6th Grace Hopper Conference Opens with Record-Setting Participation.Princeton President's Keynote Urges Academic and Business Leaders to Bridge the Gender Gap in Science and Technology SAN DIEGO -- The 2006 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Global concerns about current and future roles of women in computing occupations gained more importance with the emerging information age. These concerns motivated public policy debates addressing gender equality as computer applications exerted increasing influence in society. conference, underway here today, has set new records for attendees, scholarship awards, sponsorship and underwriting. Additionally, the conference will feature a record number of more than 200 presenters over the next two and a half days, as attendees explore the state-of-the-art in computing technology, examine strategies for attracting and advancing women in science and technology professions, learn career-building skills and celebrate the accomplishments of women in technology. The Grace Hopper Celebration, which continues at the Town and Country Resort through Saturday, is presented by The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI Abi (ā`bī) [short for Abijah], in the Bible, King Hezekiah's mother. (Application Binary Interface) A specification for a specific hardware platform combined with the operating system. ) and the Association for Computing Machinery See ACM. Association for Computing Machinery - Association for Computing (ACM), and is the world's largest technical conference for women in the field of computer science. Attendance at this year's event -- over 1200 technical women and men -- represents an increase of more than 33 percent over the last conference in 2004, and an increase of 140 percent from the first Grace Hopper Celebration, held in 1994. Together, universities, the National Science Foundation, corporations and ABI have provided attendance scholarships to a record 247 students, up 50 percent from 2004. The number of sponsoring corporations also has increased by 50 percent, including 16 new, first-time sponsors, and bringing total corporate sponsorship investments to more than $375,000. Keynoting the first day of the conference was Shirley M. Tilghman Shirley Marie Tilghman (born Shirley Marie Caldwell, September 17, 1946) is the president of Princeton University (the first woman to hold the position). A leader in the field of molecular biology, Tilghman served on the Princeton faculty for 15 years before being , president of Princeton University Princeton University is led by a President selected by the Board of Trustees. Until the accession of Woodrow Wilson, a political scientist, in 1902, they were all clergymen, as well as professors. President Tilghman is a biologist; her two predecessors were economists. , who urged those who believe that the world of scientific research is a meritocracy to recognize that the playing field has been anything but level for women in science, mathematics and engineering. She pointed out that the future security and prosperity of the United States is dependent on the scientific and technological creativity nurtured within research universities and that the under-representation of women in technical disciplines threatens to seriously hamper both the scope of scientific research and the attractiveness of technical careers for future generations. "For every girl who dreams of becoming a scientist, there is a moral obligation on our part to do everything we can to even the playing field so her chances rest on her abilities and her determination a just as it does for her male counterparts," Tilghman said. Additional keynote speakers this week include Sally Ride, former astronaut and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of The Sally Ride Foundation, on Friday, October 6; and Helen Greiner, Chairman and co-founder of iRobot Corporation on Saturday, October 7. Award ceremonies this evening will honor a number of distinguished technical women from the U.S. and abroad. These include Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science and Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton In the most recent RAE assessment (2001), it has the only engineering faculty in the country to receive the highest rating (5*) across all disciplines.[3] According to The Times Higher Education Supplement , UK, and Carol B. Muller, Founder and CEO of MentorNet, recipients of the 2006 Anita Borg Awards for Technical Leadership and Social Impact, respectively. In opening the conference, Telle Whitney, president and CEO of ABI and a co-founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration, said, "In this critical time, as growth in technology is outstripping the supply of qualified technologists, it is particularly encouraging to see so many individuals and organizations coming together to support and nurture increased roles for women in technical professions. The Grace Hopper Celebration is but a glimpse of what is possible if the world of computing can become more inclusive of women. It is proof-positive that together, we can change the world for women and for technology." For further information on the 2006 Grace Hopper Celebration please visit Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (http://www.anitaborg.org/programs/ghc/). Grace Hopper Celebration Sponsors: Gold sponsors: CA, Cisco Systems, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo! - Silver sponsors: Amazon, Arrow Electronics, Cadence, EMC (1) (EMC Corporation, Hopkinton, MA, www.emc.com) The leading supplier of storage products for midrange computers and mainframes. Founded in 1979 by Richard J. Egan and Roger Marino, EMC has developed advanced storage and retrieval technologies for the world's largest companies. , Fair Isaac, SAIC, Symantec, Thoughtworks, USENIX - Bronze sponsors: Adobe, Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory, research center, based in Argonne, Ill., 27 mi (43 km) SW of downtown Chicago, with other facilities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, 50 mi (80 km) W of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Founded in 1946 by the U.S. , AT&T Labs, BMC (BMC Software, Inc., Houston, TX, www.bmc.com) A leading supplier of software that supports and improves the availability, performance, and recovery of applications in complex computing environments. , Goldman Sachs, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: see Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (body) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - (LLNL) A research organaisatin operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy. , Network Appliances, NCWIT, Oracle, Qualcomm, Virsalent, Walmart.com, Wells Fargo. Gold academic scholarship underwriters: California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. , Harvard University, Princeton University, UC Irvine, University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Early years: 1867-1880 The Morrill Act of 1862 granted each state in the United States a portion of land on which to establish a major public state university, one which could teach agriculture, mechanic arts, and military training, "without excluding other scientific - Silver academic scholarship underwriters: Information Networking Institute at Carnegie Mellon, DePaul University, Georgia Tech, Michigan State University Michigan State University, at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. , NCSA, New York University New York University, mainly in New York City; coeducational; chartered 1831, opened 1832 as the Univ. of the City of New York, renamed 1896. It comprises 13 schools and colleges, maintaining 4 main centers (including the Medical Center) in the city, as well as the , Purdue University - Bronze academic scholarship underwriters: Indiana University, Tufts University, University of California Berkeley, University of California Santa Cruz, UC Davis, University of Texas at Austin “University of Texas” redirects here. For other system schools, see University of Texas System. The University of Texas at Austin (often referred to as The University of Texas, UT Austin, UT, or Texas . Founding Sponsors: CRA & CRA-W Government Sponsor: The National Science Foundation About the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) is a program of The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) and is co-presented by ABI and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Inspired by the legacy of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, this conference is the world's largest gathering of women in computing, and is designed to bring the technology, research and career interests of women in IT-related professions to the forefront. Open to women and men from the undergraduate level to seasoned technical leaders and educators, GHC receives financial support from major corporations and universities and from the government through The National Science Foundation. GHC was founded by the late Dr. Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney in 1994. About The Anita Borg Institute: Founded in 1997, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) is a nationally recognized organization committed to advancing women into the mainstream of technology innovation and leadership. The Institute accomplishes its goals through collaboration with industry, academic and government organizations. A growing list of leading corporations a including partners HP, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Google and sponsors, IBM, Cisco, and Intel a recognize that by investing in ABI's programs to engage and develop technical women, they can achieve a more diverse, globally competitive workforce capable of producing higher levels of technology innovation and better financial performance. With their support, and the partnership of other visionaries and thought leaders, the Institute is delivering programs that are changing the world for women and technology. The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3): www.anitaborg.org. |
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