Women In Tech

Forbes Woman Of The Year: Women In Tech

2012-01-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Jenna Goudreau, Forbes Staff

It’s been an incredible year for women. At the highest echelons, a flurry of executive change-ups ushered in new female faces to global leadership positions across industries. Women now oversee some of the world’s biggest companies, banks, media outlets and economies. And at the lowest levels, female protesters have come out en masse to demand their rights.

In 2011, through quiet determination and willful force, women have pushed for progress. One group of notable women has succeeded in breaking barriers, securing a powerful voice on the frontlines of business and innovation. Women in technology have made important strides this year, shifting from a minor anomaly to a force to be reckoned with.

This is a different time,” Ursula Burns, chairman and chief of Xerox, told me at a recent women’s event. With the new regime of female tech leaders, Burns says technology is becoming a significant pipeline for women–thanks to the field’s constant evolution. “We got here by doing great work while not backing off the things that are important.”

IBM, one of the world’s biggest and most influential tech companies, with a market cap of upwards of $200 billion, this year made history by appointing 30-year veteran Virginia “Ginni” Rometty as its next CEO. A computer scientist and electrical engineer by training, Rometty was tapped as Big Blue’s first female leader the same year that it celebrated its 100th year anniversary. She will lead it into its next 100 years, while showing young women the now unlimited possibilities available to them.

Meg Whitman too, with a constantly evolving career, continues to prove the staying power of women in tech. After leading eBay for 10 years and an unsuccessful attempt at the California governor seat, the “technology visionary” has come back stronger than ever as the newest chief of Hewlett-Packard.

This year’s list of the world’s most powerful women highlighted a new breed of female techies. After exploding the network’s growth to 800 million active users, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was named the world’s fifth most powerful woman in 2011, shooting up from No. 66 the year before. BillionaireHTC Chairman and Cofounder Cher Wang, who landed at No. 20 for the first time, oversees the manufacturing of one out of every five smartphones in the world. Also debuting to the list this year were Google‘s Susan Wojcicki andMarissa Mayer, perfecting online advertising and search, and Twitter’s Katie Jacobs Stanton, who took the Tweet international.

While women in tech have pushed ahead, there’s still a long way to go tocatch up in the ratios. Of the 10 fastest-growing jobs projected by the U.S. Department of Labor, nine require math or science training. Engineering and computer-related fields are expected to see the most growth, but women currently hold less than 25% of these positions and earn just 20% of these bachelor’s degrees. Meanwhile, three of the top 10 best-paying jobs for womenare in tech (computer software engineers, computer programmers and computer and information systems managers) and feature some of the narrowest gender wage gaps among professional jobs.

The imperative is clear: Increased attention and creativity is necessary to attract more girls to tech. And we’re on the right path. From computer engineer Barbie to new science and math Girls Scouts badges, girls are beginning to get technical support.

Some thanks are also due to those already established in tech who are pulling women up. “People made the choice that we be here,” said Burns. ”If Ginni or Sheryl or I had to fundamentally change who we were, it wouldn’t have happened. There’s something to be said for the men–in companies and on boards–who’ve known that we [women] can do what we do without becoming them.”

Advocate for women in tech

2011-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

BY PADMASREE WARRIOR, CTO, CISCO (AS TOLD TO STACEY HIGGINBOTHAM)
Source: Gigom

Padmasree Warrior joined Cisco in 2007 as Chief Technology Officer, and is also Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Enterprise, Commercial and Small Business group. Prior to Cisco she was the Chief Technology Officer of Motorola. We asked Warrior for her reflections on 2011 and her New Year’s resolutions for 2012 because she is a tech thought leader that has also championed for women and technology.

For me personally and also for Cisco, 2011 was a year of realignment. My own role changed twice at least. In the beginning of this year I took over as the enterprise leader for Cisco and then in April of 2011, I took over as the co-leader of all of engineering. I was the CTO first when I joined Cisco four years ago. The biggest challenge for me is that along with the expansion of my role came all of the changes we needed to make internally to re-energize the group, to realign and to refocus back on the architecture and the core priorities of the company.

From a personal point of view, I have a weird brain as I call it. I have both a strong left and a strong right brain. You probably see that from my tweets as well. I write haiku, I paint, and I am an engineer. I speak on the behalf of women both in technology as well as in the industry — that’s a big passion of mine. So what i think that was challenging for me personally was really trying to find the right way to partition my energy between all of these things.

Because of all the things that are going on at work and my own role in the transformation of Cisco, which is extremely important, I didn’t have as much energy and time as I would like to have had on doing these other things — painting more, or writing poetry more or encouraging women. I think that’s something that I want back to do more in 2012, both within Cisco and within the industry. I believe women should play a strong role in technology and I want to get management focused on that again.

Leadership is about putting personal energy into it. I truly believe that leadership is something that you have to be involved with in terms of the details as well as the strategy. I don’t subscribe to the model that someone is either a strategist or an operational person. I don’t actually believe that. At this level you have to have strength in both and the ability to do both and have the ability to go from one end of the spectrum of really thinking through the disruptions in the industry, the changes in the architecture, back to the details of how many engineers are working on which project and will the project be delivered on time or not.

So I think the current role and the expansion of the role has allowed me to do that. That part I really enjoy and I think the results speak for the company. I think as we have gone through the transformation very well as a company.

