Press Releases: Students selected to “Bridge” co-location activities between Richard Tapia & Grace Hopper Computing Conferences
Register for Both Conferences Today - Early Bird Rates Still Available
August 20, 2007 ORLANDO, FL. — One hundred students have been awarded scholarships to participate in special “Bridge Day” activities joining two computing conferences in Orlando, Florida this October: the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing (October 14-17) and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women and Computing (GHC, October 17-21). The co-location of the two leading women and diversity in computing conferences in the country is a unique opportunity to build bridges and interconnections between typically under-represented groups.
Bridge Day activities, which will take place on October 17th, are co-hosted by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Coalition to Diversify Computing and have been under-written by Microsoft, the Disney Corporation, and through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition to Bridge Day, the selected students will also attend a day of the second conference; that is, GHC students will also attend a day of the Tapia conference and Tapia students will also attend a day of GHC.
“The students participating in Bridge Day will build lasting networks and represent a tangible opportunity to link together under-represented communities in dynamic new ways. Supporting organizations like Disney, Microsoft, and the NSF understand this value,” said Deanna Kosaraju, GHC program director at the Anita Borg Institute. “Both conferences have a vision to increase the recruitment, retention, and participation of underrepresented groups in the field of computing. By working together we’ll speed and increase that change.”
The Bridge Day activities begin with a keynote address and introductions. The students will then be guided through a special behind-the-scenes look at the technology of Disney World. The second half of the day will consist of a team-building session typical for top executives that demonstrates how to work with others, build trust, and lead.
According to Monica Martinez-Canalez, general chair of the Tapia 2007 Conference, “Both conferences offer numerous opportunities for hundreds of students, from participation in technical talks and poster sessions to focused sessions about academic opportunities, career mentoring, and tailored feedback on research. Bridge Day will provide an even greater opportunity for students from both events to share ideas and experiences, and we’re delighted with the support and interest from the sponsors.”
Registration is open for both conferences to anyone interested in diversity and the future of computing. Information about the conference schedules, invited speakers, panels, special sessions, and logistics can be found at the following Websites.
About the Richard Tapia Conference
October 14-17, 2007, Orlando, FL - www.richardtapia.org/2007
The Tapia conference series honors the significant contributions of Dr. Richard A. Tapia, University Professor and Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is internationally known for his research in computational and mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education and outreach programs. Tapia has authored or co-authored two books and more than 100 mathematical research papers. In addition to his academic positions, he is also Director of Rice’s Center for Excellence and Equity in Education. This year’s theme is “Passing in Computing, Diversity in Innovation”.
The Tapia 2007 Conference is organized by the Coalition to Diversify Computing and co-sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society, in cooperation with the Computing Research Association. The Tapia 2007 Conference enjoys the financial support of a number of academic, research and business organizations at several levels: Gold Supporters: Google, Microsoft, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and the Rice University-Houston Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate; Silver Supporters: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Computer Science Department at Texas A&M University, the University of California, Berkeley, and USENIX; Bronze Supporters: Auburn University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Center for Women and Information Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Contributors: Georgetown University, IBM, Tufts University.
About the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference
October 17-21, 2007, Orlando, FL - www.gracehopper.org
The 2007 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is the seventh in a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industrial, academic and government communities. Leading researchers present their current work, while special sessions focus on the role of women in today’s technology fields, including computer science, information technology, research and engineering. This year’s theme is “I Invent the Future”.
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a program of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) and is co-presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs for industry, academia and government to help them recruit, retain and develop women leaders in high tech fields resulting in higher levels of technology innovation. ABI programs serve women in technology/computing creating a community and providing tools to develop their careers. The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. ABI Partners: Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Google, IBM, Intel, Cisco, Juniper Networks, and the Career Action Center and Symantec. www.anitaborg.org.