Girls in Tech(GIT) and Girls in Tech Portland chapter(GITPDX) partners up with InnoTech Oregon this year.

Come join us as we are leading a thought provoking candid conversation at 10:30am on May 2nd, 2013 at the Oregon Convention Center

(GIT members receive 20% discount by using disc code: TECH2GRP for 20% off)

Topic: YOU are the Next Generation Leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Moderator: Ivo Lukas, Chief Innovation Officer & Exec Director of Mentorship of Girls in Tech 

The recent article notes the next generation’s leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Within the next five years, STEM jobs are projected to grow twice as quickly as jobs in other fields according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. While all jobs are expected to grow by 10.4 percent, STEM jobs are expected to increase by 21.4 percent. Similarly, 80 percent of jobs in the next decade will require technical skills.
But we have a shortage on the number women graduating with the STEM major. Where are the discrepancies? How do we expose STEM educations to more girls at a very young age? How do we incentivized established leaders to become mentors?

We will dive deeper in a thorough candid discussion by leaders across diversed background, expertise and career aspirations in helping to shape the future. Whether you are GEN M/ GEN X/ GEN Y and the established leaders then you ought to come to this panel discussion to gain new perspective.

Benefits/takeaways:

-How mentorship programs will help your career aspirations

-Benefits and jobs creation for sustaining the future

-Bridging the gap: in the education systems, gen X/Y/millennial leadership style

-Pros and cons on leading the STEM/Technology leaders

-Is Networking really works for good?

-Career Pathing: learn how to make the jump right now

-Past, present and future technology and/or certifications to stay current

Register here  (GIT members receive 20% discount by using disc code: TECH2GRP for 20% off)

Check out GITPDX Group

For more Info contact: ivo.lukas@hotmail.com or tweet @MsSonicFlare

Tags: innotech, irina frumkin, Ivo Lukas, Lakecia gunter, mitzi montoya, oregon, pdx, STEM, technology
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Guest blogger: Priyanka Sharma, Outright’s Product Marketing Manager

Women in technology are slowly but surely turning heads – by their performance.  Who doesn’t want Marissa Mayer or Sheryl Sandberg on their teams?  Naturally, most companies want to capitalize on girl power.  As they set about creating elaborate attraction and retention programs, its important to note that mentorship is what drives female retention.

As a non-technical female in technology, I had some pretty difficult times fitting in.  I was not one but two things different from most other high achievers here – I wasn’t a boy and I wasn’t a programmer.  I started my career at Google and found myself constantly envying the technical teams and how empowered they were.  My team had a healthy gender balance.  But the camaraderie experienced by the men on the team with each other and the management was something I witnessed but was not a part of.  As I searched for my next opportunity, I knew I wanted to try working for the ever-glorious startup.  But I also wanted to fit in.

Most places I spoke with had a healthy devotion to attracting females but the women in their organizations were mostly in support roles.  I wanted to be an integral player.  Then I chanced upon Outright.  Outright was a fantastic startup funded by the best in the industry.  But more than that, Outright had female leadership at its helm.  The CEO Steven Aldrich had done a fantastic job of hiring top-notch women.  Unlike most other interviews, here two of the four people I spoke with were female.  I had a long discussion with Laura Messerschmitt and Laurel Lee, heads of Marketing and Product respectively and at the end of it, I was sold.

I have been at Outright about six months now and it has been everything I hoped for.   The culture retains the edginess of startups with very serious ping-pong tournaments and hackathons but I don’t have to worry about my gender affecting me at work at all.  I am an integral force in the organization with the mentorship of Laura and that is what everyone here cares about.

Till I joined Outright, I considered myself a second-class citizen in the world of tech.  Now with the right guidance, I am a “growth hacker” who brings in the most important piece to the puzzle – the users.

Men and women alike need role models.  Women just have a harder time finding them in their vicinity in Silicon Valley.  If companies are to attract and retain talent, they should focus on hiring top female executives from different industries to build the ecosystem of women learning from women.  After all, we need to see it to believe it that we can have it all – just like our male counterparts

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Women comprise nearly 60 percent of college attendees, but only about 3 in 10 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees are awarded to women. Join ASU/CTI on February 28, 2013 for a day dedicated to changing the trends.