For next year I think that the big challenge for the industry, not just for Cisco, is how the big trends, cloud, mobile or social, are changing the scope of what companies do and how to make that transformation. Previously you could be an IT infrastructure company alone, and that was okay. But now as applications move to cloud, you really have to figure out how to deliver applications from the cloud. Even imaging companies are tyring to figure out where they’re going in the future. And that’s what exciting about the industry. We believe that the IT industry, applications and mobile are all blending together and so companies have to figure out their transformation; what their strengths are; and how they leverage that strength.

Cisco’s strength is network and networking itself is changing architecturally. I believe it’s going to play a huge role going forward. So that’s the opportunity. The challenge is transitioning ourselves to meet that opportunity.

One of the things I’d like to do next year, is to continue to be more of an advocate for women in technology at all levels. I think women tend to be more hesitant to making the changes that they need to make especially in entering the harder fields like technology and science and I want to make sure I use my energy to make sure we don’t lose the progress and momentum that women have made in technology. That goes for Cisco as well as the whole industry. I would like to see more women leaders get engaged with mentoring and helping others. It’s not even mentoring, it’s more just about helping others and sharing your experiences.

Source: Gigom

Public invited to cheer on student teams at Maui’s FIRST Lego League (FLL) Robotics Tournament

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

KAHULUI – Anyone who has ever watched a local robotics competition will agree:
once you find yourself cheering for that little contraption on wheels to win, you know
you’re hooked.

It’s that same addictive fascination that draws students from all over Maui Nui to eagerly
compete in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) Hawaii Robotics Tournament every year. This
November 12th will be the second Maui district tournament with 18 teams from Maui,
Molokai and Lanai. These 9-14 year olds will be maneuvering their robots through various tasks at the Maui High School Cafeteria. Six state berths will be at stake. Last weekend’s district tournament at Pomaika`i Elementary resulted in two Moloka`i teams qualifying for the State FLL Tournament held on December 3, 2011 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

Each year, teams are challenged to design, build and program an autonomous robot
out of LEGO elements to solve a real world issue. The theme for 2011 is food
contamination.

The Food Factor Challenge gives teams the opportunity to explore the topic of food
safety and examine the possible points of contamination that our food encounters – from exposure to insects and creatures, to unsafe processing and transportation, to unsanitary preparation and storage – then find ways to prevent or combat these contaminates.

Teams are expected to build, test, and program their robot to solve a set of Food Safety
missions as well as research, develop, and share their innovative food safety solutions.

The public is encouraged to come down and watch this exciting event on Saturday,
November 12th, from noon to 3 pm at Maui High School Cafeteria. Presentations
(restricted to participants only) will be held earlier in the day, from 8 am to 12 pm.

FIRST LEGO League is an international organization that introduces students to the fun
and experience of solving real-world problems by applying math, science and
technology (STEM).

In Hawaii, FLL is supported by the Women in Technology (WIT) Project, an initiative of the Maui Economic Development Board. WIT’s goal is to motivate students toward STEM
careers by capturing and sustaining their interest in STEM education at an early age.

####

Maui First Lego League Robotics Qualifier 2011

2011-11-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

Maui First Lego League Robotics Qualifier 2011
Maui High School
Saturday, November 12, 2011

12:00 - 12:30 Welcome and Introduction
12:30 - 2:30 "Food Factor" Robotics Challenge
2:30 - 3:00 Announcement of Qualifiers Winners

RSVP to: info@womenintech.com

Wahine Forum Aims to Empower Women

2011-10-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Wahine Forum was held on Tuesday, October 18 at the Hawaii Convention
Center. The purpose of the Wahine Forum is to elevate the role of women in the community by sharing useful information, building leadership capacity, and broadening attendees’ perspectives on community involvement and career horizons.

Maui Economic Development Board Vice President, Leslie Wilkins talks about how she, and 38 other powerful women plan to inspire others at Tuesday's Wahine Forum.

Check out the KITV video!

View a pdf of Ms. Wilkin's presentation

Wall Street Vet, Best-Selling Author, Wahine Forum Keynote, to Address La Pietra Monday, October 17, 2 p.m

2011-10-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

(Honolulu, Hawai'i - October 14, 2011) - Wahine Forum Keynote Speaker Carla Harris will speak at La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls on Monday, October 17 at 2 p.m. The students will get career development advice from Harris.

Harris is the best-selling author of Expect to Win, 10 Proven Strategies from a Wall Street Vet. She is also a managing director and head of the emerging manager platform at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. She spent more than seventeen years of her career in capital markets. During her two-decade career on Wall Street, Harris executed the IPOs for UPS, Martha Stewart Living, Omni media, Redback and Immunex, one of the largest biotechnology offerings in U.S. history. Harris was recognized as Black Enterprise's "75 Most Powerful Women in Business" in 2006. She was on Fortune's 2005 "Most Influential List." She was named to Ebony Magazine's "15 Corporate Women at the Top" in 2004, Essence Magazine's of "50 Women Who Are Shaping the World" in 2003, and Fortune's list of "50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America" in 2002.

Wahine Forum is an annual women's conference co-convened by Hawaii Business Magazine and Junior League of Honolulu. Wahine Forum is held the following day (Tuesday, Oct. 18) at the Hawaii Convention Center.

La Pietra-Hawai'i School for Girls, is a lead sponsor bringing signature intergenerational engagement to the event. La Pietra has supported women's conferencing in Hawaii for five years as a sponsor of JLH's HerStory and Wahine Forum since last year.

