Welcome to
SOSP Women’s Workshop
October 13-14, 2007
Carla Ellis, Duke
Goals of the Workshop
Build a strong community of women
researchers in systems

Providing networking opportunities
Encourage you to pursue systems research

Illustrating the exciting opportunities & challenges
Enhance your conference experience


Offering content to allow better appreciation of
the technical talks
Developing skills to navigate the conference
environment
Why a Women’s Workshop?
This SOSP is the 20th anniversary of the
founding of the Systers electronic
community. So this is a celebration!
Under-representation of women &
minorities is even worse in operating
systems than overall in computer science
& engineering
Why a Women’s Workshop?
Specialty Areas: PhDs in 2005 and 2006
Total
% Underrep’d
% Female
Artificial Intelligence / Robotics
369
15.4
3.0
Database / Information Systems
253
23.7
4.3
Graphics / Human Interface
223
16.6
3.1
Hardware / Architecture
196
15.3
1.5
77
24.7
2.6
496
15.7
1.4
128
9.4
4.7
Software Engineering
221
18.1
2.3
Theory / Algorithms
212
17.0
0.9
Other / Unknown
387
14.7
3.6
2562
16.6
2.7
Numerical Analysis / Scientific
Computing
Operating Systems / Networks
Programming
Compilers
Total
Languages
/
Introducing the Speakers
Dilma da Silva,
IBM
Cynthia Dwork,
MSR
Susan Eggers,
UW
Carla Ellis,
Duke
Rebecca Isaacs,
MSR
Kimberly Keeton,
HP Labs
Jinyang Li,
NYU
Barbara Liskov,
MIT
Margaret Martonosi,
Princeton
Sharon Perl,
Google
Liuba Shrira,
Brandeis
Yuanyuan Zhou,
UIUC
Thanks to our Supporters
Navigating a Conference
A conference is all about networking
Networking:




Systematically seeking out and becoming
acquainted with people in the service of
professional goals
Makes you more effective and more productive
by providing feedback, new ideas, and new
collaborations.
Makes you and your work better known.
Does not substitute for quality work.
Before the Conference
 Prepare what you will talk about
(write it down, practice)

“Elevator talk” (1-minute)




Why is it an interesting problem?
Why is it important?
Why is your solution unique?
Longer talk (3-minute)

Slant to different audiences
(foreground/background)
Before the Conference
(cont.)
 Who will be there that you want to meet?
 What do they look like?
 Find a picture beforehand
 Ask someone to point them out
 What do you want to talk to them about?
 Read their papers, write down questions
 Ask why/how they started project,
where they got the problem
 Integrate your work and interests into
conversation
At the Conference
Wear your badge visibly
Speak! (Don’t just stand there)
Use the dreaded microphone
Have discussions with speakers after
their presentation
If you’re the speaker, hang around
afterwards
Talk to the person sitting next to you
At the Conference
(cont.)
Make lunch/dinner plans
Participate in hall talk
Attend social activities
Get your friends/adviser to introduce you
Get people you’ve just met to introduce
you; introduce them
Talk to people who come up to you
At the Conference
(cont.)
Make plans for FOLLOW UP
 Write down the next step
 Write down technical tips
 Write down what you owe whom;
what they owe you
At the Conference: Don’ts
Don’t hang around with your friends
Don’t interrupt heavy or private
conversations
Don’t be overly negative/critical
Don’t hang on to a conversation too long
Don’t put too much stock in a single, short
conversation
Don’t get discouraged
After the conference
FOLLOW UP!!!!
 Send them your related papers,
Ask for theirs
 Actually read them!
Send them comments
 Share software and workloads
 Do joint work together
 Invite them to give a talk
(* put them up at your place)
 Ask to give a talk there
(* as appropriate)
Homework Assignments
1. Tonight: Prepare your elevator talk


3 sentence description of your interests:
What is the topic/problem?
Why is it interesting/important?
What is your unique approach to a solution?
Tomorrow, you will be asked for it!
2. At end of workshop:
Fill out the evaluation survey form.
3. Before SOSP begins:
Identify a few conference attendees whom
you will make an effort to meet.
My Story
Ph.D. from University of Washington (1979)
(parallel algorithms for search trees).
Faculty positions at U. Oregon,
U. Rochester, and Duke (finding better
solutions to my 2-body problem each move).
My research evolved from large-scale
multiprocessor OS to small-scale mobile
devices. Energy conservation / sustainable
computing is recent focus.
Seriously started building my network at
SOSP 1987.

PCs, SIGOPS officer, TOCS EiC, CRA-W…
Acknowledgements & Thanks
These networking slides have been handed
down via Jan Cuny, Susan Eggers, John Davis,
Mary Jean Harrold, Kathryn McKinley, and
Susan Owicki.
My many mentors (those who provided
encouragement, advice, or opportunities at
critical times in my career; mostly informal):
Jean Loup Baer (advisor), Hank Levy, Barbara
Liskov, Satya, Anita Borg, Jan Cuny, Mary Lou
Soffa, Janie Irwin, Leah Jameson, Rachel
Pottinger, Kelly Shaw, Duke’s Faculty Women’s
Network.
Announcements
Shuttles to/from overflow hotels
What the “thank you” notes are for
Photo release forms
Questions?