 Barbie Dolls & Hand Saws: Making a Future for Women in STEM 
A reception to support scholarships for women in STEM featuring Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen, co-founders of Roominate.

REGISTER HERE

Tickets: $10 (includes appetizers and one drink ticket)

Join CTI for a networking reception of likeminded change-agents committed to imagining and making a future for women in STEM fields. Projects from our daylong high school Make-a-thon will be on display, and brief remarks will be delivered by: 

• Mitzi Montoya, ASU Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Technology & Innovation 
• Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen, Co-Founders of Roominate
 • A select speaker from the ASU Emerge Conference

. A free public lecture featuring keynote speakers Alice and Bettina will precede the reception. The lecture will be held in Picacho Hall (Room 150) from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Join us and be a part of the solution to generate robust pipelines for women in STEM careers.

Register online to purchase your ticket. Complimentary parking will be available to event attendees in Lot 30.

Tags: ASU, CTI, engineerings, girls in tech, girls in tech mentorship, gitm, GITmentorship, Ivo Lukas, mathematics, Science, STEM, technology, women in stem
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On December 5^th, 2012 washington post hosted Leading the Way :Women in 2012 conversation via livestreams. Women of high profiled forum highlighted a few controversial topics from politics to arts. We hear about their success, challenges, lessons learned and what keeps them going.

#Womenin2012 is the twitter hashtag if you would like to follow the conversation

Check out their personal story, advice and motivation driven to get to where they are today

Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor, says women have to help women out in order to break through the glass ceiling. Watch Video

Marne Levine, VP of Global Public Policy, Facebook, describes her career path – including working at the White House and for Larry Summers. Watch video

Susan Lyne, CEO and Chairman of Gilt Groupe, explains how she made career decisions, saying, “If I could be where change was happening, I would be a happier more challenged person.” Watch Video

Michell Kwan, Olympian figure skater, discusses the discipline and dedication she had when training for the olympics as a teenager. Watch Video

Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano opera singer, recalls the first time she heard opera music, when she was in high school, and thought “I don’t know what this is, but I would love somehow to be part of this.” Watch Video

Watch more videos of Women in 2012 here

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Tags: ann de parle, girls in tech, GIT Mentorship, gitm, hilda solis, Ivo Lukas, marne levine, mentorship, michelle kwan, susan lyne, washington post, women executives, women in power, womenin2012
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Doki, a series of language-learning apps that just launched for iPhone/iPad, is to learn basic foreign language dialogue and vocabulary used in everyday life through an animated environment without the use of grammar – i.e. conversation-based language learning. To ensure Doki is pedagogically sound, a team of educational experts in the UK was formed to evaluate the app. Some of Doki’s notable features include:

• Comprehensive language lessons: Doki offers 51 lessons divided into 14 chapters designed to teach users a language beginning with basic words and phrases.
• Animated, real-world locations: Learning a language is easier if you’re learning words and phrases in the context of how you will use them.  For example, in the Hotel chapter the user learns how to make a hotel reservation and in the Travel Agency chapter the user learns how to make travel arrangements.  Doki offers the user fun, witty, animated scenarios in these diverse locations.
• Extensive language support for global audiences: Doki’s on-screen instructions and in-app ‘Help’ files are available in 17 different languages.
• Doki Further: Doki Further offers advanced-beginner level language instruction for users who have worked through all 51 lessons of the initial Doki language app, or have a basic proficiency in the given language.
• Try before you buy: Doki offers two free introductory chapters for every language. Users can try Doki’s app before buying additional chapters.

All 14 of the Doki apps are currently available for download from the iTunes App Store. check out the site

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Tags: apps, doki, language, language apps, translate
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Peach Ice Cream Adventures (PICA) Project publishes engaging new language and STEM-based tablet adventure games for young kids age 3-6. Peach Ice Cream Adventures’ digital solutions enable children to have fun while learning. PICA brings to digital form a successful early education program that engages students in Mandarin Chinese contextually through science and exploration. Built from an existing technology platform, PICA’s parental dashboard allows parents to view their children’s play and switch languages, for example, from Chinese to Spanish or French.