Directions to La Pietra, located at 2933 Poni Moi Road:

(From H-1) Exit at King Street, continue to Kapahulu Avenue. Turn right on Kapahulu Avenue. At the end of Kapahulu Avenue, turn left onto Kalakaua Avenue. You will pass Waikiki beach park and the Waikiki Aquarium. Continue to follow Kalakaua Avenue until you make a soft left and come to a stop sign. Proceed across the intersection onto Poni Moi Road.

Media Contact:

Mike Moses, La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls

(808) 922-2744, office * (808) 375-2120 cell

mikem@lapietra.edu

Barbra Pleadwell, Hastings & Pleadwell

808-538-0797 x1, office * 808- 292-3031, cell

bap@hastingsandpleadwell.com

Ada Lovelace Day-Meet the founder of Bioinformatics, Margaret Dayhoff

2011-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ada Lovelace Day allows us an opportunity to highlight the work of women in science.

Today I’d like you to meet a pioneer in the field of bioinformatics, Margaret Dayhoff, a visionary who:

created the first computer program to analyze molecular data
created the single letter amino acid abbreviation
developed the first public molecular database
revolutionized the field of evolutionary classification by using mathematical matrices to examine protein similarities.

Now that I am teaching online courses, I have become familiar (but not a pro) with screen capture technology. I use Camtasia for Mac, which I find fairly easy to edit. Instead of writing a post to introduce you to Dr. Dayhoff, I narrate this tutorial video (hence its presence on PsiVid). I hope curious viewers will learn something new about the field of bioinformatics and about Dayhoff’s contribution. The audience for this video would be novices, possibly at the high school level or adults unfamiliar with bioinformatics.

Stick around to the end (or jump to 7:49) to learn a fun way to find your name in DNA using some of the principles that Dr. Dayhoff developed! It’s a great exercise in understanding the central dogma of biology and the power of bioinformatics. You can do that by visiting THIS WEBSITE

I used an iPod earphone mic, so when I moved my head, the sound vacillated. My coworker had borrowed the “snowball” mic that I would normally use for the audio. Also, you are seeing an odd pulsing. I do need to optimize the frames per second during processing to have that disappear, just not sure which direction to go, higher or lower. Anyone have suggestions?

Source: Scientific American
By Joanne Manaster

New Workplace Flexibility Policies

2011-09-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

WIT commends the White House Council and National Science Foundation for launching this important initiative that will allow scientists and researchers the flexibility to both balance and manage the demands of career and family.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2011

The White House and National Science Foundation Announce New Workplace Flexibility Policies to Support America’s Scientists and Their Families

Today, White House Council on Women and Girls Executive Director Tina Tchen, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John P. Holdren, and National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Subra Suresh announced the “NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative,” a 10-year plan to provide greater work-related flexibility to women and men in research careers.

Among the best practices that NSF will expand Foundation-wide, are ones that will allow researchers to delay or suspend their grants for up to one year in order to care for a newborn or newly adopted child or fulfill other family obligations — maximizing current policy to facilitate scientists’ reentry into their professions with minimal loss of momentum.

“Jump-starting girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math—the so-called STEM subjects -- and boosting the percentage of women employed in science and engineering is not just the right thing to do but is also the smart thing to do for America’s future and the economy,” said Tina Tchen.

“Too many young women scientists and engineers get sidetracked or drop their promising careers because they find it too difficult to balance the needs of those careers and the needs of their families,” said Subra Suresh. “This new initiative aims to change that, so that the country can benefit from the full range and diversity of its talent.”

Later today, First Lady Michelle Obama will speak at a White House event about the importance of supporting and retaining women and girls in STEM careers. At this East Room event, the NSF will discuss today’s announcement about retaining women in STEM fields. Tune in to www.whitehouse.gov/live to join the event live at 4 pm EDT.

“If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we’ve got to open doors for everyone,” said Mrs. Obama. “We need all hands on deck, and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”

NSF—which is the leading source of Federal grants for many fields of basic research crucial to US technology development and job creation, including computer science, mathematics, and the social sciences—is also calling upon universities and research institutes to adopt similar policies for their employees and grantees.

Women today currently earn 41% of PhD’s in STEM fields, but make up only 28% of tenure-track faculty in those fields. Reducing the dropout rate of women in STEM careers is especially important in the quest for gender equality because women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more than those in non-STEM occupations and the wage gap between men and women in STEM jobs is smaller than in other fields.

NSF has launched targeted workplace flexibility efforts in the past, but the new initiative is the first to be applied Foundation-wide to help postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty members more easily care for dependents while continuing their careers. The new initiative will offer a coherent and consistent set of family-friendly policies and practices to help eliminate some of the barriers to women’s advancement and retention in STEM careers. It will:

· Allow postponement of grants for child birth/adoption – Grant recipients can defer their awards for up to one year to care for their newborn or newly adopted children.

· Allow grant suspension for parental leave – Grant recipients who wish to suspend their grants to take parental leave can extend those grants by a comparable duration at no cost.

· Provide supplements to cover research technicians– Principal investigators can apply for stipends to pay research technicians or equivalent staff to maintain labs while PIs are on family leave.

· Publicize the availability of family friendly opportunities – NSF will issue announcements and revise current program solicitations to expressly promote these opportunities to eligible awardees.

· Promote family friendliness for panel reviewers – STEM researchers who review the grant proposals of their peers will have greater opportunities to conduct virtual reviews rather than travel to a central location, increasing flexibility and reducing dependent-care needs.

