CEHC Celebrates the Fifth Anniversary of 'State of Grace'
ALBANY, N.Y. (October 17, 2023) – The College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC) recently hosted the fifth annual “State of Grace” conference to celebrate women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) fields.
State of Grace is a spinoff of the national “Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference” named after computer programmer and inventor Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, who was a pioneer in her field and a role model for women technologists.
Erin Couture, assistant director of applied learning at CEHC, as well as Jennifer Goodall, vice dean of CEHC, co-organized the conference. It was free and open to the campus community, along with local young professionals.
Each day of the conference was dedicated to a theme including “Women in Leadership,” which featured a discussion with Provost and Senior Vice President Carol Kim, “Women in Technology,” Women in Emergency Management and Homeland Security” and “Women in Cybersecurity.”
Other highlights of the week included a drone flying night on the Downtown Campus at CEHC’s Drone Lab and a cybersecurity competition. There was also a film screening of “Coded Bias,” and an open house/game night at CEHC’s makerspace.
Couture believes the conference shows students how they can pave the way to a more equitable future. As of this year, women still hold less than 30 percent of technology jobs in the United States.
“I see this conference as a way to engage our students and embrace the importance of talking about the struggles that women face in the field,” Couture said. “Those things really resonate with me and hearing people who have been successful made me realize that I can see myself there too.”
Jennifer Goodall has always made it her mission to encourage everyone to make a difference by getting more women involved in tech.
“When we talk about not having enough women in tech, it's important to realize women in tech are not the solution to that problem,” she said. “Everybody needs to be part of the solution. If State of Grace can make it easier for students to broaden their perspective and see women leaders who look like them could be a leader in that field.”
As far as next year’s State of Grace conference, Couture and Goodall would love to see it grow to collaborate with other colleges and include high school students. They are also looking to include additional hands-on sessions like a game jam, where students can learn how to make a video game.
“It would be super cool to make it open and inviting for people that are not as comfortable yet in the tech world,” Couture said. “This is an opportunity for us to reach people who may not realize how these areas interact or relate with the areas or majors that they are involved in.”