 Using the best of early education learning programs and game design, PICA links Chinese language development to scientific experimentation by spiraling: children cycle back or build vocabulary through repeated use in different contexts. Using science experiments to reinforce linguistic development plays to a child’s curiosity. Scientific discovery is part of an appealing story – this immersion enables children to master the content and become functionally bilingual. This successful gamification of STEM and language lessons results in fast, enjoyable learning with superior retention of new material and mastery of previously learned elements that puts them on the road to literate fluency.

Successful serial entrepreneur Vicky Wu Davis and her two partners, also moms with PhDs, understand that raising bilingual children is increasingly important throughout the world but is best started early. Show them some love by helping these ladies on their kickstarter campaign

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Tags: gamification, girls in tech, girls in tech mentorship, gitm, Ivo Lukas, k-12, kickstarter, Mompreneurs, mssonicflare, PICA, STEM, vicky wu davis
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I’ve had an amazing discussion with Gilda and Patty. Both are co-founders and lead Latinas in Computing (LIC), a grassroots organization whose goal is to increase the opportunities for underrepresented women minorities in technology.   These women are perfect examples of role models for young generations within the Latino communities.  Currently, Gilda is a principal engineer at Oracle while Patty is a platform application engineer at Intel.  Both volunteer their time to help the others and pay it forward! Simply superb!

 The Latinas in Computing (LIC) was established in 2006 as a small gathering of Latinas at the Grace Hopper Conference. Patty(left) and Gilda(right) are both leaders in LIC. Patty and Gilda have faced their own challenges growing up as Latina women, engineers – 1% of people in computing and constantly battling stereotypes.

Q: You are participating at the Grace Hopper Celebration this year. What do you want the girls to take away from your events at Grace Hopper?

A: Increased participation, more women getting involved with us. The biggest thing we work on and where it hurts the most to lose them is in graduate programs. A lot of Latinas succeed in the Master’s program. But in the PhD program, they lose confidence. It can be very competitive and isolated. That is when they start to doubt themselves and think they can’t make it through to the end. We hope to change that way of thinking and to mentor and encourage them to try instead of giving up. Historically from 1995-2005 we graduated 2-3 Latinas per year with a PhD in computer science. With the work of Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), that number is up to 8-9 per year. From this, women with research careers can go into academia, industry, or government. Once they have done this they serve as role models for young women.

At Grace Hopper and other conferences, we have organized mentoring workshops as well as career workshops. We are involved with organizations such as CAHSI, NCWIT, CRA-W and ABI that support women and minorities; we are at the intersection of those two. And we also work other women of colors communities such as BWIC (Black Women in Computing). At Grace Hopper 2012, we hope to connect as well with groups focusing on disabled women. We are trying to branch out and be as inclusive as we can.

Retention is our number one goal. We would like to concentrate on sharing resources for women who are starting a new career after school. We would like to connect with companies that can help them find their first job and to mentor them. Our goal is to take care of their health, helping them get their first job and seeing them move on and up.

Q: What are some of the challenges that Latinas/minority/women in the workforce face?

A: There are a lot of challenges that Latinas face. To mention a few, many Latinas are English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers, and the ability to communicate effectively in English is constantly judged. Second, the pedigree of your alma mater is a strong factor in determining who will hire you – thus there are more foreign-born Latinas hired in academia and in research labs than U.S. born. Many women of color “wear” their ethnicity or race – it is not something you can hide (not that you would want to), but accents and atypical names are a giveaway on resumes and business cards. It is a challenge to slip out from under gender and ethnic stereotypes, and there is strong social pressure to deny that the workplace is anything but equitable. It is not impossible to find opportunities, and there are fabulous Latinas in research all over the US who are able to get good jobs in academia, government labs, and industry (such as at Oracle Labs) but they often come with their own set of challenges because you have to advocate for yourself and there are few role models and mentors to help you up the career ladder. Latinas can move up and have good jobs but until the stereotypes are challenged by the majority, the challenges will never fully disappear. We would like to see more successful Latinas in at all levels of technology, however they define success for themselves.

Q: How many women are parts of the organization?

A: We have 150 members and a large number of those women are undergrad and graduates. You can check out the membership page at our website www.latinasincomputing.org to get a sample of who we are and where we come from.

