Who do you know that we can recognize through our GHC Awards?

by Telle Whitney, President & CEO, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology

Editor's Note: This was originally posted on the Anita Borg Institute blog. I'm cross-posting it here to help spread the word to our GHC community.

Some of the most important work we do at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology is to recognize women who are changing the face of technology. Recognizing women role models is not only important for the award winner, but also for the millions of women who look up and say yes, I can have an impact too. As you read this, recognize that you know some extraordinary women who would be perfect candidates for our awards, and that I need your help.

Our awards recognize extraordinary people, whose work contributes to a changing perception of what it means to create and use technology. We need people who can nominate someone they admire. It doesn’t have to be you writing the nomination, but I bet you know someone who could put together a nomination.

Do you know a man or a woman academic under the age of 40, who has demonstrated leadership capability and who has had a positive impact on the lives of women through technology?

If so, consider nominating them for the Denice Denton Award., which includes a $5K award.

http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/denice-denton-award/

Do you know an outstanding woman who is recognized world wide as a technical leader? Please consider nominating them for the Anita Borg Technical Leadership award, which includes a $10K award.

http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/anita-borg-technical-leadership-award/

Do you know an individual or team who has caused technology to have a positive impact on the lives of women and society? Please consider nominating them for the Anita Borg Social Impact award, which includes a $10K award

http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/anita-borg-social-impact-award/

Do you know technical women from developing countries, who are up-and-coming leaders that advance women’s participation in technology? If so, please consider nominating them for the Anita Borg Change Agent Awards

http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/change-agent-awards/

All of these awards are given out at the Grace Hopper Conference Awards Ceremony, held on September 30, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Nominations will be accepted until April 29th.

There is no more fulfilling work than nominating someone you admire, and knowing that you are having a positive impact on their life and the lives of technical women everywhere!!

Keynote, Fran Berman

Keynote, Fran Berman, Vice President for Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute


The keynote focused on the future of the information age.  Specifically how we're going to keep and archive current information.  We need to archive the information because "access tomorrow starts with preservation today.  You can't access tomorrow that which you don't have."  Together we much decide what we want to save.  Even before that, who is we?  There are so many groups of we, society in general, the research community, individuals, and each group wants to save different information from census information to the digital copy of home movies.


Along with what to save, we also need to decide how to save it.  Whatever archival form we decide to use, we need to stick with.  The amount of data that we want to save is massive and it would take copious amounts of time to change the format of all the information.  Think of how long it takes to put a VHS movie on DVD or to make a digital copy of an LP.  When we save it, we have to make multiple copies and be sure to tag it so we remember what it is (good advice for any information anyone saves!).


In order to deal with the future of the overwhelming information age, we need to create the next generation of leaders; the students of today!  We have to make sure they have the right knowledge and experience:

• There is no answer key for the real world
• The problems will be hard and the solutions won't necessarily be elegant
• Experience with failure
• Experience with international cultures

We have the power to create positive change.  We have the power of:

• Asking the question; you can't improve what you can't articulate
• Creating explicit goals and metrics of success
• Recognition and encouragement
• Policy, resource allocation, and prioritization

Jo Miller Session - Becoming a person of influence

Woah! What an exciting first day at the Grace Hopper Conference 2009...

With a series of events lined up from the very morning, I was desperately looking forward to the session by Jo Miller on Becoming a person of influence, having heard a LOT about her from all the last year attendees... and the praise did stand... Jo makes you think about nothing else for the time she is speaking. :)

With the topic of discourse being one with the most standing weightage in today's world, of becoming a person of influence... I could'nt help agreeing with each and every thing Jo spoke. Frankly, I was able to relate myself with almost all the instances she spoke of. For sure, these are THE sources of influence... Rest on my blog