PALO ALTO, CA. — November 14, 2011—The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology concluded this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing with the Codeathon for Humanity, part of the conference’s Open Source Day activities. Participants coded for humanitarian causes including Google Crisis Response, Kids on Computers, and Sahana Software Foundation. The world’s largest gathering of women in computing, the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is a four-day technical conference designed to bring together the research and career interests of women in computing and highlight their accomplishments across industry, academia and government. The conference, attended by a record-breaking 2,908 people, was held in Portland, Oregon, November 9-12, 2011.

Friday’s events were highlighted by keynote speaker, Shirley Ann Jackson, president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A theoretical physicist, Jackson was chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the 1990s, and currently serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, appointed by President Obama in 2009.

Jackson’s keynote, titled What if I Lived on the World Stage?, addressed the importance of meeting the challenges and opportunities presented today, with a global perspective: “We are fortunate to live in a time of interconnectedness, where communications and collective action are possible at an international level. We have seen the consequence of this in terms of social and structural change in a number of countries recently. However, in thrusting people of different cultures together daily and rapidly, our smaller world also creates difficulties in achieving true understanding and consideration.”

Jackson continued, “Science and technology work across language and culture in a special way. They are global disciplines that reach past nationalities and ethnicities. Thanks to new technologies, we have the opportunity to work in a coordinated way as we face challenges that affect everyone on this planet.”

High-ranking technology executives spoke on a plenary panel entitled Partnering with Executive Leaders for Shared Vision and Career Growth. The plenary addressed how increasing women at executive levels can only be accomplished when men and women have frank and open conversations that bring together organizational and personal strengths, and map them to business goals and objectives.

Participants included:

• Linda Apsley, Director of Program Management, Microsoft Corporation
• Bill Laing, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Corporation
• Betsy Speare, Principal Lead Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
• Gabriel M. Silberman, Senior Vice President and Director, CA Labs
• Carrie E. Gates, Distinguished Engineer and Director of Research, CA Labs
• Maria Klawe, President, Harvey Mudd College
• Christine Alvarado, Associated Professor of Computer Science, Harvey Mudd College

The Award Ceremony featured technical women whose work has not only impacted the development of technology but also positively impacted the lives of women in technology:

• Anita Borg Social Impact Award winner – Anne Ikiara, General Manager of NairoBits. The Anita Borg Social Impact Award is underwritten by Microsoft.
• Anita Borg Technical Leadership Award winner –  Mary Lou Soffa, the Owen R. Cheatham Professor and Department Chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Virginia. The Anita Borg Technical Leadership Award is underwritten by Bloomberg.
• Denice Denton Award winner – Tiffani Williams, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. The Denice Denton Award is underwritten by Microsoft.
• Anita Borg Change Agent Award winners – Marita Cheng from Australia, founder of Robogals, a student-run organization that aims to increase female participation in engineering, science and technology; and Judith Owigar from Kenya, the president of Akirachix, a revolution for African women and technology which gives African women a voice in science and technology. The Anita Borg Change Agent Awards are underwritten by Google Inc.
• A. Richard Newton Educator Award winner – Lisa Pruitt, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley. The A. Richard Newton Educator Award is underwritten by Alan Eustace.

Codeathon for Humanity

On Saturday the conference concluded with Codeathon for Humanity, a collaboration of technologists who wrote code for OSS projects supporting humanitarian initiatives, including:

• Google Crisis Response Team – makes critical information more accessible around natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Google Person Finder provides an open platform for people to log queries and enter updates about missing persons.
• The Haitian Women’s Peer-to-Peer Network – is a Nomadic Stories project that connects women who are off the communications grid by integrating mobile and open-source applications with ubiquitous technology such as community radio and local women’s networks.
• Humanitarian Open Street Map Team [HOT] – acts as a bridge between the traditional Humanitarian Responders and the OpenStreetMap Community. HOT works both remotely and physically in countries to assist to collection of geographic data, usage of that information and training others in OpenStreetMap.
• Kids on Computers (KOC) – works to provide free computers and free and open source software to disadvantaged kids and schools open to the public.
• Sahana Software Foundation - provides information management solutions that enable organizations and communities to better prepare for and respond to disasters.
• Systers – is the world’s largest email community of technical women in computing, founded by Anita Borg in 1987 and today, Systers broadly promotes the interests of women in the computing and technology fields.

