CS Talks | Speaker's Dinner Testimonials

Johanna Kump, Stella Lukasser, Eva Galperin, Olga Ovcharenko

We offer students the chance for a free dinner with the speakers where they can gain personal insight into life as a computer scientist. Here is what people say about the experience.

Johanna Kump on her dinner with Eva Galperin (CS Talks #9)

Just after the inspiring and extremely interesting CS Talk, myself and two more female CS students had the honor to share a delicious dinner with Eva in a private and relaxed setting. Having been so inspired by Eva’s career and especially her mission to raise awareness about cybersecurity and to “invite others to the table” and represent those who can’t themselves, I could not have been more excited to personally meet Eva at this dinner. We were able to ask all questions that came to mind, be it personal or professional, and Eva shared her insights wherever she could, and answered with so much honesty. For me, it was such a beneficial experience to talk with Eva and to gather all the tips she could give on what to focus on in our career and the most important lessons she has learned in life. Her encouraging words for us as Computer Science students motivated me hugely for my studies and helped redefine my goals for the future.
It was a wonderful evening, thank you so much for this opportunity!

Julia Laßnig on her dinner with Charlotte Han (CS Talks #6)

Thank you for the opportunity to join the dinner with Charlotte! It was really nice to get to know Charlotte and other female CS students in a relaxed atmosphere while having a tasty dinner. After the talk we discussed what impacts and implications AI might have on society and also had the possibility to share our own stories and how we got into the field of CS as for some of us this wasn't the first career choice.

Carla Barreiros on her dinner with Charlotte Han (CS Talks #6)

Seven ladies, six nationalities, great food and wine, was the perfect recipe for an evening to discuss the effects of technology in todays’ society. This evening followed Charlotte Han’s inspiring talk about the rise of AI and robotics, where she expertly raised many interesting questions that we further debated in this smaller circle. We all got to share bits and pieces of our lives and experiences, we talked about sci-fi, robots, environment, technology, and so many other topics. Even though we couldn’t find answers or immediate solutions, we all agreed that it is import to raise awareness of the power of technology. Let’s make sure that technology impacts positively human kind!

Anna Pukaluk on her dinner with Charlotte Han (CS Talks #6)

I would like to thank you once again for the opportunity to take part in the talk and dinner with Charlotte. Although I have to admit that I expected slightly more technical approach, I enjoyed both the talk given by the excellent speaker and the dinner with such a nice and social person. It made me to think over not only AI consequences but life priorities in general, moreover, the immediate chance to discuss it with Charlotte and other students was a very valuable experience.

Lena Heimberger on her dinner with Tara Chklovski (CS Talk #1)

"On the 6th of November 2018, the computer science department of the TU Graz organized the talk „Empowering Girls and Mothers worldwide to innovate using AI“. The talk introduced Iridiscent‘s concept on educating girls in low-income countries, featuring impressive success stories and the philosophy of the project.

After a talk and an extensive question segment, four female students, including me, had the opportunity to have dinner with Tara Chklovski, Iridiscent‘s founder and CEO. She was very interested in our studies and why we chose to study computer science. We were able to inquire about many different topics, both related to her work and how she was able to found her nonprofit organization. Tara was happy to answer any questions that occured after recounting the talk. Additionally, she gave us helpful advice on both our studies and future careers, as well as recounting anecdotes from her youth and upbringing.

It was a very interesting and beneficial experience to have the opportunity to meet the founder of a large nonprofit organization. Personally, it was most interesting to get advice from Tara on how to start a company and to gain insight on possible challenges, both during the startup phase and also when running a large company. "