I just got home after attending the successful first
Savvy Geek Chix event, put on by the
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
(ABI). On this celebration of Ada Lovelace Day,
it seems appropriate to have attended an event for women in computing.
There were 110 women present. I learned some, talked with old friends,
and met some very impressive new friends whom I look forward to knowing
better. It was a typical ABI event – interesting, well managed, and a
valuable use of my time.
ABI was named in honor of
Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003), whom I had the honor to meet several times during
the last years of her life. Sun Microsystems was one of the companies which
provided Anita Borg with funding
to start the organization now known as ABI. In addition to starting ABI, Anita
also created the
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
conference and the Systers
email community of technical women in computing. With Anita’s example before me,
it is hard to say “it can’t be done”.
Image Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson
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