“The tremendous growth and impact of this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration is nothing short of amazing,” said Deanna Kosaraju, vice president of strategic initiatives, Anita Borg Institute. “Our attendees have come to expect new programs and opportunities for growth that will support them in their academic and professional endeavors. The Codeathon for Humanity is just one of many innovative initiatives we strive to deliver that not only facilitates learning for technical women, but also showcases the benefits of technology as it applies to our society.”

The next Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore Maryland, October 3-6, 2012.

Follow us on Twitter at @anitaborg_org.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. Our programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

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Media Contact
Anita Borg Institute
Jerri Barrett
408-204-7229
jerrib@anitaborg.org

PORTLAND, OR. — November 11, 2011 —The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology today announced a record-breaking turnout of 2,908 attendees representing 34 countries at the first day of the 11th Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The world’s largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is a four-day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Themed “What If…?” GHC is taking place this week in Portland, Oregon, November 9-12 at the Oregon Convention Center.

Highlights of the conference’s first day included a keynote speech by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who spoke about the need for more women in technology and in higher level senior positions. She offered five suggestions for women interested in advancing their careers, saying they should:

1. believe in themselves, see their successes clearly and don’t underestimate their achievements – no one ever achieved what they did not set out to do
2. dream big, be ambitious – success is positively correlated with men, while the opposite is true with women; but with more women in power, this will change
3. choose a supportive partner – this is the single most important decision a woman can make for her career, because women typically assume the additional responsibilities of raising a family
4. avoid making career decisions too early – trying to plan life too carefully can close doors rather than keep them open
5. start talking – it’s important to acknowledge the challenges women face and communicate them openly, or change will never happen

And in keeping with the “What If…?” theme of the conference, some of the day’s session topics addressed such questions as:

• What If Every Public School Student Learned Computer Science?
• What If Android Based Devices in Ethiopia Could Help Prevent Blindness?
• Engineering at the Interface of Biology – Beth Pruitt, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
• What If there Were More Women in Technology? The Business Case for Diversity
• Expressive Electronics for Computer Scientists: An Introduction to E-Textiles, presented by Natalie Freed, Emily Lovell, and Jie Qi (MIT Media Lab)

“The fact that the Grace Hopper Celebration has increased in size by 35 percent this year – and continues to grow year over year – is a testament to the continuous innovation that takes place within our conference,” said Deanna Kosaraju, ABI’s vice president of strategic initiatives. “More than 148 committee members from industry and academia work to build an entirely new program each year featuring the latest technological innovations combined with content to support women in their technical careers. From the highly successful Career Fair, to the Codeathon for Humanity, attendees come to the conference knowing they will deepen existing relationships, make new connections, learn from conference programs, and come away with fresh insights and a renewed confidence that inspires them to reach higher personal and professional goals. This is the ultimate reward for us, as producers of the conference.”

The Grace Hopper Celebration features 132 panels, workshops, technical papers, Ph.D. forum, new investigators, technical posters, a track on large scale computing, and “birds of a feather” sessions across ten tracks. For more information visit www.gracehopper.org.

Upcoming Highlights

November 11: The conference will feature the Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Jackson is a theoretical physicist and was chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to1999. She currently serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, appointed by President Obama in 2009. Her keynote will address the importance of developing a global perspective to meet the challenges and opportunities today because, increasingly, people of different cultures are thrust together which can create difficulties in achieving true understanding and consideration.

November 12: Codeathon for Humanity will feature a collaboration of technologists writing code for open source software projects that support humanitarian initiatives and goals such as Google Crisis Response Team, Kids on Computers, Humanitarian Open Street Map, and Sahana Software Foundation for disaster preparedness.

Follow the Grace Hopper Celebration on Twitter at @ghc.

Follow the Anita Borg Institute on Twitter at @anitaborg_org.
About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. Our programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

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Media Contact
Anita Borg Institute
Jerri Barrett
650-857-6095
jerrib@anitaborg.org

PORTLAND, OR. — November 10, 2011 —The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology announced today that Google, Huawei and NetApp are sponsoring scholarships for six TechWomen alumnae for the 11^th Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. As TechWomen Change Agent Scholars, these TechWomen are up-and-coming leaders who work to advance women’s participation in technology. During the conference, they will be recognized for their efforts to help expand opportunities for and impact the careers of girls and women in technology in their home country, territory or region, which will be held November 9-12, 2011, in Portland, Oregon.

TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Institute of International Education and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Bringing the power of global business, technology, and education together, TechWomen pairs women from the technology sector in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area with their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies. Using innovative technologies, cutting-edge content, and social networking tools, TechWomen fosters and develops the next generation of women leaders in the technology field by providing women and girls with the access and opportunity needed to pursue technical careers.