· Support research and evaluation – NSF will continue to encourage the submission of proposals for research that would assess the effectiveness of policies aimed at keeping women in the STEM pipeline.

· Leverage and Expand Partnerships -- NSF will leverage existing relationships with academic institutions to encourage the extension of the tenure clock and allow for dual hiring opportunities.

The Administration has been highly focused on the goal of increasing the participation of women and girls in STEM fields. The White House has encouraged and celebrated the participation of girls and women in STEM fields through initiatives like Educate to Innovate, which, among other goals, focuses on improving STEM education for underrepresented groups, including girls, and the President’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition, which rewards states that develop strategies to broaden the participation of women and girls and others underrepresented in science and engineering. To achieve this, states applying for these funds receive competitive preference if they demonstrate efforts to address barriers to full participation of women and girls in these fields.

The President has appointed a strong team of women leaders to his Cabinet and White House staff, including several female scientists including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (an engineer), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco (a marine scientist), US Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt (a geophysicist), and Director of the Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Regina Dugan (a mechanical engineer).

The White House has also been committed to making the government a model employer in the area of workplace flexibility. In March of 2010, The President’s Council of Economic Advisors issued its first ever report on the economic benefits of workplace flexibility, concluding that it strengthens a company’s bottom line while helping workers meet the needs of their families and stay in the workforce. The President hosted a White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility and the Department of Labor led subsequent efforts around the country to promote workplace flexibility and generate best practices in the private sector. To strengthen the government’s position as a model employer in this area, the President signed the Telework Enhancement Act, which requires Federal agencies to take a number of significant steps to promote the use of telework, including appointing a senior telework managing officer in each Federal agency.

Several independent organizations and academic associations today announced initiatives in coordination with NSF and the White House, adding momentum to a nationwide shift that promises to strengthen the US economy and job security even as it strengthens families across the country. Among them:

· The White House Council on Women and Girls and Office of Science and Technology Policy are launching a “Women in STEM Speakers Bureau.” Designed to spark the interest of girls in grades 6-12 through engagement with women-scientist role models at the top of their fields, the Speakers Bureau will deploy top Administration female STEM specialists to roundtables with students across the country.

· The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity will announce an expansion of its signature initiative, the STEM Equity Pipeline, to provide professional development training for high-school and community college faculty and staff in STEM fields.

· The Association for Women in Science is launching a new initiative that brings together representatives from government, industry, and academia with the goal of improving STEM workplaces to promote gender equality and retention, re-entry, and re-training for women.

· The National Girls Collaborative Project will announce the FabFems Project to promote career development for young female STEM students through an online networking platform that will include female educators and professionals in STEM fields.

· The American Association of University Women will announce the expansion of successful regional programs aimed at engaging girls in STEM subjects to a national level.

· The Association of American Universities and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities will commit to looking for ways that the many institutions they represent can do more to develop, support, and promote more flexible work and learning environments for those in STEM and other disciplines.

Helping women reach their economic potential

2011-09-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

By Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen, Published: September 25

The American Jobs Act which President Obama sent to Congress two weeks ago, is vital for our country’s women. It would keep 280,000 teachers — most of them women — from losing their jobs due to budget cuts. It would put hundreds of thousands of unemployed women back to work. It would put more money in the pockets of almost 80 million working women, by cutting their payroll taxes next year. As the president has said, Congress has a responsibility to pass this bill.

However, even as we wait for Congress to act, the Obama administration is taking steps to create economic opportunities for women and girls.

On Monday, for example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will announce new steps to make it easier for women to pursue careers in engineering and the sciences — fields that are critical to our nation’s economic growth.

Women working in science, technology, engineering and math careers earn 33 percent more than those in other occupations, and these “STEM” skills will become even more important in high-growth, high-tech fields such as health-care technology and advanced manufacturing.

As with women throughout the workforce, however, women in STEM jobs are often expected to establish themselves professionally at the same time they are starting families. This forces women to choose between their careers and their responsibilities at home. Understandably, many of our most promising young scientists and engineers drop out of the pipeline.

To support female innovators and help women contribute to the economy, the NSF is taking steps to allow researchers to balance their responsibilities in the lab with their responsibilities at home. For example, if a researcher needs to delay the start of a funded project for a family-related reason, such as taking care of a young child or an aging parent, the NSF will work with her to make that possible without causing her to lose her grant. If she needs to interrupt research to have a baby, there will be options to add the lost time onto the end of her funding period without penalty. In many cases, NSF will even pay for technicians who can keep labs and research projects running during a period of parental leave.

As an agency devoted to evidence-based decision making, NSF will also support research into the effectiveness of flexible workplace policies. This will ensure that the new programs are working and will help identify best practices to share with the public and private sectors.

For many women who dream of becoming scientists and researchers, these kinds of simple, common-sense changes will make a world of difference. And our entire economy can benefit, because if more women have the chance to pursue STEM careers, it will lead to more innovation, entrepreneurship and growth.

Monday’s NSF announcement also highlights the ways that flexible workplaces contribute to our economic competitiveness. There is a common misconception that workplace flexibility policies cost businesses money. In fact, the opposite is true. A study from the White House Council of Economic Advisers found that flexible workplaces often attract the best workers and experience reduced absenteeism, lower turnover and higher productivity. As President Obama has said , “Workplace flexibility isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s an issue that affects the well-being of our families and the success of our businesses.”

