Women in Services Computing (WISC)

The Women in Services Computing (WISC) event has been held since 2017, as a workshop during the IEEE World Congress on Services. Each year, this workshop has convened at the Congress to afford women, and all those who interested and passionate to create a gender neutral environment in services computing, the opportunity to meet together, exchange views, and network. WISC has become a community event where colleagues become friends, and shared experiences erase the boundaries of time, place, and citizenship. All participants have become more aware of the issues and obstacles women face in technical fields, and returned to their own daily life with the resolve to change the situation and create a 'level playing field' for every dedicated services scientist.

In 2020 we face another challenge - COVID-19. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on all the world's best-laid plans. There is no country that has not suffered immensely due to this terrible pandemic which has engulfed the world. Therefore, we will modify the format of the WISC workshop this year to include both in-person and virtual participation. For many travelling to China will not be a possibility, and virtual participation will allow for the WISC to continue its mission, and not limit the audience.

The WISC Workshop will be held on October 19, 2020, the opening day of the IEEE World Congress on Services (October 19-23, 2020). The workshop will be held at a time that is most convenient for the largest number of participants, though of course with a worldwide audience, the time will not be convenient for all. If possible, we will record the workshop for later viewing by those who cannot attend it live.

We will follow a traditional format, with the following type of agenda:

• Opening Welcome
• Reflections on the History of the Congress and the WISC Workshop
• Acceptance Speech of the 2020 IEEE TCSVC WISC Awardee(s)
• Distinguished Speaker - Wei Lu, Founder and CEO of K2Data
• Lightning talks by Participants (Topics and Speakers will be announced in September 2020)
• Panel Discussion

While we know that there is no substitute for in-person participation, we hope that this combination of actual and virtual participation will bring the same type of stimulating and thought-provoking discussions and sharing of ideas that past workshops have provided.

Organizers

For general questions about this workshop, please contact Lorraine M. Herger: herger@us.ibm.com