“NetApp feels it is important for women to globally connect, share ideas, and create innovative ways for technology to enhance lives. As a sponsor of the TechWomen Change Agent Scholars, NetApp supports the TechWomen program’s vision to bring technical women from predominantly Muslim countries to the Grace Hopper Celebration where they will meet and learn from others, bringing back valuable contacts and knowledge to the initiatives they are starting to encourage girls and women to pursue tech careers in their region,” said Brian Pawlowski, CTO of NetApp.

John Roese, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Huawei North America R&D stated, “As a key supplier of mobile networks in the MENA region, we believe the TechWomen mentorship program brings valuable experience to the region’s future technologists. We are pleased to support the TechWomen Change Agent Scholars and help bring them to the Grace Hopper Celebration, so that the mentees can learn from a global community of technical women and return home with an ability to support local innovation.”

About the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

The world’s largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a four-day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Co-presented by the Anita Borg Institute and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the conference has expanded this year to now feature more than 132 sessions (panels, workshops, technical papers, Ph.D. forum, new investigators, technical posters, a track on large scale computing, and “birds of a feather” sessions) across ten tracks, invited technical speakers, and the ACM Student Research Competition.

This year’s conference theme, “What If…?”, recognizes that innovation in technology arises from the question: “What if a culture of technology that encourages participation and inquiry from a diverse workforce leads to greater levels of innovation?” More than 3,000 women and men from over 30 countries in industry, academia, and government are expected to attend this year’s event. GHC provides technical women with visibility, a sense of community, critical social networks and mentoring relationships that improve female representation in the field.

For more information, go to www.gracehopper.org.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. Our programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit http://www.anitaborg.org.

About the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly and peaceful relations. ECA engages youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and rising leaders in many fields in the United States and more than 160 countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges. Striving to reflect the diversity of the United States and global society, ECA programs, funding, and other activities encourage the involvement of American and international participants from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. ECA exchange program alumni encompass over 1 million people around the world, including more than 40 Nobel Laureates and more than 320 current and former heads of state and government. For more information, visit exchanges.state.gov.

About the Institute of International Education (IIE)

The Institute of International Education collaborates with universities, governments, non-governmental organizations and corporations to develop and implement scholarship, exchange, and training programs that educate and build leadership skills among students, scholars, and professionals worldwide. These include the prestigious Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship Programs and the International Visitor Leadership Program, administered on behalf of the U.S. Department of State in partnership with other countries, as well as more than 250 other initiatives that benefit over 26,000 men and women from 175 countries each year. Through its West Coast Center (IIE/WCC) in San Francisco, IIE has extensive experience and success collaborating with the technology sector and local organizations, especially in the MENA region. For more information, visit www.iie.org.

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Media Contacts:
Jerri Barrett
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
650-857-6095 office
408-204-7229 mobile
jerrib@anitaborg.org

Talley Sergent, U.S. Department of State
202-632-6043 office
202-288-3124 mobile
SergentRT@state.gov

PORTLAND, OR. — November 10, 2011 —The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology today announced a successful turnout for its second annual Career Fair at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The Grace Hopper Celebration Career Fair  attracted nearly 100 companies intent on recruiting technical women and was underwritten by the National Security Agency. The world’s largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is a four-day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. The conference, themed “What If…?” is being held in Portland, Oregon this week November 9-12 at the Oregon Convention Center.

“We debuted the Grace Hopper Celebration Career Fair last year as a new feature of the conference program and it well-surpassed our expectations for success,” said Deanna Kosaraju, ABI’s vice president of strategic initiatives. “The number of organizations who are actively recruiting technical talent is up by 39 percent this year – demonstrating that top technical women are in high demand, and technology continues to be an area of job growth. We’re very proud that our Career Fair is where companies can tap a group of incredibly talented technical women from around the world, and technical women can connect with potential employers who may have a significant impact on their professional development and career paths.”

On Thursday, November 10, conference highlights will include:

• A keynote address by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook;
• An SRC poster competition with 24 posters featuring many outstanding technology projects by students participating at the conference; and
• A general poster session with 140 posters sponsored by Raytheon, Symantec and Xerox.

“We’re very pleased at how the sponsorship for the conference has grown over last year. It is one very important way in which the Anita Borg Institute works with industry and academia to increase the number of technical women contributing to technology innovation,” said Telle Whitney, president and CEO, Anita Borg Institute. “For students in particular, the Grace Hopper Celebration gives them visibility into the larger world of job opportunities, and provides important feedback on their development.”

