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The dean of computer science at Dalhousie University says the department hopes to use millions of dollars in newly announced provincial funding to createmore inclusive programs and bolster diversity within the field.

"We see this as an incredible opportunity to really scale up our desire to have broad representation," Andrew Rau-Chaplin said.

Recently, the province announced $16.8 million infundingto help expand and enhance computer science education at four Nova Scotia universities. A large portion of that $13.3 millionhas been offered to Dalhousie.

Rau-Chaplin saiditwill allow the department to do more work to get more under-represented people into the field. That includesforming connections with local organizationssuch asBlack Business Initiative, and bolstering current Dal programs such asWeAreAllCS (We areAll Computer Science).

The WeAreAllCSinitiative started in 2018with thegoal ofdoubling the number of female students coming into the computer science program. Several scholarshipsand co-op opportunities have also been offered through the WeAreAllCSprogram, but Rau-Chaplin saidthere is still more that needs to be done.

"This under-representation is a really difficult societal problem," saidRau-Chaplin."We've made greatprogress but it's going to take a sustained focus. What this funding gives us is the resources and capacityto maintain that focus, to do more outreach and to build links."

A study releasedby the Brookfield Institutein 2019 and called Who are Canada's Tech Workers?found that only2.6 per centof the tech workforce are Black and that Black employees were the lowest paid. Moreover, it showed that only 20 per centare women and only 1.2 per centidentify as Indigenous.

Although Dalhousie researcher and associate professor Rita Orji was recently nationally recognized for her work in the computerscience field, she saidsuccess did not come easy. Orji, who is from Nigeria, saidshe knows first hand what it's liketo be the only person that looks like her in the room at a conference or board meeting.

After interviewing with four other universities prior to finally choosing Dalhousie, Orji said therewere moments when she even questioned herdesire to beprofessor.

"I was terrified. The way theytreated me,it was already like 'you're not welcomed,"said Orji,

Orji said she chose Dalhousie because she felt at home and was treated as an equal and not as someone who is inferior something she said she experienced during other university interviews.

When Orji was awardedthe Outstanding Early-Career Computer Science Researcher Prizeearlier this month she said she was thrilled. The award recognizestop young faculty members in Canadian computer science departments, schools and faculties who are within the first 10years of their career. It's also something Orji never thought she would receive.

"I'm originally from Nigeria, you know, I grew up in a town calledEnugu State, in a village where we actually had neither electricity or piped water."

Orji said she's hopes some of the government funding heading to Dalhousie will be used to pay for thingslike applicationfees andtext books, and help withother monetary barriers thatmay be standing in the way of many minorities entering computer science.

Rau-Chaplin said the moneywill not only help recruit more students from under-represented groups but will also help ensure the curriculum itself is conducive to everyone's learning.

"We're trying to paint a picture that, this large-scale societal problem, we can bean important catalystin addressing it."

It's a step toward not only making Dalhousie's program one of the most highly regarded in Canada, but also changing the computer science landscape, said Rau-Chaplin.

"The future is being built by computer science," said Rau-Chaplin. "So it's becomecritically important that the people that arebuilding those digital systems reflect us all as a whole."

Rau-Chaplin said inequality can't be fixed by donations alone, and Dalhousierecognizes thatthe lack of diversity within STEM and computer science isan ongoing battle.

"This is really going to allow us to be incredibly ambitious," said Rau-Chaplin.

Orji said she looks forward to seeing more under-represented people in the field of computer science."I want to encourage everyone out there. You are good enough. Just do it," she said.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

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Head of Dal computer science says $13M in funding will help bolster diversity - CBC.ca

Pastor K.O. Noonoo, who was recently selected to lead Topeka's Westminster Presbyterian Church, didn't intend to pursue ministry when he moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 1990.

In fact, when he settled in Jamestown, North Dakota, to attend what is now known as the University of Jamestown as an international student, Noonoo planned to studycomputer science.

"I soon discovered, though, that I did not start (computer) programming early enough, so I opted for something called management information science," he said. "It had enough business in it, not too much programming so I could make that work."

He graduated with that degree; married his wife, Anna, in 1995; and moved to the Chicago area to start a family. He also beganstudyingfor the certified public accountant exam.