We also recognize that a lack of work-life balance prevents many workers from reaching their economic potential. Today, nearly two-thirds of American families with children are headed by two working parents or by a single parent. These parents cannot thrive in a job where they are unable to care for their children. At a time when working men and women across our nation face deep economic uncertainty, it is wrong to ask them to choose between their jobs and their families.

We understand that these policies are no substitute for congressional action on the economy. But we also know that government can make a difference — through direct action and by working with outside organizations. A broad coalition of groups has joined the Obama administration in addressing workplace flexibility for those in STEM fields, including the Association for Women in Science, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Association of American Universities.

When President Obama addressed the U.N. General Assembly last week, he made a powerful economic argument on behalf of the world’s women. “No country can realize its potential,” he said, “if half its population cannot reach theirs.” As the president pursues a short-term recovery and long-term prosperity, he will continue to focus on empowering America’s women and girls, and giving every American a chance to contribute fully to our economy.

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls. Tina Tchen is executive director of the council and chief of staff to the first lady.

Technology Industry’s Gender Gap Seen Hampering Competitiveness

2011-09-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

The lack of women in technology will hinder U.S. companies’ global competitiveness, leaving a valuable source of female workers untapped, Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) executive Kathy Hill said yesterday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco.

Companies should overhaul policies starting at the training level to ensure a balance between the sexes, Hill said at the APEC meeting, which was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. APEC represents 21 economies that account for more than 55 percent of global gross domestic product.

“Technology has to play a role,” said Hill, a senior vice president of development strategy and operations at San Jose, California-based Cisco, the world’s largest maker of networking equipment. “Technology makes a lot more money than other businesses, and we’ve got job growth.”

While women hold about half the jobs in the broader U.S. economy, they account for less than 25 percent of science, technology, engineering and math positions, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“We need to unlock a vital source of growth that can power our economy in the decades to come, and that vital source of growth is women,” Clinton said yesterday at the conference. “By increasing women’s part in the economy and enhancing their efficiency and productivity, we can bring about a dramatic effect to the competitiveness and growth of our economies.”

Technical Majors

The disparity begins in college. More than 31,000 men graduated with bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences, outnumbering women by more than fourfold, according to a 2008-2009 study by the National Center for Education Statistics. Males who graduated with technological engineering degrees during that period dwarfed female counterparts by almost ninefold, the study found.

Females who start in science, technology, engineering and math concentrations often switch to other fields before graduating, said Marilyn Nagel, chief executive officer of Watermark, a Palo Alto, California-based, 4,000-member organization for professional women. Corporations and universities should make efforts to retain women in those majors throughout the students’ college careers, she said.

That means supporting them when they’re most likely to switch from math to another major -- between freshman and sophomore year -- and bringing them into corporate environments so they can visualize what they will be doing in their careers.

‘Business Imperative’

“It’s a business imperative to increase diversity,” Nagel, 62, said in an interview. “A homogeneous team is not going to be as innovative and is not going to produce the same level of well-thought-out results as a diverse team.”

Design skills also may help women break into technology, said Weili Dai, the 50-year-old co-founder of Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (MRVL), which makes chips for personal computers and mobile phones. The iPad and iPhone have spotlighted the need for practical, elegant designs, she said.

”Technology used to be boring, but now technology is fashion,” Dai said in an interview at the conference.

Companies need to make sure female mentors are accessible to younger employees, she said. That allows women to more easily see themselves in top positions, Dai said.

Just 12 percent of the students majoring in electrical engineering and computer science at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, are women, said Claire Tomlin, a professor who oversees those majors at the school.

The college is working with middle-school girls to spark interest in engineering at a young age, and it invites females from other schools to the campus for summer programs to cultivate more interest in the field, she said.

Companies in the U.S., where the overall population is 51 percent female, will be more profitable if they foster collaboration between the sexes, Dai said.

“In my company, any function could be done by a man or woman,” she said. “How do we leverage the natural attributes and talents of women?”

Source: Bloomberg

reporter: Danielle Kucera

Reporter:

Space in the Classroom – Sponsored by Space Foundation and MEDB

2011-09-07T22:35:00.001-07:00

Space in the Classroom – Sponsored by Space Foundation and MEDB

Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Ilima Room, Wailea Marriott Resort

Open to Middle and High School Teachers

Come and learn fun hands on activities to excite your students about Science and Space Technologies.

Access to the Women in Technology/AFRL Outreach Lending Library and resources/lessons provided from the Space Foundation.

Take a tour on the Digital Bus and through the AMOS Conference Exhibit Hall which showcases over a dozen Space Company.

Space is limited. Please email Mapu (mapu@medb.org) to reserve your space. If you have any questions, please call 875.2343.

View Flyer of the Days Event

Gender Pay Gap in Tech Closing

2011-09-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Author: Adrian Gaskell

News regarding gender pay gaps are rarely good news events. Last week for instance the Chartered Management Institute, a management training company, released news that management pay will not equal out for another 98 years!

Sadly, such figures are not consigned to the boardroom. Women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fair little better, making just 86 cents on the male dollar. That is according to new research by the ESA.

Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. This has been the case throughout the past decade, even as college-educated women have increased their share of the overall workforce.

Women with STEM jobs do however earn more than women in other, non-STEM, jobs. Figures show that they earn 33% more than other professions, a premium that is considerably higher than that for men.

Despite this strong performance however, women are disproportionally represented in STEM jobs, and indeed on STEM undergraduate courses. Those that do graduate are less likely to work in STEM occupations, with many migrating to educational or healthcare related professions.