The Grace Hopper Celebration features 132 panels, workshops, technical papers, Ph.D. forum, new investigators, technical posters, a track on large scale computing, and “birds of a feather” sessions across ten tracks. GHC sponsors participating in the Career Fair include:

Corporate and Government Sponsors

• Platinum Corporate Sponsors: Amazon, Broadcom, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and NetApp
• Platinum Government Patrons: National Security Agency
• Gold Corporate Sponsors:  Neustar and Palantir
• Silver Corporate Sponsors: a2z, Adobe, American Express, Applied Materials, Autodesk, Barclays Capital, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, EMC, Expedia, Factset, Goldman Sachs, Juniper Networks, LAB126, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Pixar, Raytheon, Risk Management Solutions, Salesforce.com, State Farm Insurance, Symantec, Tagged, Thomson Reuters, ThoughtWorks, USAA, Xerox and Yahoo
• Bronze Corporate Sponsors: Accenture, Akamai Technologies, Argonne National Laboratory, D.E. Shaw & Co., GE Global Research, Gemalto, Inc., Genworth Financial, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, KLA-Tencor, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Opera Solutions, Qualcomm, Quora, SAP, Twitter, Inc.

University Representatives

• Gold Academic Sponsors: Atlas Institute, Calit2, Georgia Tech, Harvey Mudd College, Hasso Plattner Institute, Oakland University, Oregon State University, Virginia Tech
• Silver Academic Sponsors: Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College, Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, Carnegie Mellon Information Networking Institute, Michigan Tech, NYU, University of Nebraska Omaha, PennState, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, Pace University, Princeton, Regis University College for Professional Studies, Santa Clara University, University of California, Irvine, XSEDE
• Bronze Academic Sponsors: Duke University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Kent State University – School of Digital Sciences, Liberal Arts Colleges Association for Faculty Inclusion, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois – Department of Computer Science, University of Michigan School of Information, University of Washington and Washington University

Follow the Grace Hopper Celebration on Twitter at @ghc.

Follow the Anita Borg Institute on Twitter at @anitaborg_org.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. Our programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

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Media Contact
Anita Borg Institute
Jerri Barrett
650-857-6095
jerrib@anitaborg.org

Grace Hopper Celebration scholarships provide funding for student travel, lodging and conference registration. Over 1200 students applied for scholarships this year. The scholarships target domestic and international students, underrepresented minorities, and students with disabilities.

“Retention of young technical women is crucial to meeting the growing need for technical talent,” said Jody Mahoney, vice president of business development, Anita Borg Institute. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsors who support these scholarships. Without sponsored scholarships, these young women wouldn’t be able to gain this new and exciting perspective on their field.”

About the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

The world’s largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a four day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Co-presented by the Anita Borg Institute and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the conference has expanded this year to now feature more than 132 sessions (panels, workshops, technical papers, Ph.D. forum, new investigators, technical posters, a track on large scale computing, and “birds of a feather” sessions) across ten tracks, invited technical speakers, and the ACM Student Research Competition.

This year’s conference theme, “What If…?”, recognizes that innovation in technology arises from the question: “What if a culture of technology that encourages participation and inquiry from a diverse workforce leads to greater levels of innovation?” More than 2800 women and men from over 30 countries in industry, academia, and government are expected to turn out for this year’s event. GHC provides technical women with visibility, a sense of community, critical social networks and mentoring relationships that improve female representation in the field. For more information, go to www.gracehopper.org.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. Our programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

# # #

Media Contact
Anita Borg Institute
Jerri Barrett
408-204-7229
jerrib@anitaborg.org

The app has many useful features so you can:

• Build your conference schedule by selecting your favorite sessions and activities
• Exchange contact and profile information and send instant messages
• Download your contact list to your mobile device to stay in touch after the conference
• See profiles of the corporate and academic sponsors
• View the convention center map which will highlight the exact location of a session or exhibit booth
• View maps of the local area around the convention center and hotels
• Join and participate in the GHC communities (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

To protect our participant’s privacy, only registered conference attendees will be able to download the app. Once you have registered you, you will receive an email from the Anita Borg Institute with your unique code, to access the app (allow 3-5 days). If you have already received your code then you can download the app now. For questions please contact Crowd Compass.

1. “For the Newcomer” Session, Wednesday, November 9, 5:30 – 6:45 PM

Start off your conference experience with our session just for newcomers. Here you’ll receive an introduction to the conference, gain an understanding of all of the activities happening, and learn the best ways for you to get the most out of your conference experience.