More: Faith leaders' year of pandemic: grief, solace, resilience

But perhaps his attendance at Jamestown a private Christian university founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1883 was foreshadowing, because his pursuit of accounting didn't last long.

"It was Anna who came to me one day and said:'I don't know, but I'm just wondering. If you continue on this path, in 10 years, do you see yourself happy in this field?'" Noonoo said.

Her question got him thinking, and he returned to an idea ministry that had been introduced to him several years prior.

More: Handel's 'Messiah' is a pre-Easter musical treat and welcome spiritual booster shot

During his third year ofhigh school in Ghana, Noonoo said, he was first called to ministry through some of his peers.

He attended an all-boys Catholic boarding school there, and one day, he was invited to lead a prayer meeting.

"When I was done, some of my colleagues in that group said:'Oh, you did a good job. You did a good job. Have you considered full-time ministry, Christian ministry?'" Noonoo said. "I didn't like that because, for one thing, I had my own plans, things I wanted to do. Ministry just wasn't one of them."

But for some reason, he said, the idea stuck. So when Anna posed the question about long-term happiness, Noonoo began thinking again about that call to the church.

"It had never really been on the back burner," Noonoo said. "It was always there, and I had been fighting it."

After that realization, he enrolled in Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating from the school in 2002.

As the son of educators and the oldest of six children, Noonoo said his family in Ghana, with whom he stillkeeps in touch, was hesitant at first to the idea of him pursuing ministry.

"Part of it is being a son, or the first son, in the family," he said. "I had responsibilities for taking care of my parents. That's why I was sent to the United States. I was sent to the United States to study hard, earn a lot of money and send most of it to Ghana, so this is not exactly the kind of profession that fulfills that dream and that goal.

"Responding to this call to ministry, then, wasn't just me. The family had to come along, as well. That was part of the discernment process, part of the journey."

Following his theological studies, Noonoo served a church in Ohio and then wound up in Pittsburg. And almost 20 years after leaving seminary, Noonoo is beginning a new journey in Topeka.

On Feb. 1, he officially stepped into his new role as pastor of the city's Westminster Presbyterian Church.

"He's just been a breath of fresh air for all of us," said Sue Fackler, who has been a member of the congregation for nearly 40 years andwas on the church's pastor search committee."We're excited to go back to church because of him."

Noonoo said he enjoys creating harmony, building community and making the church a place people want to be.

"To make that possible, part of what we need to do is really prepare ourselves to repair relationships," he said.

And repairing relationships is an area where previous training he has hadin mediation and conflict resolution come in handy.

When it comes to building church community, Noonoo indicated the COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges,but he has found ways around them by streaming services online, organizing small-group activities and standing up a Facebook series called SoulFeast.

"There have been several ways he's made it feel like we're really getting to know him, even though the pandemic has been a challenge," Fackler said.

With SoulFeast, Noonoo streams roughly 10-minute videos on Facebook of him discussing a variety oftopics related to spirituality.

"The word people use is 'spirituality,' but for me, it's just being real about my experiences with God and finding a place where that can be shared," he said.

Another aspect of his leadership style is bringing people together through music. Noonoo has four African drums in his office, another drum in the church sanctuary and a rainstick instrument. And he uses some of the instruments during church services.

"That's been kind of a novelty for some of us to see and hear about," Fackler said.

Noonoo indicated being able to play the drums is special for him, too.

"In Ghana, there are people who play the drums because it's part of their family heritage. I mean, they are really, really good. They can really play. So there are the people who play, and then there are the people who carry their drums. The people who carry the drums are sort of disciples of the pros," Noonoo said.

"And then there's everybody else," he added."In Ghana, they wouldn't even let me be a drum carrier.So I just offer the little bit (of musicality) that I have. It seems to be appreciated."

He said playing those drums has taught him to bring what you have to the table. It doesn't have to be great, he said, you just have to do it.

According to Noonoo, serving asa pastorhas allowed him to make a difference in people's lives and that, he said, is inspiring.

"There are real challenges in the world. It's no joke," he said. "To be involved with creating a space where people can support one another, discern what God is up to in their lives and find some meaning in what they may do ... that's huge."

