Now On! The 5th W.TEC Girls Technology Camp

What a long way W.TEC has come.....

On Friday, we received our latest batch of girls for this year's Technology Camp.

The W.TEC Girls Technology Camp is an initiative aimed at helping secondary school students develop technology literacy skills and gain an awareness of career options related to technology, science and engineering. The long-term goal is to increase the numbers of women working with and using information technology productively for professional and leadership activities.

During the camp, the girls participate in technology workshops and leadership activities. Evaluations of previous camps show enhanced leadership skills; creativity; and problem-solving and communication abilities in the girls as a result of attending the camp.

The camp's uniqueness lies in it's girls-only design. The camp is also a residential programme and for the 2-week duration of the camp, 30 girls live and learn about the exciting opportunities that information technology presents for learning, working and living in the 21st century.

Stay tuned for updates from the camp and check out photographs from last year's camp.

Anita Borg Change Agent Award Winners Announced

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology today announced the winners of the Change Agent awards. The winners will be be honored at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing later this year.

Anita Borg Change Agent Awards: Dr. Ramalatha Marimuthu, Professor and Head of Department, Kumaraguru College of Technology; Maria Dubovitskaya, pre-doctoral researcher at IBM Research - Zurich and Ph.D. candidate at ETH Zurich; and Evelyn Namara, Program Coordinator at Solar Sister.

I won the Change Agent award in 2009 and it was a wonderful honour and gave me the opportunity to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, which was an exciting and encouraging event for any technical or aspiring technical woman.

The other award announced include the Anita Borg Social Impact Award, which goes to Cathi Rodgveller, Founder and coordinator of IGNITE (Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution) and Nontraditional Career Counselor at Seattle Public Schools.

I had the pleasure to speak at a program organised by the Nigerian chapter of IGNITE. The importance of female mentors cannot be over-emphasised and this meet-up with girls from selected secondary schools confirmed this. The other speaker and I were bombarded with questions.

Visit the Anita Borg website to learn about the other award winners.

The Anita Borg Institute seeks to: 1.) Increase the impact of women on all aspects of technology, and 2.) Increase the positive impact of technology on the world’s women.

Google's Marissa Mayer: Passion is a gender-neutralizing force

This interview with Marissa Mayer, Google's VP of Local, Maps and Localization Services, is part of CNN's Leading Women series.

In the early days of Google, she and most of the technical staff routinely worked 100-hour weeks. However, she was motivated to do so, because she felt that the technology that Google was developing was really important. And indeed it has turned out be. Aside from the incomparable search engine, the company has birthed many tools that have changed how we work, find and use information and play today.

$5000 mentored open source summer internship with Twisted and the GNOME Outreach Program for Women‏

I saw this on a list I belong to. It sounds like an excellent opportunity and note that it's open to women anywhere in the world. Just read through and apply:

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Get paid to contribute to an open source project this summer, with mentorship from women leaders in the open source community!

What: USD $5000 full-time summer internship with the Twisted Python open source project

Who: This internship is open to all women, including students and non-students

When: May - August 2012, *applications close April 13th*

Apply at: http://twistedmatrix.com/trac/wiki/WomenOutreach2012

Questions? Say hello at

The Twisted project has partnered with the GNOME Outreach Program for Women and the Software Freedom Conservancy to fund an internship for one woman to spend the summer participating in and contributing to Twisted while being mentored.

Twisted is an event-driven networking engine written in Python. If you love the Internet, Twisted is the project for you! This is a great opportunity to learn more about what goes on under the hood when you browse the web, send an e-mail, or use an instant messaging service, as Twisted supports all of these networking protocols. Twisted applies software development best practices like in-depth code reviews and complete unit test coverage, so it's a great way to improve your technical skills, whether you're a beginner or an expert programmer.

Twisted is used by companies like Google, Apple and Lucasfilm and by many open source projects, in everything from an airline reservation system to providing dynamic monitoring of a rural electrification project in sub-Saharan Africa. You can learn about some of Twisted's users at twistedmatrix.com/trac/wiki/SuccessStories.

This is a *full-time* internship open to all women, including students and non-students from anywhere on the globe. The summer stipend is USD $5000.

Please review the application process and get started on it early, as a small initial contribution to Twisted is a part of applying (if this sounds intimidating, don't worry! We'll help you pick a task to complete and you'll have lots of support as you work through submitting your first patch.)

This internship is appropriate for *any level of open source experience*. If you have worked on an open source project before, great! If not, we'll help you learn the development and communication tools we use as part of the internship. Some Python experience is a prerequisite.

