Telling our stories – Sunny Miranda

Each year, we have the privilege of meeting inspiring women through ACM-W events. We invite participants to share their experiences in blog posts, highlighting their journeys, challenges, and achievements.

This month, we feature Sunny Miranda, a Brazilian computer scientist and Master in Computational Knowledge Modelling, specializing in Informatics in Education.

In this blog post, she shares her experience at womENcourage™ 2023, her scientific path, new goals for her career and key takeaways from the event.

About Me

I’m Sunny Miranda, a Brazilian computer scientist and Master in Computational Knowledge Modelling, specializing in Informatics in Education. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in Informatics Engineering at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Professional Trajectory

My interest in information technology (IT) began when I was 15 years old and enrolled in an IT Technician course. The idea of creating “magic” through systems programming fascinated me. Later, as a Computer Science undergraduate student at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) in Brazil, I had my first experience in a scientific research project, where I developed a graphic system for children’s literacy—a highly rewarding experience.

Following graduation, I pursued further education, earning three specializations that strengthened my career as a systems developer, manager, and IT instructor. In 2010, I assumed the public position of IT analyst at UFAL, where I coordinated teams and managed software engineering and IT initiatives from January 2010 to January 2021. Since January 2021, I have been on a leave of absence to focus on my PhD in Portugal. Additionally, I worked as an online teacher-tutor for UFAL’s undergraduate Information Systems course from 2011 to 2022.

New Goals

Even though my career as an IT analyst was well established, I gradually developed an interest in research. Since 2017, I have actively participated in discussions about the gender gap in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), particularly in initiatives that support women and girls in IT. I have taken part in several workshops sponsored by the “Meninas Digitais” Programme (http://meninas.sbc.org.br/sobre) and the Brazilian Computer Society’s Women in Information Technology group (https://sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/wit/about). Since 2019, I have been collaborating with the Katie Extension Project from UFAL (www.instagram.com/katie.ufal/), which aims to demystify computing for female students.

Motivated by personal and professional reasons, I took on the challenge of enrolling in a PhD program despite being over 40 years old. As a woman in IT, I often found myself in predominantly male environments, where my technical skills were sometimes questioned. This fueled my desire to contribute to gender balance in the field. Academically, I sought to deepen my knowledge in scientific research and informatics, aspiring to become a teacher-researcher.

Since September 2020, I have been a PhD student at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Moving to Portugal marked the beginning of a new chapter—immersing myself in doctoral research while building new professional networks. More challenging than my PhD coursework and research has been being away from my family in Brazil.

As part of my doctoral studies, I conducted literature reviews on teaching and learning computer programming from a gender perspective in primary and secondary education. My research explores best practices to increase girls’ interest in IT and investigates the factors influencing students’ choices to pursue Computer Science (CS) at the university level. In October 2022, I successfully defended my thesis proposal, which aims to analyze ways to boost student interest—especially among girls—in computing. The project involves identifying key factors that attract students to CS in higher education and developing a recommendation system to suggest best practices for engaging primary and secondary school students in CS.

Scientific Path

My academic research journey began during my undergraduate studies in Computer Science when I received a scientific initiation scholarship. During my master’s research, I wrote, published, and presented scientific papers at specialized conferences in Brazil.

During my PhD in Portugal, I became involved in research groups aligned with my field of study. I am a member of EUGAIN-WG1 (https://eugain.eu/structure/working-groups/), where I participate in discussions about gender balance in informatics from a European perspective. Additionally, I collaborate with Inspira Mentoring (https://inspira.dei.uc.pt/), a program focused on retaining female talent in informatics through mentoring and academic development activities.

I have presented my research at several international conferences:

Doctoral Colloquium at the International Symposium on Computers in Education, Coimbra, Portugal (2022)
Poster Session at EUGAIN Summer School, Lugano, Switzerland (2022)
Early Career Researchers Workshop at the 18th European Computer Science Summit, Hamburg, Germany (2022)
WIRE-EUGAIN Workshop presentation: My Path to a PhD, Hamburg, Germany (2022)
IEEE ASEE Frontiers in Education Conference, College Station, Texas, USA (2023)

Expected Contributions

After completing my PhD, I aim to contribute to the development of computing education by assisting educators and curriculum designers in creating engaging learning experiences that foster positive attitudes toward computing. I also seek to support public policies that enhance computer science education at the primary and secondary levels, ultimately increasing female representation in CS courses and the IT workforce.

By addressing gender disparities in IT, I hope to promote a more inclusive, innovative, and economically balanced society.

10th womENcourage Experience

Participating in the 10th womENcourage Conference in Norway was an incredible and fulfilling experience—it was my first ACM womENcourage event. I had the opportunity to connect with women in IT from diverse backgrounds and present my poster on the mentoring program for attracting and retaining women at the University of Coimbra’s Department of Informatics Engineering. The feedback was highly encouraging.

Additionally, I volunteered at the EUGAIN Workshop during the event. The workshop featured inspiring talks from influential women and thought-provoking discussions about the importance of gender balance in IT academia and industry. It was a unique learning experience filled with moments of celebration and motivation to continue my research and advocacy efforts.

I am grateful to ACM, EUGAIN, and Inspira-UC for the opportunity to participate in womENcourage. To women who have not yet attended, I highly encourage you to join next year’s event. Explore past conference highlights, submit your work for presentation, and embrace the opportunity to build meaningful connections. Stay open to new experiences, and leave the event inspired to contribute to a more inclusive and supportive IT community!