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From computer science to ministry here's how one Topeka pastor found his way to the church - The Topeka Capital-Journal

Associate Professor in Computer Science

School of Computing and Digital Technology

Location: City Centre Campus (Millennium Point)Salary: 55,091 to 59,880 per annumClosingDate: Tuesday 27 April 2021InterviewDate: To be confirmedReference: 042021-154

Located in a modern 300m campus in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, the Department of Computing and Data Science is a thriving, vibrant, and inspiring learning community committed to high quality teaching with meaningful learning opportunities, excellence in research and impactful industrial engagement.

The Department of Computing and Data Science has an exciting opportunity for an Associate Professor to join our dynamic team. The role will suit an experienced academic looking to advance their career.

The Associate Professor in Computer Science role requires you to develop, enable and deliver research and practice informed teaching activities.

Applicants will teach across a variety of different levels, topics and areas such as;

Priority will be given to candidates with these areas of expertise. Applicants are expected to have an excellent research record in one or more of these subject areas.

Membership of a professional body (such as the BCS or the IET) and professional registration (such as CITP or CEng) would be an advantage at all grades.

Depending on experience, applicants will teach across a variety of different areas, and all staff will contribute to supervising projects at Level 6 and Level 7.

The post holder will manage and expand income-generating activity in the area of Computer Science and make a significant leadership contribution to the Department of Computing and Data Science.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

Desirable

The University Core Values are Excellence, People Focused, Partnership Working and Fairness and Integrity. These values underpin our working practices and student and staff community so applicants need to demonstrate these values during the application process.

Benefits

In return for your dedication and hard work, you can expect great ongoing personal and professional development plus the following main benefits;

With around 24,000 students from 80 countries, Birmingham City University is a large and diverse place to study. We put students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best opportunities for future success. The University has an enviable reputation for providing quality, student-focused education in a professional and friendly environment. Our superb courses, state-of-the-art facilities, first-rate staff, and focus on practical skills and professional relevance is producing some of the countrys most employable graduates.

Selection and Interview Process

To apply for this position please complete the online application and upload a copy of your CV. Candidates are advised to remove personal information to ensure a fair and transparent process.

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted and invited to attend an interview, teaching activity and a team-based activity.

If you want to be a part of this amazing opportunity, are passionate about education and want to join our richly diverse community, please apply today aswe could be part of your future.

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Associate Professor in Computer Science job with BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY | 251678 - Times Higher Education (THE)

The human genome has long been a difficult book to read. Modern technological advances have recently opened doors for researchers to begin asking a big question: What parts of our DNA sequences might influence disease? Mary Lauren Benton, Ph.D., recently joined the Baylor Engineering and Computer Science faculty as an assistant professor of bioinformatics, and she is working to answer that question.

Mary Lauren Benton, Ph.D.

If you think of the genome like an instruction manual, Im interested in the grammar, Benton said. Im interested in understanding how short DNA sequences turn genes on and off in different cells and allow for many different outcomes. If we know how a particular sequence influences risk of heart disease, for example, we can use that information to help us guide clinical decisions, whether thats applying different treatments, prescribing different medications or scheduling more preventative care. All of these things can help clinicians to better prioritize and care for patients.

Benton uses computer modeling to look through large data sets of genetic information. Bioinformatics allows for processing of these large data in ways not possible previously, giving room for biological researchers to find patterns and solutions using methods and tools from computer science.

I think of bioinformatics as the intersection of computer science and biology, Benton said. I take tools and methods from computer science, and I apply them to solve fundamental biological questions. We have a lot of really big data sets in biology. The human genome is 3 billion base pairs long, which we cant analyze by hand. The tools from computer science and statistics give us a way to ask questions that we wouldnt be able to otherwise. They open the doors to analyses that would have been impossible even 10 or 20 years ago.

Benton most recently authored The Influence of Evolutionary History on Human Health and Disease, which was published in the Nature Reviews Genetic Journal and takes a look at the evolutionary origins of disease. Being diagnosed with a disease or health problem may feel like a present problem; however, Benton explained that looking at the foundations of a disease is important to understanding how to move forward with treatment.