Please check out the full project description and apply today.

Sheryl Sandberg's Keynote Address at the Grace Hopper Conference

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, gave a keynote address at the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in which she encourages women to consider and pursue careers in technology and explains why technology is such a key driver of the economy.

Watch live streaming video from fbtechtalks at livestream.com

Apply: Pass-It-On Awards Program

The Anita Borg Systers Pass-It-On (PIO) Awards honor Anita Borg’s desire to create a network of technical women helping one another. The cash awards, funded by donations from the Systers Online Community, are intended as means for women established in technological fields to support women seeking their place in the fields of technology. The program is called “Pass-It-On” because it comes with the moral obligation to “pass on” the benefits gained from the award.

Pass-it-on Award applications are open to any woman over 18 years old in or aspiring to be in the fields of computing. Awards are open to women in all countries and range from $500.00 to $1000.00 USD. Applications covering a wide variety of needs and projects are encouraged, such as:

* Small amount to help with studies, job transfers or other transitions in life.
* A broader project that benefits girls and women.
* Projects that seek to inspire more girls and women to go into the computing field.
* Assistance with educational fees and materials.
* Partial funding source for larger scholarship.
* Mentoring and other supportive groups for women in technology or computing.

Spring 2011 PIO Award Cycle

* Applications open Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 12:00 noon PST (UT-8).
* Applications close Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 12:00 noon PST (UT-8).
* Reference letters due Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 5:00 PM PST (UT-8). Send letters by email to: passiton-2011spring at systers dot org or passiton-2011spring@systers.org

Get more information on the ABI website.

Global Social Benefit Incubator

For those in the California area:

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Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology, and Society is inviting people to see business plan presentations by its 2010 Global Social Benefit Incubator Entrepreneurs from around the world.

When: Thursday, August 26, 2010

Where: Locatelli Center at Santa Clara University

Agenda:
7:15 - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Business Plan Presentations
12:00 - 1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 - 6:15 p.m. Business Plan Presentations
6:15 - 7:45 p.m. Reception

The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBITM) program at Santa Clara University enables proof of concept social ventures that serve the base of the pyramid to become sustainable at scale. It combines classroom instruction in finance, marketing creation, organizational development, and business planning with case studies, best practices and, most importantly, carefully matched Silicon Valley mentors. The invited entrepreneurs have demonstrated that their innovations can have a significant impact on alleviating poverty and empowering human development in the most adverse circumstances around the world.

In 2010, the STS Center launched a three-year initiative to focus on “Renewable Energy for the Underserved.” This initiative will explore several segments of the clean energy field including off-grid power and light and related value chain organizations such as technology providers. This year, we have 12 social entrepreneurs that are representing the Renewable Energy Sector in the GSBI class of 2010.

At the August 26th summary business plan presentations, you will see how the unique GSBI learning environment contribute to the innovative adaptation of technology and models of social change, in combination with validated business plans, to accelerate the potential for social entrepreneurship to benefit all of humanity.

RSVP at the event page or email gsbi2010@scu.edu.

For further information call +1.408.551.6027 or email sdale@scu.edu. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation, please call the Center or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY-California Relay) at least 48 hours prior to the event.

Girls & Technology Links

Two women & technology links:

Technology lifts status for many African women: www.computerworldnigeria.com/articles/2010/03/17/technology-lifts-status-many-african-women

This article by Rebecca Wanjiku explores the new work and economic opportunities that information technology has opened up for African women.

Girls Investigate: From Face to Facebook: womensmediacenter.com/blog/2010/03/girls-investigate-social-medias-merits-minuses



This short video produced by Nadia Tareen for Girls Learn International, speaks to teenage North American girls about their social media usage patterns and how it's influenced their lives. The girls talk about social media's potential for activism and offering new ways to stay in touch with their friends. On the other hand, they also share their fears about cyber bullying, protecting themselves adequately in their online interactions and the biggest of all drawbacks - time wasting.

The Tech Awards: Nominations for 2010

The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to address humanity’s most urgent challenges.

In partnership with Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society, 15 Laureates are selected annually and $50,000 is awarded to one Laureate in each category: Environment, Economic Development, Education, Equality, and Health.

Individuals as well as nonprofit and commercial organizations are eligible. Anyone may submit a nomination. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

Deadline for nominations is March 31.
Deadline for final applications is May 5.