Q: How can women participate in your organizations if they can’t go to Baltimore?

A: They can join our community by signing up for our mailing list and/or our Facebook group. More information is available at http://latinasincomputing.org/get-involved. They can also join Systers, a larger group of women in computing which is our umbrella organization within the Anita Borg Institute of Women in Technology (ABI). By joining they can get the wealth of knowledge from women all over the world.

By attending our events in conferences or regional workshops where they may benefit by participating in sessions and networking opportunities. As they mature, they can step up into leadership responsibilities and get to present at a conference. They get the experience of interacting with more senior speakers and the possibilities of 1-1 mentoring conversations. Also, there are lots of opportunities for code-a-thons if they are interested in coding for a good cause/non-profit organization..

Other opportunities might include junior entrepreneur programs such as the one offered by ThoughtWorks, where they mentor the women and show them what it is like to be an entrepreneur. They can also put together a workshop for girls at risk by putting the girls in contact with people who can help them get through their challenges.

If you would like to meet members of the Latinas In Computing come visit them at the Grace Hopper Celebration. This year the Grace Hopper Celebration will take place October 3-6, 2012 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Last years event attracted 2890 participants from 34 countries, learn more about the Grace Hopper Celebration. To learn more about Latinas In Computing, check out their site.

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Tags: baltimore, GHC12, gilda, girls in tech, gitm, Intel, Ivo Lukas, latinas in computing, LIC, oracle, patty lopez, technology, women in computing, women in technology
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Co-founded by Dr. Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney in 1994 and inspired by the legacy of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, the Institute’s Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) Of Women In Computing Conference is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. It is the largest technical conference for women in computing and results in collaborative proposals, networking and mentoring for junior women and increased visibility for the contributions of women in computing. Conference presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industry, academia and government. Top researchers present their work while special sessions focus on the role of women in today’s technology fields.

This conference offers a wide range of sessions, tracks, workshops and keynote speakers. Come check it out This year theme: Are we there yet?” at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland October 3-6, 2012.

For a start check out this cool keynotes, sessions and workshops:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012 |9 am- keynote speakers and plenary sessions for Technology in Government

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012 | 
Session 5: Time: 3:15 –4:15 EST
 Location: BCC:327-329 How to Optimize Your Job Search

Moderator: Carolyn Strobel (Anita Borg Institute) | Panelists: Dawn Carter (NetApp Inc), Stephenie Harp (CA Technologies), Ivo Lukas (Girls in Tech & 24Notion), Kendra Arimoto (Facebook)

Abstract:  Whether you are looking for your first job or thinking about a career change, come to this session to learn how to optimize your search.  This group of recruiters and hiring managers will discuss the activities involved in a job hunt including: how to engage your network in your job search; searching for jobs online, and what to do when you attend a job fair.  The panel will also discuss what they are looking for when they meet a potential candidate.

Speakers: Ivo Lukas, Kendra Arimoto , Dawn Carter, Stephenie Harp, Carolyn Strobel

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4TH | 11:30 AM – 3:15 PM EST | Twitter: #ghc12 #TEL Technology Entrepreneurs Lab

Women entrepreneurs have taken a virtualization company public, invented the ZipCar, built cleantech solutions, and released smartphone apps. What is your big idea? What will the Lab deliver?
The Tech Entrepreneurs Lab @ GHC is designed to get you and your big idea to the next level.

TECH ENTREPRENEUR LAB ACTIVITIES:

11:30 am – 12:30 pm (BCC:Ballroom I): ”In conversation with …. Robin Chase, Sandy Jen, Asmau Ahmed and Elisa Camahort Page“

Abstract:This session will highlight the different personal journeys that our guests underwent to become technology entrepreneurs.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM (BCC:Hall D Lunchtime Table Topics Area): “Ask the Experts ..”