STEM needs far more women in it ranks. Only one out of every seven engineers is female and only 24 percent of those who work in all STEM fields are women.

A recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee called, "Stemming the Tide: Why Women Leave Engineering reveals that women are increasingly likely to depart the profession. Many women included in the report felt that it was difficult for a female friendly workplace to exist if those in charge didn't empathise with the life of women.

Women who left engineering reported a lack of training opportunities, being passed over for challenging assignments or struggling with ambiguous roles that left no clear path to advancement.

If greater equality is to be had in the workplace then more needs to be done to provide a work environment that is fit for all employees, regardless of their gender.

Source: Technorati.com

Tech CEOs in 2011: Where Are the Women?

2011-09-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

By David Zielenziger | September 2, 2011 12:55 PM EDT

Take a look at the senior management of Apple. Every senior executive is male. At IBM, it's 10 of 12. And at Texas Instruments, it's 3 of 12.

Then consider how many technology companies have a female CEO. There's Yahoo, of course. Xerox. Hon Hai Precision Industries, Apple's biggest contract manufacturer. Then it gets more difficult.

Indeed, there are a number of top women executives slightly below the CEO level. Safra Catz has been one of Oracle's presidents since 2004 and started her second stint as CFO this year. Sheryl Sandberg is COO of Facebook after being a VP at Google. Linda Sanford is a Senior VP at IBM for enterprise computing.

But why so few at the top? Given that women are more than half the population and that young women now outnumber men in graduate schools, there ought to be more. Surely, as far as consumption of technology products goes, from iPhones to Kindles, women are a huge market.

Read full article

Source: International Business Times

9 Techies on the Forbes List of 100 Most Powerful Women

2011-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Forbes's list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women has been released, and we're excited to see quite a few techies in the group.

Forbes selects candidates within six categories: billionaires, business, lifestyle (including entertainment and fashion), media, nonprofits, and politics. From those categories, each person is ranked upon three metrics: "dollars, a traditional and social media component, and power base points."

Nine women with technology connections made the prestigious list. Find out who they are and their rankings below.

5. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook — According to Forbes, Sheryl has helped to grow active Facebook users to represent 11 percent of the world's total population. She is also an outspoken advocate of empowering women in the workforce.
6. Melinda Gates, cofounder and cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — A computer scientist in her own right, Melinda Gates now focuses on the foundation named after her and husband. In the last year alone, the organization gave away $2.4 billion in global charitable contributions with an emphasis on immunizations.
16. Susan Wojcicki, SVP of Advertising, Google — Dubbed "the most important Googler you've never heard of," Susan was the one to rent her legendary Palo Alto garage to the Google founders. She currently oversees AdWords and mobile advertising products and is responsible for bringing in 96 percent of the company's total revenue.
20. Cher Wang, cofounder and chair, HTC; VIA Technologies — As cofounder of Taiwan-based HTC, Cher has grown the company to be the maker of more than out of every five smartphones.
37. Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo! — As CEO of the Internet search engine, Carol has made Yahoo! into a leading digital media group with an audience reach over 700 million.

The remaining four most powerful women with a tech focus after the break.

40. Safra Catz, president, Oracle — Formerly CFO for the technology giant, Safra was named to the position again in April 2011, taking on more responsibility within the company.
42. Marissa Mayer, VP, Local, Maps, & Location Services, Google — As Google's first female engineer, Marissa has a long history with the search engine giant. She is currently at work on Google's maps, geolocation services, and local advertising products.
56. Katie Jacobs Stanton, VP, International Strategy, Twitter — A social media advocate prior to joining Twitter, Katie worked with the State Department to launch the Text Haiti Red Cross donation campaign to raise $33 million after an earthquake hit the island. She's also responsible for getting the White House on Twitter and tweeting regularly.
82. Virginia Rometty, SVP, Group Executive Sales, Marketing and Strategy, IBM — As head of global sales, Virginia helped grow revenue to $100 billion. With extensive global business experience, she is one of the top female executives at IBM.

Source: Getty

2012 Hawaii Pacific GIS Conference

2011-08-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Save the Date:The 2012 Hawaii Pacific GIS Conference
"Geospatial, It's Everywhere" will be held March 5-7, 2012 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. For more info click on link:

http://higicc.camp8.org/Resources/Documents/HawaiiPacificGIS

higicc.camp8.org

Ke Alahele Education Fund Seekers

2011-08-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Ke Alahele Education Fund Seekers: Application Deadline for Ke Alahele First Lego League (FLL)/VEX Robotics grants are due into the MEDB office by August 22, 2011 at 4:30 pm, and Botball/FIRST Robotics are due by November 28, 2011 at 4:30 pm.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 2011

2011-08-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Mark your Calendar as this years FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 2011 is on November 12 @ Maui High School . I"t is an exciting and fun global robotics program,designed to ignite an enthusiasm for discovery of the basic principles of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in children, ages 9 to 14".

For more info visit: www.hawaiifl.org

Was the 'mancession' just a mirage?

2011-07-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Men are regaining jobs at a faster clip than women and they are moving into traditionally female-dominated corners of the job market, an apparent about-face from last year's so-called 'man cession.'

Source: CNN Money

By Elizabeth G. Olson, contributor

FORTUNE -- Last year's catchy economic phrase was "mancession," as it looked like companies were lopping men off their employment rolls and keeping lesser-paid women in an effort to cut back and keep their businesses afloat.