This year’s Laureates will be honored during a week of activities in Silicon Valley leading up to The Tech Awards Tenth Annual Gala on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

Nominate today:
www.techawards.org

Job Opportunity: Researchers for Mapping Case Studies of Transparency, Accountability, and Civic Engagement Technology Projects‏ (Global Voices)

Interesting work opportunity with Global Voices. See below for more information.

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Beginning on Monday, January 11 2010, Global Voices will begin a three-month research mapping of transparency, accountability, and civic engagement technology projects and specifically are seeking:

Latin America - 2 researchers
Sub-Saharan Africa - 2 researchers
South East Asia - 1 researcher
South Asia - 1 researcher
China - 1 researcher
Central & Eastern Europe - 1 researcher

Job Description:
From January to April 2010, each regional researcher is expected to produce four case studies over 12 weeks and facilitate a total of two online discussions - blog posts - over 4 weeks. Each regional researcher will be paid $800 per month for a total of $2,400. We also have some money in our budget to bring the most active researchers to the 2010 Global Voices summit in order to present their findings on a panel.

In addition to the regional researchers, we are also able to offer a small honorarium ($200) to eight reviewers who leave comments that evaluate the case studies and blog posts published by the researchers.

Examples of such projects include www.mzalendo.com which makes information more accessible from the proceedings of the Kenya's parliament; www.congressoaberto.com.br, which uses official data published by government agencies to encourage the public to engage more closely with the Brazilian legislature; and ishki.com/ which aims to involve citizens from the Middle East in developing solutions to civic problems. We want to know what other projects exist, what challenges they are encountering, and what can be done to better support their work.

These case studies will be published on a separate website that uses the same platform as threatened.globalvoicesonline.org. Each case study should include a Skype interview with a representative from the project. Those Skype interviews will be recorded and excerpts will be published to the website to serve as a weekly podcast.

If you are interested in working on this project as a regional researcher or as a reviewer please let me know as soon as possible. If you know of someone who is the perfect fit for this project please put me in touch with him/her. If you are interested in the regional researcher position please respond (off list) with answers to these questions: 1) What is your experience and interest in the field of transparency, accountability, and civic engagement? 2) Why do you want to be involved in this project?

Best,

David

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David Sasaki | outreach@globalvoicesonline.org
Director of Rising Voices
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org
gtalk: osopecoso | skype: elosopecoso
http://el-oso.net/blog
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Grant Opportunity: Women in Technology

Apply for the Systers' Pass it On grant to support programmes that encourage women in computing. The Systers is an initiative of the Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology and is a fantastic online resource, which provides a support and resource network for technical women.

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

I was at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Tucson, Arizona and it was a wonderful event. It was great to be surrounded by so many techie women.

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.

I was awarded the Change Agent Award along with 2 other African women (1 from Nigeria and 1 from Kenya).

I have to say that I haven't enjoyed a conference as much as this one in a long time. I was re-energised and 're-inspired' for my work.

Review notes from the conference on the GHC blog and the Twitter updates.

Bar Camp Nigeria

... based on the 'un-conference' style of similar Bar Camps, like those in Kenya, Tanzania. An un-conference is an informal gathering of professionals and enthusiasts for a period of learning and sharing. It differs from the typical conference where information generally flows from presenters to participants, and rather takes a more participatory approach.

This will be the first Barcamp held in Nigeria and the details are:

Date: Saturday, April 25 2009
Venue: Tom Associates Training Centre and Conference Hall, Lagos

For more info, subscribe to the Twitter updates: twitter.com/barcampnigeria.

Competitions/Funding Opportunities

Apply and share:

Vodafone Challenge - Deadline Feb. 2
The Vodafone Americas Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its Wireless Innovation Challenge, a new competition that seeks to identify and fund the best innovations using wireless related technology to address critical social issues around the world. Three winners will be awarded prizes of $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 for unique, late-stage wireless innovations that offer the best potential for creating social change in the areas of education, health, economic development, the environment and access to communication. For more information and to submit, visit: http://challenge.vodafone-us.com/

Intel's Inspire Empower Challenge - Deadline Feb. 17
Intel's INSPIRE•EMPOWER Challenge is looking for ideas from individuals, developers, organizations, and the public at large for using technology to address a global issue in the areas of education, health care, economic development, and the environment. Winners will get $100,000 USD to get their idea off the ground!
For more information, visit: http://ga0.org/ct/A1_e8YS1ET2C/

The Tech-Savvy Obama Presidency

Everyone loves Obama, it seems. In particular, everyone it seems is impressed by the tech-savviness of his campaign. I think I've heard it mentioned in every single plenary here at the AWID Forum.

Guardian explores his use of information technology on his campaign and in his presidency - starting with the launch of his weekly broadcast via YouTube to the American public.

