Category Archives: News & Reviews

May 19, 2011 · 11:24 pm

Amazing Women of Vision

ABI Women of Vision sign . ABI Women of Vision

I just got home from the inspiring Women of Vision awards event by the Anita Borg Institute. Huawei was a Gold Sponsor of this WOV and I have worked for months to arrange for 30 Huawei guests to attend from all over the world. Our Senior Vice President John Roese spoke during the opening reception. I should not be staying up to blog about this because I am teaching the first TechWomen Mentor Workshop starting early tomorrow morning but WOV is so exciting, I need to share it.

Today’s award winners were

  • Leadership Award: Chieko Asakawa, Ph.D., IBM Fellow, IBM Research – Tokyo
  • Innovation Award:  Mary Lou Jepsen, Ph.D., CEO, Pixel Qi
  • Social Impact Award: Karen Panetta, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University

Each winner was impressive in her own way. Each has overcome much to make an admirable change in the technical world. Wow.  Going to an ABI event is always worthwhile, if for no other reason than to talk with the remarkable technical contributors in the audience.  The Women of Vision event is particularly excellent because of the powerful story of each award winner.  I am glad my husband John Plocher could attend the event this year.  He has heard me talk about WOV for years.

John Roese Huawei . Chieko Asakawa IBM
Mary Lou Jepsen Pixel Qi, . Karen Panetta Tufts University

Images Copyright 2011 Katy Dickinson

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May 18, 2011 · 9:14 pm

San Francisco from the Roof

I was born and raised in San Francisco but for the last 30 years I have worked in the Silicon Valley. While consulting on the TechWomen mentoring program, I have occasionally driven north to S.F. for meetings with the Institute of International Education. IIE’s offices are in a building just up the hill from both Chinatown’s Lion Gate, and my favorite French bistro, Cafe de la Presse in the always-interesting Hotel Triton. The view from the roof terrace is amazing!

San Francisco roof view . San Francisco roof view

San Francisco roof view

Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2011

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May 18, 2011 · 7:00 pm

Love My Smartcar

SmartCar

I have had my Smartcar for about 9 months and I still love it. I sometimes get tired of the cute remarks

  • Where’s the rest of your car?
  • Did it shrink?
  • Someone scribbled on your car!

But I love driving and I really love parking my 2-seat convertable, especially in San Francisco. It is surprisingly roomy inside.  Smartcar drivers usually honk and wave to each other as we drive by. Parking “two in a box” with a motorcycle is fun.  It’s like having reserved parking space.

Image by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2011

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May 18, 2011 · 6:39 pm

American Land Forms

land by Katy Dickinson . land by Katy Dickinson

Crossing America by air is always impressive. Our country is so big with quiet wonders everywhere. Here are some pictures from flights from California to Texas and then to Pennsylvania (for the CMU commencement) last weekend.

land by Katy Dickinson . land by Katy Dickinson

Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2011

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May 18, 2011 · 5:53 pm

Daughter of Earth and Water

cloud by Katy Dickinson . clouds by Katy Dickinson

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain when with never a stain
The pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams
Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,
I arise and unbuild it again.

From “The Cloud” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

I love clouds. On our trip to the CMU commencement in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last weekend, I was delighted to see some wonderful clouds both from the ground and looking down from a jet window.

cloud by Katy Dickinson . cloud by Katy Dickinson

Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2011

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May 17, 2011 · 11:38 pm

Paul’s Ceramics

My son Paul is in his 3rd quarter at Foothill College here in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is very interested in art and design and has become fascinated with ceramics in particular. Paul recently made a remarkable set of 3 cups on the wheel, decorated with Kanji characters, as presents for his sister Jessica and her fiance Matthew to celebrate their graduations from college this week.  Paul said that he does his best pots when he lets his hands work without thinking too much about it.

Here are some of Paul’s recent creations:
ceramics by Paul D Goodman

ceramics by Paul D Goodman

ceramics by Paul D Goodman . 2010 Paul with his owl

ceramics by Paul D Goodman

Images by Katy Dickinson Copyright 2010-2011

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May 17, 2011 · 8:52 pm

Jessica Graduated from CMU with Honors!

Jessica Graduation CMU . Jessica Graduation CMU

My daughter Jessica was graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with honors last weekend. Ten of her proud family flew to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Boston, Pasadena, San Francisco, and San Jose to celebrate the occasion. My father, Wade Dickinson, who attended Carnegie Tech before graduating from West Point was particularly proud to see his granddaughter graduate from his alma mater.

Jessica majored in Ethics, History, and Public Policy (that’s one major offered by CMU in Humanities and Social Sciences). You can see a video of her advisor talking about Jessica’s accomplishments. Jessica was presented with a blank diploma folder because she will return to CMU as a 5th Year Scholar next year, to work on a special project and also complete her Minor in Vocal Music and concentration in Arabic. Jessica got to wear what she calls “commencement flare” in addition to her simple black robes:

  • A red stole for being an Andrew Carnegie Scholar
  • A maroon stole for spending a semester studying at CMU-Q in Doha, Qatar
  • A purple cord with tassels for being an honors student

Unfortunately, Jessica’s fiance Matthew was graduating at the same time from William and Mary hundreds of miles away, so we did not get to attend his commencement. The family did get to spend an afternoon visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece of architecture, Fallingwater, which is like touring an lovely modern sculpture. This is the 75th anniversary for the house built on a waterfall.

Jessica is packing up her house this week to return home to the San Francisco Bay Area for the summer. She is getting married in August, then she and Matt will live in Pittsburgh next year.

Jessica and Paul at Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright

Jessica and Paul at Fallingwater

Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson

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