Abstract:This session will offer the opportunity to talk with mentors over lunch casually and candidly, including Entrepreneur Attorneys, Venture Capitalists, Successful Entrepreneurs

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM (BCC:Ballroom I): Tech Entrepreneurs Lab

Abstract: This hands-on workshop will allow you to experience the “Ideation”, “Pitch” or “Networking” phase

Check out daily schedule here.  Registration is now closed, as it’s a sold out conference. So, follow me @MsSonicFlare for conference updates this week. #GHC12

Tags: 24notion, ABI, baltimore, career, entrepreneurs, facebook, GHC12, girls in tech, girls in tech mentorship, gitm, Ivo Lukas, jobs, technology, women in computing, women tech
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Join us for the second annual App Conference on October 18-19, 2012, in Santa Clara, CA. The conference covers the key components of app development, marketing and revenue. With an emphasis on cross platform development and revenue strategies, the conference provides industry insight for both developers and business professionals.

The App marketplace is getting more and more complex. The conference program, spearheaded by a stellar advisory board, provides you with everything you need to know to be successful.  Advisory board members include executives from BlueRun Ventures, Flurry, MocoSpace, Tech Propulsion Labs, Tapjoy, Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP), Strategy Analytics, ShopSavvy, Application Developers Alliance, Barnes & Noble, MobileDevHQ, Mashery and @WalmartLabs.

Save 20% by using the discount code GITvip. Register here

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Tags: App, girls in tech mentorship, gitm, iPhone Apps, Ivo Lukas, mobile, mobile apps
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Events, Girls In Tech, GIT Mentorship, Palo Alto, Portland, San Francisco, Silicon Valley | No Comments »

Truly disruptive technology is hard to discover, but it is alive and thriving!  Register now to attend DEMO Fall 2012 coming Oct. 1-3 to Santa Clara, California, and get 25% off the published registration rate. Simply enter “GIRLSINTECH” in the Registration Code box on the registration screen to receive this discount.

Full 2-day conference (including all social functions), access to over 65 product launches, the DEMO Pavilion and the DEMO Premiere Party, including dinner, cocktails and prizes on Tuesday evening, October 2nd.

It’s living and breathing all around you. It’s working overtime to make your life faster. Easier. Better. It’s helping you to achieve more. Do more. Enjoy more. And it’s waiting for investors and buyers like you to bring it to life.

- Technology like Intuitive Motion’s Zboard, that’s the world’s first weight-sensing electronic skateboard which could be the next commuter trend.

- Or TourWrist, which gives travelers point-and-click capability to capture and share 360-degree panoramic visual experiences on their iOS devices and is poised to transform image sharing as you know it.

- And Voxeet, a new approach to conference calls that combines high-definition voice quality, speaker recognition, 3-D sound and visual cues to replicate the quality of real-world meetings on your office or mobile phone.

These products and many more came to life at the recent DEMO Spring event and you are sure to discover new groundbreaking technology just around the corner at DEMO Fall 2012 . Register Now

The following technology leaders who will join Matt Marshall, Editor-in-Chief and CEO, VentureBeat and DEMO Executive Producer, onstage for one-on-one interviews:

Ray Kurzweil- Author, Entrepreneur, Futurist- Kurzweil Technologies-  One of the most respected tech futurists, he has invented things such as the CCD flat-bed scanner, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, and the first text-to-speech synthesizer.

Evan Williams- Co-Founder, Twitter- Williams was at the forefront of some of the biggest web technologies of the past decade, such as blogging (he founded Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google and became Blogger), podcasting (he founded Odeo, one of the earliest podcasting companies).

Industry disrupters, VC’s, DEMO alum and CEO’s from fast-growing startups will offer their insights on where key markets are headed, where the major players are putting their resources, and how you can capitalize on these directions. Here is a partial list of DEMO Sages:

• Daniel Debow, Co-CEO, Rypple
• Josh Elman, Principal, Greylock Partners
• Clay Kellogg, CRO, Chartboost
• Sheila Jordan, Senior Vice President of Communication and Collaboration IT, Cisco Systems
• Clay Kellogg,Chief Revenue Officer, Chartboost
• Jason Medelson, Managing Director, Foundry Group
• Adam Nash, Executive in Residence, Greylock Partners
• Harshul Sanghi, Managing Partner, American Express Ventures
• Adeo Ressi, CEO, Founder Institute

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Tags: demo, entrepreneurs, Girls in Tech Silicon Valley, girls intech, investment, pitch, startups
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Events, Girls In Tech, GIT Mentorship, San Francisco, Silicon Valley | No Comments »