FTX & AWID

It's been a little while. But the last 10 days have been rather busy. I feel so lame saying that, because it feels like I'm *always* saying that. Okay, well they have. I've been away at 2 events; the first being the Feminist Technology Exchange and the second being the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum, both in Cape Town.

FTX was a 3-day workshop exploring feminist practices and politics of using technology. So what does that mean in plain English? You can think of it as ways to use existing tools to further women's rights. Yours truly was a trainer on the social networking track and that was fun and inspiring. Since it was an exchange, the model was not so much as a lecture-type format but a sharing of experiences, resources and practices all round.

AWID has been a wonderful experience. I've been wanting to attend it for the last 6 years and finally I'm excited to be here. It's been a packed 3 days, so far. And as with some conferences I've been to, there's a lot to pick from. My one grouse is that the really fabulous sessions are all packed in the mornings and I have to struggle to choose which one to go to. Then in the afternoon, there's nothing I want to go to. Since I am not a trainer, I have been able to relax a bit. My presentation is tomorrow morning, so hoping that goes well. It's the last day of the conference, which could be good or not. People will be tired and 'conferenced out.' Many will want to sleep in or even better go shopping or sight-seeing.

Atrracting Women to FOSS

It's been a busy blog morning. I was sent this article entitled Ten Easy Ways to Attract Women to your Free Software Project. It explores the ways in which women are discouraged from participating and contributing more to free and open software software (FOSS) projects. It has implications and useful knowledge for projects beyond FOSS and makes for good reading.

Celebrities Square onTechnology

One of my favourite things to read right now is Celebrity Squares on Guardian's website. Not what is sounds like; celebrities talk about their favourite piece of technology and why they like it. Here's the latest post.

W.TEC’s Girls’ Technology Camp

The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) is now accepting nominations for its upcoming W.TEC Girls’ Technology Camp.
The 1-week residential camp, which will take place in Lagos in August 2008, is aimed at bridging the technology gap between boys and girls earlier in their career path. The camp is designed to encourage young women to choose a career path in information and communication technology (ICT) or to develop more interest in using and/or managing ICTs.

Objectives:
The primary aims of this camp are to:

1. Introduce young Nigerian women to a variety of computer applications and other ICTs, which they can use productively for leisure, school and work, and help develop their skills in using them
2. Encourage the young women to consider a technology career, by giving a realistic and positive idea of computing-related careers through career talks and career-themed films
3. Help the young women plan their future careers with the assistance of mentors and women currently working in these fields

The programme is targeted at female students who are:

• Currently in JSS 2 to SSS 2 and no younger than 11 years of age
• Interested in computers and other ICTs
• Considering a career in a computing-related field or one in which computers will be used frequently

Application:
Nominations should be sent to info@w-teconline.org, with the following information: First and Last Names; Class; Age; School; Contact Address; Phone Number; and Email Address.

Alternatively, visit the W.TEC website to read more and apply.

Why Girls Blog

I just read this New York Times article based on some recent research conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which found that among Web users (in the U.S.) ages 12 to 17, significantly more girls than boys blog (35% of girls compared with 20% of boys) and create or work on their own Web pages (32% of girls compared with 22% of boys).

Some of the guesses floated for this in the article is that girls are socialised more to tell stories about themselves and others (or have a tendency to be more "confessional" than boys). Where guys do dominate is in posting videos and, according to one of the academics featured in the article, not because they are more skilled at it than girls but because "videos are often less about personal expression and more about impressing others. It’s an ideal way for members of a subculture — skateboarders, snowboarders — to demonstrate their athleticism."

According to another one of the academics interviewed, girls "from a young age ... learn that they are objects ... so they learn how to describe themselves. Historically, girls and women have been expected to be social, communal and skilled in decorative arts."

She continued, that this dominance by girls in creating web content, as a result of their communication skills would be called "the feminization of the Internet." Hmmm well, that certainly makes a change from the perceived masculinity of most other forms of technology.

It's always interesting to read the deductions made from research such as this. Of course, there are always a fair amount of generalisations made - and I guess that have to be made. I loved to write when I was much younger, but I think that my tastes always gravitated more towards the literary. It was less to do with my being a girl and expectations to be able to describe myself (and perhaps more influenced by upbringing). But then, I am one person and so it's difficult to say why other women blog, write or maintain websites.

In our society where oral story-telling is very much a part of the culture, such results perhaps might have been expected. But to really know, someone would have to do some research on online usage trends in Nigeria for us to know for sure.