2. Keynotes and Plenary Session:

Keynote, Sheryl Sandberg, Thursday, November 10, 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Keynote, Shirley Jackson, Friday, November 11, 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Plenary Panel: Partnering with Executive Leaders for Shared Vision and Career Growth, Friday, November 9, 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Don’t miss the keynotes and plenary session while at the Grace Hopper Celebration. This year’s keynote speakers are Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and Shirley Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The plenary session will focus on industry leader partnerships, featuring representatives from Microsoft, CA Technologies, and Harvey Mudd College.

3. Leadership Development Workshop or CRA-W Mentoring Workshops, Wednesday, November 9, 1:00 – 5:00 PM

On Wednesday, be sure to attend either the leadership development workshop or the CRA-W Mentoring Workshops, depending on your career level. The leadership workshop, Building Your Brand as a Technical Expert or Leader, will provide mid-level technical women with concrete ways to build a personal brand and effectively promote themselves and their accomplishments. The CRA-W Mentoring Workshops cover a number of topics relevant to undergraduates, graduates, and early career researchers.

4. Opening Reception and Career Fair, Wednesday, November 9, 7:00 – 10:00 PM

Bringing together all conference attendees, the Opening Reception and Career Fair on Wednesday night are a great way to kick off the conference. Meet and network with fellow attendees during the Opening Reception. If you’re job hunting, don’t miss the Career Fair, featuring more than 70 employers (and be sure to submit your resume to the Resume Database beforehand).

5. General Reception, SRC Poster Competition, and Poster Session, Thursday, November 10, 6:30 – 9:00 PM

On Thursday evening, all conference attendees come together for the General Reception and Poster Session. Check out the latest research that is being conducted by your peers. Learn about new ideas, refresh old ones, and find potential collaborators.

6. Sponsor Night, Friday, November 11, 7:30 PM – 12:00 AM

Sponsor Night is the culmination of the previous days of the conference and brings together all attendees for a celebration of technical women. This networking event features dinner, music, and entertainment. It’s a fantastic end to the conference and one of the highlights year after year.

Check out the Conference Schedule for a complete list of activities happening at the Grace Hopper Celebration, and register today for the conference.

Case in point: Before the 2009 Grace Hopper Celebration, Mary Hudachek-Buswell and Stefanie Markham offered a ride to Shikoh Gitau from the Phoenix airport, where they were all arriving, to the conference in Tuscon. The three women formed an instant connection that resulted not only in seeing friendly faces during the following days, but the women also reconvened in a panel they proposed at the Grace Hopper Celebration the following year. (For the full story, read Mary and Shikoh’s blog post about the experience).

So if you’re in need of a ride to the conference or a roommate to share with while you’re there, then check out the discussions on Facebook and LinkedIn. You never know what it could lead to!

1. Find a job or internship
Over 70 companies, universities, and government laboratories will be recruiting for job and internship positions at the 2011 Grace Hopper Celebration. The Career Fair on Wednesday night will give you the opportunity to meet with representatives from these organizations, and the exhibit hall will be open throughout the conference. Recruiters have access to the conference’s resume database from summer onwards, so upload your resume today to begin the search for your next job or internship at GHC.

2. Hear from Sheryl Sandberg and Shirley Jackson
Grace Hopper Celebration keynotes are always highly anticipated, and this year’s conference features Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook and Shirley Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Listen to what these two successful women in technology have to say, and introduce yourself after the presentations.

3. Network with technical women from all disciplines and career stages
Over 2,800 attendees are expected at this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration, from all areas of industry and academia. You’ll have lots of opportunities to talk with fellow attendees and expand your network during sessions, during meals, and at evening activities.

4. Figure out the next stage of your career
On Wednesday, November 9, CRA-W will be sponsoring a series of Career Mentoring Workshops for undergraduates and graduates. Topics include: how to apply to graduate school, graduate school survival skills, publishing your research, finding your dream job, and more.

5. Attend one of the largest Poster Sessions at an academic conference in the US
Find out about what research others in the field are pursuing, and learn about current research in your area of technology as well as other areas. Grace Hopper Celebration poster sessions often result in new inspiration and future collaborations.

6. Try your hand at Open Source
Whether you’re experienced with open source or totally new to it, come take part in Grace Hopper Open Source Day on the final day of the conference, which will include a workshop, Codeathon for Humanity, and exhibition tables featuring various open source projects.

7. Visit Portland, Oregon
Finally, enjoy a few days away in Portland, Oregon! While you’re there, don’t miss out on the city’s many food carts, coffee shops, and parks, as well as Powell’s City of Books, the largest independent bookstore in the US.

Find out more about the 2011 Grace Hopper Celebration and register today!