About the colloquium

Where’s the colloquium going to be?

It’s hosted by a different university each year, and in 2024 we’re going to be hosted by The University of Liverpool.

The event itself will be in their Central Teaching Hub building on 4th April, with a social at LEAF on Bold Street nearby on the 3rd for those students arriving the day before.

Is there a charge?

The event is free to attend for students, however you do have to register. In 2024 we introduced a small charge for general attendees (people who are not students, helpers or presenters). Poster contest finalists will be automatically registered, and general signups will be available nearer the day – if you want to be notified when, subscribe to our Google group for announcements: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bcswomen-lovelace-publicity

I’m a guy, can I come along?

Men are welcome at the event, but the contest is for women and non-binary people only. General signups will be available nearer the day – if you want to be notified when, subscribe to our Google group for announcements: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bcswomen-lovelace-publicity

Is it OK for trans people to come along?

Yes, we’re trans inclusive and have been from the very start, in 2008. Trans women are welcome to enter the poster contests, as are non-binary people.

Can I bring a friend/my mum/my child …?

Yes – we’ll be opening up general registration before the event. If your friend or family member registers, they can come along. We’re fine with guys coming along, too.

When we run face-to-face events, friends and family come free but don’t get their travel paid for, and from 2024, we’ll charge a small fee for non-students to cover lunch and so on. We’ll be as flexible as we can about people coming with poster presenters, for example, if driving is cheaper we’re happy to refund mileage rates for a car (which you can then fill with friends).

We can’t offer childcare, but if your kid is OK to sit in talks and you’re OK with making sure they don’t disrupt the general event, we’re fine with kids coming along. If they’re going to be eating the lunch, make sure you register them so we can be sure to get enough food, and they’ll get a name badge and can visit the stalls too. The youngest person we have had was 12 weeks old – his mum had to pop out to feed him from time to time when he got grumpy, but that was OK. We’ve also had students bring their grandparents along in the past.

I don’t want to do a poster but I do want to come along, is that OK?

Once the call for abstracts closes and we know how many poster contest entrants there will be, we’ll open up the rest of the spaces to other students and interested parties. Drop us an email on bcswomenlovelace@gmail.com and we’ll let you know as soon as you can register.

I haven’t done a poster. Can I still claim my travel back?

No, sorry. Travel bursaries are only available to people accepted into the poster contest, who turn up, and present posters.

Is there a dress code?

You can wear what you like – there’s no dress code. If you are job hunting it’s worth bearing in mind that there are employers present. Every year we have people turn up in smart suits and some people turn up in old jeans with patches on them, and people turning up wearing everything in between.

Entering the poster contests

Do you have an AI policy?

Do I have to have my poster finished to enter the contests?

No, to enter the contest you have to submit a short abstract – we’ll select the best 100-120 abstracts for presentation at the event, and if you are selected, only then do you have to make a poster.

Do I need to have references in my abstract?

For the abstract we don’t insist on references, however, it should be your own work. We will not accept abstracts which are made up of work copied from elsewhere.

Do I need to have references in my poster?

For your poster you should include references if there is substantial content that relies on other people’s work. We wouldn’t expect a poster to have more than 2 or 3 references though.

Could you show me some examples of previous abstracts?

There’s a few on our examples page. Or you could check out the Abstract Book 2023.

Could you show me some examples of previous posters?

You can see the 2022 prizewinners on this page: 2023 colloquium overview. (Scroll down to the bottom).

How big should my poster be?

A1 size max, if you can, but A2 is fine or two pieces of A2.

Should my poster be portrait or landscape?

The majority will be portrait. If you’ve done landscape though, don’t panic, we’ll fit you in somewhere!

Can you print my poster for me?

No we can’t print posters, but you might find your own University are able to help with printing.

Is the contest open to trans women?

Yes, the contest is open to all women.

Is the contest open to non-binary people?

Yes, non-binary people are welcome to join in.

I’m an MSc student, can I enter the poster contest?

Any taught MSc students are welcome to enter, as are students doing an MEng or other integrated Masters course. If you’re doing a research MSc, I’m afraid the Lovelace poster contests are not for you, but why not enter the London Hopper Colloquium for postgrad women?

Can I do a poster on [topic]?

Probably! Is your topic computing related? We’ve had posters on all sorts of topics – from hardware through to social implications of computing. We’ve had posters on android programming, computing for the disabled, computing art, new keyboard designs, artificial intelligence, robotics, compression algorithms, medical imaging… All sorts. If you’re not sure though, just drop us an email on bcswomenlovelace@gmail.com and we’ll answer.

I don’t know what to do my poster on, can you give me some ideas?

If you’re doing a project (sometimes called final year project or dissertation), then do it on that – it is a subject you’ll know well, and that hopefully you’re interested in. If you’re not doing a project, think about your course and what interests you. Is there a particular module you like? Is there something that really interests you about computers outside of your course? Are you fascinated by artificial intelligence and robots? Or are you more interested in the way complex systems fit together? Or by the way systems can be designed to be easy to use? Games architectures? Mobile computing? Embedded systems? Social media? Computing for developing countries? There must be something you like about computing or you wouldn’t be studying the subject.

Computing and IT systems are everywhere: pick a facet of computing that fascinates you, read around the subject, and go for it.

Anything else

I’ve got a question that’s not on this list, can you answer it?

Sure. Send us an email on bcswomenlovelace@gmail.com