Tag Archives: TechWomen

October 9, 2012 · 5:10 am

TechWomen Leadership Workshop

Yesterday, the TechWomen spent a day at Georgetown University in a leadership workshop with Barbara Fittipaldi. Barbara Fittipaldi was one of those who inspired Dr. Anita Borg to start what is now the Anita Borg Institute.

Afterwards, some of the TechWomen spent the evening exploring Georgetown. My daughter Jessica and my mentee and I went exploring on the mall to see the sights at night, particularly the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. We were moved by Dr. King’s words carved on the curving wall behind the big statue. Jessica and I sang “We Shall Overcome” – the anthem for the African-American Civil Rights Movement. We also visited the Washington Monument and White House to see them wearing lights in the dark.

MLK door mural on the Luther Place Memorial Church (Washington DC), seen 9 October 2012:

1 Comment

Filed under Home & Family, Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Jessica, Mentoring, Middle East, technical women, TechWomen

October 7, 2012 · 6:08 am

TechWomen in Washington DC

Yesterday very early, the TechWomen mentors and mentees arrived in Washington DC. Starting tomorrow, we will participate in workshops and meetings and events at the US State Department. This weekend, we are exploring the American capital.

We started with a short self-guided walking tour of the White House. I had not been there since I was a little girl – it seems smaller now! The symbolism and discussion of each item and decoration in every room – both by the visitors (and reportedly by the White House Historical Association started by then-First-Lady Jacqueline Kennedy) are intense. There was no object that the guard-guides in each of the few rooms on the tour could not discuss in fascinating detail – except the rugs and curtains which apparently get worn and swapped out too often for much to be said about them. I only have not-very-good cell phone pictures because no cameras (or almost anything else) are allowed in.

Yesterday afternoon, I visited the charming Folger Shakespeare Library and garden (and bought an addition to my Shakespeare garden book collection). Then my mentee and I walked to the historic and lovely Islamic Center. A small TechWomen group enjoyed dinner at Mio Puerto Rican Restaurant.

Last Day of Hopper Conference 2012

After some very promising networking and fascinating presentations, the TechWomen mentors and mentees enjoyed dinner together and then walked to the final party of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing – held at the Maryland Science Center on the harbor in Baltimore MD.

I particularly enjoyed yesterday’s talk by Jane Margolis about changes in the technical world in the ten years since her publication with Allan Fisher of the groundbreaking book Unlocking the Clubhouse. There has been both growth and retreat for the community of technical women during that time. Some of the advances are in:

Visible Leadership: Exemplified by Maria Klawe becoming President of Harvey Mudd College, Shirley Tilghman becoming President of Princeton, Ginni Rometty becoming Chairman and CEO of IBM, and Meg Whitman becoming President and CEO of HP. (See the Famous Women in Computer Science list for more…)
Growing Role Models: Exemplified by the Spelbots, the African-American Women’s Robotics Team of Spelman College.
Successful Education and Networking: Exemplified by the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing growing from a few hundred attendees in 1994 to 3,600 participants this year – and GHC being sold out in advance for the third year running. 2012 is also the 25th anniversary of Systers – the world’s largest email community of technical women in computing. Another notable success is the National Center for Women & Information Technology organization and NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing award program for technical girls.

As always, I was very pleased to be able to participate in GHC with my smart and geeky daughter Jessica!

Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson
#GHC12

4 Comments

Filed under Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Geeks, Jessica, Mentoring, Middle East, technical women, TechWomen

October 4, 2012 · 9:13 pm

Successful Panel at Grace Hopper Celebration

Our Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing panel called “Technical Women in the Arab Region: Challenges vs. Aspirations” was well attended and successful. The audience wanted to ask questions and talk far beyond the limits of the time available. My daughter Jessica took pictures for us.

It took months of preparation to make this happen – not only the preparation of the conference submission but applying for and getting four travel scholarships and visas for travel from the Middle East and North Africa. Many of the 2012 TechWomen mentors and mentees attended to see the only presentation from the first TechWomen class. I think they loved it. Everyone wanted to be in the picture at the end.

10/22/2012: Read Larissa’s Review of this panel.

Images Copyright 2012 by Jessica Dickinson Goodman and Katy Dickinson
#GHC12

4 Comments

Filed under Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Geeks, Jessica, Mentoring, technical women, TechWomen

October 3, 2012 · 6:53 pm

TechWomen 2011 and 2012 Meet

After travel adventures on their way here from California, the forty-one 2012 TechWomen emerging leaders arrived at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference in Baltimore and met three representatives of the 2011 TechWomen for the first time. We mentors and the Anita Borg Institute staff waited, talking with friends, checking out the poster session, and guarding the 2012 mentees’ box dinners. My daughter Jessica arrived from Washington DC and presented her poster (“Using the Technology to Lower the Cost of Being a Woman”). A fun evening and a good start to a great conference!

Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson
#GHC12

1 Comment

Filed under Home & Family, Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business

Tagged as Geeks, Jessica, Mentoring, technical women, TechWomen

October 3, 2012 · 3:03 pm

Technical Women in the Arab Region: Challenges vs. Aspirations

I am at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Baltimore, Maryland. GHC12 is sold out for the third year running, with 3,600 amazing technical women (and a few men) participating from all over the world. I attended the Anita Borg Institute Advisory Board meeting this morning (presenting an update on the work of the Famous Women in Computer Science team). Tonight, I get to see my daughter Jessica Dickinson Goodman present her poster called “Using the Technology to Lower the Cost of Being a Woman”.

Tomorrow, I am moderating a panel called “Technical Women in the Arab Region: Challenges vs. Aspirations” featuring four TechWomen mentees from the original class in 2011: Hania Gati (Algeria), Maysoun Ibrahim (Palestine), Reham Nasser (Egypt), and Sukaina Al Nasrawi (Lebanon). Ours was the only 2011 TechWomen presentation accepted for GHC12 – we are very proud to represent our sisters! Maysoun, Reham, and Sukaina are already here (Hania arrives tonight). We met this afternoon to discuss how we would manage tomorrow’s panel. The 2012 TechWomen will arrive from California in time to attend tonight’s poster session. I am very much looking forward to introducing my 2012 mentee to my friends from the 2011 TechWomen program and to my daughter.

#GHC12

1 Comment

Filed under Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Algeria, Egypt, Geeks, Jessica, Lebanon, Mentoring, Middle East, Palestine, technical women, TechWomen

September 30, 2012 · 8:16 am

TechWomen Farewell Party at Mozilla

Yesterday was the TechWomen farewell party hosted by Mozilla in San Francisco. Next week, we travel to the Grace Hopper Celebration and then the US State Department in Washington DC. We admired the stunning view of the Bay Bridge from the top of the Hills Brothers Coffee building, just a few blocks from where my father’s business was for many years. I grew up smelling the coffee roasting but had never been in this building before.

Before dinner, the mentors were each given a certificate of thanks signed by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. We talked and danced and had a wonderful evening enjoying each other’s company. I even dressed up in a kaftan with matching veil.