It looks like that trend has made an about-face, at least for now, according to the Pew Research Center, whose new analysis of federal employment data finds that men are regaining jobs at a faster clip -- and that women are losing them. Not only that, the Pew study found that men are making inroads in industries long dominated by women, like nursing and teaching.

There has been a steady increase over the past decade in the percentage of men earning nursing degrees, according to federal data on the number of people completing nursing programs nationwide.

"Men who have spent the past few years retraining for more in-demand RN [registered nurse] jobs are starting to hit the workforce," says Rob Sentz, spokesperson at economic analysis firm Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. The percentage of male nurses climbed from 9.5% in 2003 to 12.2% this year, according to the firm's preliminary findings.

Opportunities for men are increasing as the health care industry expands so it can accommodate America's growing elderly population, says Lydia Ostermeier, current president of the National Association of Health Care Recruiters. Also, registered nurses who have delayed retirement for financial reasons will be leaving the profession, making way for new hires, she notes.

"I just convinced my son to change his major to nursing," says Ostermeier, who also is the director of nursing administration at Indiana University Health. "There is more earnings potential as RNs quickly can move on to jobs like clinical managers."

"The pool of male applicants has grown," agrees Seth Lee, director of staffing and recruiting services at BonSecours Health System in Marriottsville, Md. "Instead of traditional MBAs taking these jobs, we're seeing more people who have worked on the hospital floor moving up to other positions like managing oncology services, which are run like business units."

Overall, hiring of men two years into the economic recovery period bested hiring of women in all but one of 16 major economic sectors, according to Pew's study.

Men gained jobs at a faster rate than women in education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality. In other sectors, including retail, finance, and federal government, men gained jobs while women lost them, reports Rakesh Kochhar, a Pew senior researcher and a co-author of the jobs report.

This apparent setback for women raises the thorny question of whether -- in contrast to economic recoveries over the past 40 years -- men are being unduly favored in current hiring. In each of the recovery periods since 1970, women have recouped jobs at a faster rate than men, at least within the first two years of the recovery period.

To be sure, jobs data can sometimes only reflect a blip in statistics or a longer-term trend, but economists are not able to sort out definitively until a year or two down the road.

While women's staying power in the workplace was being lauded last year, a more recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, showed that during the recession a larger share of women than men lost jobs in every U.S. industry.

Initially, it looked as if male workers were suffering more from the recession because men outnumber women in fields like construction, manufacturing, and other areas that retrenched at the recession's onset. Women, on the other hand, had jobs in industries such as teaching that, at first, avoided cutbacks.

"It's a tale of two cities," explains Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, which tracks the labor market. "Women and men tend to work in different sectors of the economy, and some of those sectors are recovering faster than others.

"For example, more men than women have gotten jobs in business services," she says. "Perhaps men are being hired as engineers or computer scientists by high tech firms, which are growing."

In retail, an area where men's hiring has greatly outstripped women's, Hartmann says that companies may be hiring more men in response to the pickup in auto and home appliance sales. But hiring for female-dominated jobs, like cashiers, may be slowing because grocery stores and drug stores are increasingly offering self-checkout, she says.

Between the end of the recession in June 2009 through May 2011, men gained 768,000 jobs and women lost 218,000. That followed men losing 5.4 million -- or 71% -- of the 7.5 million jobs that were eliminated in the December 2007 through June 2009 recession.

"Men lost more and have gained back more of what they lost. Women lost less and have gained back less of what they lost," says Hartmann. "It's just that [women's] low point [of employment] was after the recession ended and they've only recovered 11% [or 301,000 jobs] since then, less than the 24% percent men have recovered," she adds.

Pew's Kochhar noted that women's job ranks took a big hit when local and state governments -- a major source of employment for women -- began to shed jobs. Teachers, also heavily female, have come under the budget axe, as much of the federal stimulus funds that have propped up struggling local education departments are winding down.

Even though women lost a significant number of jobs across the board, the widely publicized data that showed that men lost a hefty two-thirds of all jobs could mean that employers are now favoring male hires, Hartmann says.

"It is possible that the biases that may have affected job loss are now affecting hiring," she concludes.

Such a tilt towards men, if accurate, would eviscerate working women's recent gains in the job market -- just the opposite of the crowing a year ago about women's hard-won workplace security.

Source: CNN Money

Girls Sweep Google Global Science Fair

2011-07-25T21:59:00.001-07:00

Teachers struggling to get girls jazzed about STEM take heart. Of some 10,000 students who competed in Google’s inaugural global science fair, three young women swept to the top.

Fort Worth, Texas, high school student Shree Bose was interviewed on NPR’s Morning Edition (7/12) about winning the grand prize for her work on drug resistance in treating ovarian cancer. “Throughout my entire life I’ve always loved science,” she told reporter Wendy Kaufman. “I’ve loved watching it, doing it, understanding it mostly, and now to be able to explain science to other people, that’s the biggest step for me as a scientist.”

The other winners had equally impressive entries. Lauren Hodge, the 13-14 age group champion, studied how different marinades could reduce carcinogens in grilled chicken. Naomi Shah, who won the 15-16 age group, examined whether improving indoor air quality could reduce people’s reliance on asthma medication. Despite their different projects, all three champions shared a sense of curiosity, noted the judges.

