Session 6: Birds of a Feather - 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Embrace Your Duality as an Asian Woman to Lead
Location: Royal Palm 1, 2, & 3
Panel: Leng Leng Tan (Oracle Corporation), Karen Hahn (Goldman Sachs), Roz Ho (Microsoft Corporation)
As Asian women in computing, we often find ourselves struggling with gender difference in this male-dominated field, but we also face the culture difference of a largely western environment. Do we have to change our identities in order to excel and lead in the computing field? In this session, we will discuss the unique issues that Asian women face and explore various skills and resources we can use to address them. We will brainstorm how to leverage our gender strength to excel, and to embrace our cultural advantage to lead!
Female-Friendly Education: Increasing Participation or Watering Down?
Location: Royal Palm 4, 5 & 6
Panel: Allan Fisher (iCarnegie, Inc.), Sue Rosser (Georgia Tech), Jane Margolis (UCLA), Mark Guzdial (Georgia Tech)
The idea of “female-friendly science” has been regarded — perhaps misconstrued — by some as panacea and by others as dumbing down. Participants in this session will review some of the research, history and implementation of the idea, and discuss it in the context of the general issue of broadening participation in computing. Advocates, practitioners, skeptics and the curious are invited.
How Can Commuter Schools Schedule Fun?
Location: Dover Conference Room
Panel: Donna Heistand-Tupper (CCBC - Essex), Grazina Metter (CCBC - Cantonsville)
The Community College of Baltimore County is a commuter school. In 2003, we were awarded an NSF grant to assist in creating a program designed to increase the number of women in computer-related fields. Our scholars are a diverse group of women. To recruit students, we rely heavily on faculty referrals. All scholars are assigned mentors. Working with student services, we have added several courses to the Cyber-Tutoring program. We have recruited faculty tutors for courses required in computer-related fields. We have designed a summer bridge program to reinforce math skills and give students workshops on study skill, math anxiety, learning styles, job interviewing and resume writing. Our winter bridge focuses on web design and computer-related skills. It is held exclusively online.
We offer many social activities and family nights for our scholars.
With an average attendance rate of 15%, “How Can Commuter Schools Schedule Fun?
Latinas in Engineering
Location: Sunset Conference Room
Panel: Gilda Garreton, Moderator (Sun Microsystems), Dilma da Silva (IBM TJ Watson Research Center), Cecilia Aragon (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
This Birds of Feather Session for the 2006 Grace Hopper conference is intended to facilitate informal discussion among Latina women in the computer science and engineering fields. Both women and Latinos are in the minority in technical fields in the United States, and it is rarer still to encounter a Latina in computer science or engineering. We would like to open up discussion among Latinas in engineering to share insights, support, ideas, and suggestions.
The expected audience is anyone interested in hearing about the experiences of Latinas working in the US, or people who want to share their stories with women with less work experience. It could also be a networking opportunity for women with similar backgrounds and interests.
Developing the CS All-Girls “Dream Team”
Location: Sunrise Conference Room
Panel: Carrie E. Gates (CA Labs), Connie L. Hanlon (CA Labs)
CA will present a new program that we believe will increase the likelihood that women will pursue a technology degree in higher education, and that they will stay with an IT career after they graduate. The concept was inspired by a TV documentary, “Dare to Dream,” about the U.S. women’s soccer team (www.hbo.com/sports/daretodream/index.html). In it, the coaches describe how they recruited players from various high schools and colleges, and built them into a team despite geographic distances. Our idea is similar: develop a team of girls who are still in high school and have them work together on a technical project (that has some social relevance), where they are mentored by undergraduate women and female technologists and leaders. By making this a multi-year program, we believe that women will both be inspired to pursue technology and develop the social network required to help them remain in technology.
Typing Lavender: LGBT Women in Computer Science
Location: Stratford Conference Room
Presenter: Melanie J. Martin, California State University, Stanislaus
The goal of this session is to bring together LGBT computer scientists and allies. We hope to provide an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of particular relevance to the LGBT community. Some topics we expect to discuss are: domestic partner benefits and tax implications, discrimination in the workplace, coming out in a job interview, solving samesex two body problems, and coping with isolation. In addition to networking, participants will be invited to share issues and solutions.
