Arab Women in Computing conference in Beirut

The American University in Beirut (AUB) hosted yesterday the fifth annual international conference on Arab Women in Computing (AWIC) in the presence of the minister of state for administrative development, Dr. Inaya Izzedine, AUB president, Dr. Fadlo Khoury, and a concerned audience. The conference seeks to support Arab women in various disciplines of computing to create connections with the global environmental system for technology and enable them to achieve their professional aspirations. On the occasion, AWIC head, Sana Odeh, noted in her speech that in Lebanon there is a “large number of talented female higher degree holders but who are jobless.” Khoury, for his part, pointed out that the underrepresentation of women in the computer industry labor market “should not surprise us, it should disturb us.” Generally, in Arab countries, Khoury stated, “we notice a parity between male and female computer science graduates, but not in Lebanon, not yet.” Likewise, Izzedine stressed that education today cannot be separated from communications, information technology and the global information network, pointing that the current global trend promotes the integration of computing and IT into the curriculum. “Observing the great challenges our region faces in these fields, we should not be satisfied with this,” Izzedine said. The 3-day conference will see a number of speakers and panelists in the fields of technology and computer sciences and will include interactive and guidance sessions, technical workshops, vocational training for all levels and a professional exhibition for participating companies. (Al Mustaqbal, August 11, 2017)