The foundations and the systems that are involved in disease have really deep evolutionary origins, she said. Cancer might be something that youre diagnosed with today, but the foundation of cancer can be traced back to the idea that we have cells that are able to grow and divide, which also provides the opportunity for tumors to grow.

Benton explained that its important to consider the history of the disease and the systems involved alongside any variants or environmental factors that help to cause the disease. A holistic understanding of disease can influence how patients are treated as well as provide information about how their diseases came to be.

Its not enough to understand whats happening in a person right now or in the last five years, Benton said. Understanding the million-year history of how people got here is equally important to make advances in personalizing medicine, especially genomic medicine. Having that long lens is something that is often lost in the day-to-day operations of a doctors office.

Benton is excited to be evaluating the way that researchers think about decoding genetic information. While a common approach is to think of genes as being able to be turned off or on with a simple switch, that may not be the most accurate approach.

We study these sets of genetic switches and how they turn genes on and off at the right times. Often, we think about these switches working one-at-a-time; the gene is either on or its off, Benton said. But it is much more complicated than that. There are often multiple switches that act more like a dashboard of knobs and dials that all work together to properly tune the output of the genome.

Bentons research is moving toward the development of new models and ways of thinking about how known individual elements are combined and factored into this much larger, more accurate dashboard. Differences based on demographic histories, environmental variables and evolutionary processes all influence the risk of disease in different ways. A better understanding of genomes and how genetic variants relate to disease has major implications for precision medicine.

Its really vital for precision medicine to take into account the full diversity of the human experience. We cant focus on one particular kind of person or one population. People of European ancestry are over-represented in genetic studies, Benton said. Improving diversity and representation in our genomic studies is vital to understanding how the genome relates to disease and to learning how to appropriately treat all of the patients that might walk through the doors of a clinic.

Precision medicine, in some ways, seems futuristic and far-off. But, in other ways, precision medicine is already being used to protect at-risk individuals from diseases like cancer. While widespread precision medicine may not be seen for a long time, research like Bentons plays a role in better understanding disease risk broadly and providing context for clinical solutions moving forward.

Precision medicine is both happening right now and is something that well probably always be working toward, Benton said. There are things that we understand right now about specific genetic variants that might predispose you to a certain kind of breast cancer, for example. We already have diseases that we can test for or treat differently based on someones genotype. But, because the genome is such a complicated thing, walking into the clinic and handing your DNA sequence to the doctor, who would then read it and prescribe the right treatments on the spot, is a goal that well always be working toward. Still, I expect well see big changes in the next five to 10 years given the current rate of progress.

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Grammar of the Genome: Reading the Influence of DNA on Disease - Baylor University

UC Irvine found a new provost and executive vice chancellor in Hal Stern, a former dean of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the founding chair of the department of statistics that has served as the interim provost since March.

Stern will replace Enrique Lavernia, who stepped down from his position last year after being put on administrative leave pending an external investigation into his academic and research activities.

Lavernia is still employed by the university as a distinguished professor in the department of chemical engineering and materials science, according to a campus spokesman who also stated that a federal agency is performing the investigation.

It is unclear what agency is conducting the investigation or its status.

Stern was appointed as the interim provost by Chancellor Howard Gillman in consultation with the Academic Senate to oversee the transition to remote learning and social distancing protocols last year at the start of the pandemic. Prior to his appointment as the interim, he was the vice provost of academic planning.

In his new official role, Stern will oversee the universitys teaching and research enterprise, which includes 14 schools and more than 4,000 faculty members and 224 degree programs.

Stern arrived at the university in 2002 and will also retain a faculty position as a chancellors professor of statistics.

Im honored to have been chosen to remain provost and executive vice chancellor at one of the countrys top public research universities, Stern said in a statement.

As the campus and society emerge from the many challenges of the past year, we will continue on our ambitious path to reach new heights of excellence and social impact, he added.

Gillman said that Stern has impressed the community in the past year with his leadership and that, after meeting with several candidates for the position, Stern has the vision, experience, character and temperament to best serve UCI in the years to come.

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UC Irvine appoints former dean as new provost and executive vice chancellor - Los Angeles Times