are some of the things student attendees have said about the event:
“Participating in the BCS Lovelace Colloquium 2024 was an inspiring journey. From presenting my research to networking with industry leaders, the event fuelled my passion for computer science and left me empowered to embrace innovation. It was a transformative experience, reminding me of the boundless opportunities within the field and igniting a renewed determination to drive positive change through technology.Moreover, alongside a series of captivating keynote speeches and panel discussions, the colloquium gave us a space to connect with students from other universities, enriching our network. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a remarkable event and eagerly anticipate being a part of this in the future as well.”
“The BCSWomen Ada Lovelace Colloquium left a lasting impression, igniting inspiration and fostering optimism for the future. Witnessing the remarkable achievements of women in the tech industry instilled a sense of determination within me, reinforcing the belief that success is attainable with perseverance and dedication“.
Havilah Oriazowan attended April 4th 2024 as a master’s student in Data Science and AI at Edge Hill University.
“This year was my first time attending the BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium and it was an incredible experience. The most interesting part for me was listening to people from the industry who have different experiences and focus in a range of fields. I enjoy learning from them and hearing what their opinions on different matters are, and being able to ask questions.
Another interesting part of the day was interacting with other students who were each presenting a poster in a different topic. I had an amazing time participating in different conversations about topics I wasn’t very familiar with and broadening my knowledge.
Unfortunately, this year the event was not held in the person, but the organisers did an outstanding job moving everything online and I am proud I got to be in the first ever online edition. Well done to all of them and thank you for a great day!“
Joana Trashlieva, a final year student from Aberystwyth University, 2020 attendee.
“The 13th BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium was conducted virtually for the first time on 8th of April,2020 and I had the chance to present a poster on Information security for Internet of Medical Things.It was a wonderful experience and really enjoyed the talks by several inspiring women in the computing field.The most interesting thing about these talks was that they were very relevant to the current situation with Covid-19.The event was supposed to be conducted from University of Stirling and the organisers did a wonderful job to host it virtually within such a short notice. I had a great time meeting people and sharing thoughts.”
Avanthika Vineetha Harish, an MSc student from Lancaster University, 2020 attendee.
“I attended my first Lovelace Colloquium in Sheffield in 2016 as a final year Artificial Intelligence & Robotics student at Aberystwyth University. I had been too nervous to attend in the years previous thinking that presenting my work would be daunting – but that couldn’t have been further from the truth! I presented a poster on my dissertation topic and had great discussions with my peers and people in industry & academia alike. I even got to speak to my future employer at the event!
I once again attended the Lovelace Colloquium on their 10th anniversary in Aberystwyth, as an industry professional. It was so lovely to come full circle and give back to the same conference which gave me so much confidence! I hope to come back again soon.
I regularly encourage students early in their studies to attend the Lovelace Colloquium as the confidence it gives is astounding – and you never know, you may find a job!”
– Laura Collins, attended in 2016 as a student and again in 2017 with GE (General Electric).”
“The Lovelace Colloquium gave me the chance to showcase my work on video game ethics – something I’m very passionate about – and helped to improve my confidence. I’m truly grateful for the experience, and everyone was so friendly – both the talks and the poster contest were extremely interesting, and I would definitely recommend attending this year’s Lovelace if the opportunity arises! You won’t regret it 🙂“
– Michelle Brown, attended in 2014 as a 3rd year ICT student, now PhD Scholarship candidate at De Montfort University
“The event was a great opportunity to meet other girls that share the same interests and to exchange knowledge about the work we went to present. We had the opportunity to talk with companies like Google, EMC2, VMware amongst others.” … “On top of that, the talks were really inspiring. It was amazing to listen to these great women talking about how they started in computing and how they became successful. We have a Facebook group where we can get in contact with them and ask questions. This group also gives us the opportunity to see what the other girls that went to the event are doing in terms of work and research… so it is a great way to keep in contact and at the same time keep a finger on the pulse. So, overall taking part in the Lovelace Colloquium was not just an opportunity to show our work and to compete, but also an opportunity to have access to a network in the industry. There we realised that we are not the only girls doing computing, there are lots of other brilliant girls out there that love computing as much as we do. I strongly encourage the future first and second year students to take part in the next Lovelace Colloquium; it is an unique opportunity.“
– Bruna Pearson, Durham University, attended in 2014 as a 2nd year computer science student
“The Lovelace colloquium was hugley important to me because I don’t think I would now be working as a software engineer if I hadn’t entered. I was one of the few women at my uni and I didn’t cope well with the course culture. I was encouraged to apply by a lecturer and I lacked the confidence to even look at my poster once it was printed. At the event so many people told me my work was interesting and I was even offered interviews. When I got home I applied for some graduate schemes and had interviews with 13/14 of the companies I applied to. I ended up with an internship at a prestigious software company, which was my ‘in’ to the industry. I would encourage every young woman studying CS to submit work or go along for the day.“
– Emma-Ashley Liles, attended in 2012 and is now a developer on the 7digital media delivery team