GHC Community: Official Bloggers

Tulika Agrawal

I completed my MS in Computer Science from University of California, San Diego and bachelors from Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani, India. I got introduced to computers in 6th grade and from that moment started to dream about being a software engineer. I am interested in developing applications for the web. I find the idea of developing something simple which can be used by millions of people on the web very exciting. I love the outdoors. I like to spend my vacations and weekends hiking, backpacking and camping. The most memorable trip I have taken is Machu Picchu, Peru, a 4 day hike. In my free time I like to read, anything from children’s fiction (famous five) to Sci Fi. Few of my favourite books are Atlas Shrugged, Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Harry Potter. I am currently a software engineer at Google. Tulika is blogging at http://tulika.blogspot.com

Diane Curtis

Diane Curtis currently works on the Academic Evangelism team at Microsoft. She graduated from Ohio State in 2002 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science. Diane started at Microsoft as an intern on the .NET Framework. After finishing school, she worked as a Software Design Engineer in Test on. NET Client and later became a Program Manager on Windows Mobile and Safety Technologies. Diane currently focus my efforts on fostering student developer communities, designing and executing programs to bridge the gap between students and technology. Diane is blogging at http://dianecu.spaces.live.com

Angela Dalton

Angela Dalton received a Ph.D. in Computer Science in May 2007 from Duke University. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Mobile and Pervasive Computing Lab and a Lecturer in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are in the area of Ubiquitous Computing, with a primary focus on context-awareness and mobility. She co-founded and serves as a board member of the Graduate Women in Computing organization at UT.

This is the third GHC conference Angela has attended and the first since earning her Ph.D. Angela is blogging at http://ghc2007.wordpress.com/

Katy Dickinson

Katy Dickinson is the Director, Business Process Architecture, for Sun Microsystems’ CTO & Sun Labs organizations. She creates then communicates measurably effective long-lasting corporate infrastructure and processes. Her specialty is acting as a change agent to resolve persistent and complex organizational problems.

Katy has worked for Sun since 1984 in Engineering, Marketing, Quality, Operations, Legal, and Sun Labs. She has worked as a Sigma Master Black Belt for CTO and Sun Labs since 2002. Her current projects include: SEED - Sun Engineering Enrichment & Development - Sun’s Engineering international mentoring program, Sun’s Global Product Engineering Cost Tool, TAB - Sun’s Technology Advisory Board, Sun’s participation in the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. Katy is blogging at http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog

Jessica Dickinson Goodman

I have studied karate for 12 years in dojo (Karate studio) where “you kick like a girl” is a compliment. I am a blackbelt and a Senpai (assistant teacher) in my dojo. I also write and recently had my essay, “High School Politics”, published in She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders. This summer I worked as a developer for Stanford’s Digital Repository where I designed and implemented an open source workflow engine for tracking the archiving process for the oldest English manuscripts in existence. I am currently an Undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon University. I hope to see you at my panel which I am cohosting with Katy Dickinson, my mother, entitled: Girl Geeks in High School – Technical Experiences of Future Inventors. Jessica is blogging at http://feelingelephants.wordpress.com/

Valerie Fenwick

Valerie Anne Fenwick is a Staff Engineer at Sun Microsystems with over a decade of experience in computer security. Valerie is currently working on making the Solaris Cryptographic Framework, of which she was a designer and major contributor, FIPS 140 compliant. She is a sponsor for the OpenSolaris project and was a leader in redefining the software bugtracking strategy and processes used across Sun today. Previously Valerie was the technical lead for the release of Solaris 10 1/06 and was responsible for NAT implementation as well as other network security features of the SunScreen firewall. Valerie has an B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University. In her spare time, she enjoys performing at community theaters, riding her bike, and skiing. Valerie is blogging at http://blogs.sun.com/bubbva

Gilda Garreton

Gilda Garretón, born in Chile, received her B.A. and Engineering degree from the Catholic University of Chile (PUC) and her Ph.D from the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETHZ) in Zürich. She joined Sun Microsystems Laboratories in 2004 and previously worked as a Software engineer at universities and in the financial industry. At Sun Labs, she research and develop VLSI algorithms used to design chips that test new technologies. Gilda is one the authors of the GHC06 “Latinas in Engineering” BoF and a co-founder of the “Latinas in Computing” community. She is a mentor of the SEED (Sun Engineering Enrichment & Development) program at Sun. Gilda is blogging at http://blogs.sun.com/gilda

Johanna Hunt

Johanna is a researcher from Brighton UK, currently working towards her doctorate in Informatics with a particular interest in programmer communication and collaboration.

She has a BA in Philosophy, MSc in Intelligent Systems, PGCert in Narrative Research and other vocational qualifications. Her current research specifically focuses on narrative communication (social storytelling) between programmers using agile software development in day-to-day work activities and group meetings. She leads postgraduate classes in research methods for computer science, group-work and interdisciplinarity and acts as a consultant on agile software development methods. In her spare time she is chair of the Agile Alliance funded Agile Narratives Project and co-organises several social events in her home town including: Brighton Coding Dojo, Brighton Agile Forum and Brighton Girl Geek Dinners. She has an enduring passion for traditional storytelling, folklore and board games. This is her first time to the GHC, so feel free to share your thoughts! Johanna is blogging at http://www.eventyr.co.uk/ramblings.html

Anna Martelli Ravencroft

Anna Martelli Ravenscroft has been a speaker at several Python Conferences, a technical reviewer on several Python books, is a co-editor of the Python Cookbook 2nd edition, and is the first female member of the Python Software Foundation. She is not a programmer, she just uses Python to get things done. Anna has an extensive background in use, coaching, and consulting on office applications. She is currently a “non-traditional” undergraduate student at Stanford University, majoring in Symbolic Systems. Anna is the mother of two wonderful teenagers and is married to Alex Martelli. Anna is blogging at http://annaraven.blogspot.com/

Brittany McCullar

My name is Brittany McCullar, and I am a 20-year old junior computer science major at DePauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana. I hail originally from Brazil, Indiana. At DPU, I volunteer as our ACM-W chapter’s chair. I am also working with my advisor, Gloria Townsend, on discovering and improving ways to attract more women to CS1. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, reading classic books, and spending time with my friends. I am also a member and officer of the Gamma Iota chapter of Delta Gamma. I am very excited about my opportunity to attend Grace Hopper and look forward to meeting lots of new people! Brit is blogging at http://britghc2007.blogspot.com/