The winners also shared some cool prizes and LEGO trophies Shree received a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galápagos Islands with a National Geographic Explorer and an internship at CERN. Naomi and Lauren each received $25,000 scholarships and internships at Google and LEGO.

As the NPR report noted, “world class science and technology companies are always on the lookout for talent and they hope competitions like this encourage more young people to study science and engineering.” You go, Google girls!

Source: eGFI

Young Women Sweep Google Global Science Fair

2011-07-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

NPR's Morning Edition (7/12, Kaufman) reported yesterday on the winners of Google's global science fair, noting that "some 10,000 students entered the competition and in the end three women...were declared the winners in their age brackets." Texas high school student Shree Bose was interviewed about winning "the grand prize for her work on drug resistance in treating ovarian cancer." The other winning entries studied air pollution and asthma, and "how different marinades could reduce carcinogens in grilled chicken." NPR noted, "World class science and technology companies are always on the lookout for talent and they hope competitions like this encourage more young people to study science and engineering." The complete audio version of the report is available on NPR's website.

Google Exec Marissa Mayer Explains Why There Aren't More Girl Geeks

2011-07-08T01:37:00.000-07:00

In 1999, Marissa Mayer, then a recent Stanford University graduate, joined a little-known startup with fewer than 20 employees that she calculated as having a two percent chance of success: Google.

Now, as a senior executive with the search giant, Mayer is one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley. Her work at Google influences how hundreds of millions of people access information on the web and she plays a key role in shaping Google's most important products, from the look and feel of its homepage to popular features like Google News and Gmail, as well as its more recent forays into location-based services.

One of the most iconic women in tech today, Mayer's career path offers lessons for how to attract more women to a male-dominated field and undermines the assumption that to foster more female techies, it's early or never. Mayer, who calls herself a "proud geek," did not grow up obsessed with computers -- she bought her first one in college -- or with dreams of becoming the next Bill Gates. She wanted to be a pediatric neurosurgeon.

Mayer credits Stanford's "exorbitant" tuition fees with turning her on to tech. Frustrated with how much more she was paying to take the same courses and memorize the same chemistry facts as her peers attending less expensive colleges in her home state, Wisconsin, Mayer switched to a major that would let her take advantage of courses and faculty only offered at Stanford: symbolic systems, a blend of psychology, linguistics, philosophy and computer science.

Even after the switch, working at Google was not an obvious pick for Mayer. "I like to overwhelm myself with choice," she said. She received 14 job offers, and in an effort to choose between them, she created a matrix ranking how each position compared across a slew of characteristics, including location, salary, lifestyle index, career trajectory and predicted happiness on a scale of one to ten.

The Google Mayer was considering joining after graduation was a far cry from the powerhouse it is today. The company had just grown out of its office in a Menlo Park garage and was up against over a dozen more established search engines, such as AltaVista and Yahoo, that themselves had trouble eking meaningful revenues out of online queries. Then there were the workplace demographics to consider: there was not a single other female engineer -- Mayer would become Google's first -- and she would be one of fewer than two dozen employees.

The other position Mayer was most seriously weighing was with McKinsey & Company, a prestigious consulting firm with a distinguished lineage and dozens of alumni who went on to become the CEOs of Fortune 500 firms. It had smart people, more women and a strong track record.

Unable to decide, Mayer recruited an economist she knew to help analyze her options. The night before she ultimately accepted Google's offer, Mayer spent more than four hours with her friend graphing and charting the pros and cons of the jobs. Frustrated, she eventually collapsed in tears. Her friend then gave her what she says is still the best advice she has ever received -- advice that ultimately convinced her to pick the burgeoning search engine company over McKinsey.

"You're approaching this all wrong," she remembers him telling her. "You're approaching this as though there's one right answer and that's just not what I'm seeing here. I'm seeing a bunch of really good choices and then there's the one that you pick and that you commit to and that you make great. Go and sleep on it, and then just pick and commit to that."

Mayer said that when she woke up the next morning, she had made a decision. "I wanted to work at Google because the smartest people were there," she said. "And I wanted to work at Google because I felt utterly unprepared to work at a search engine."

The odds for success Mayer gave Google were 100 times better than what she calculated for the other startups she was considering. But Mayer admits that she could hardly have predicted that the company, which today has over 1 billion users and a dominance that has attracted antitrust scrutiny from regulators, would have grown so far beyond search.

"I thought if we were successful, we'd be successful as a search engine," said Mayer. "I had no idea we would come to mean so many different things to so many different people and that we would be doing such interesting work along so many lines of technology."

She advises people pursuing careers in the high-tech industry, whether at startups or Fortune 500 firms, to consider four things when choosing between jobs: "Work with the smartest people you can find, do something you're not ready to do, find an environment in which you're very comfortable so you can find your voice, and work for someone who believes in you -- because when they believe in you, they'll invest in you."

SOUND BYTES: Marissa Mayer on...
Her indispensable gadget: Her phone
Her favorite app: Google Maps and Bejeweled Blitz
Her favorite account to follow on Twitter: @TechCrunch
Her "required reading" recommendation: Donald Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things"

In her latest role as Google's vice president of location and local services, Mayer has been pursuing what she describes as the next big idea in tech: developing new cellphone-based programs that deliver customized ads, directions, recommendations, and other information based on users' locations. Yet even as Mayer and her employer deliver an increasing number of services designed to keep us glued to our phones, tablets, browsers and keyboards, Mayer acknowledges that these services and our gadgets may be negatively affecting how we engage with complex topics that require focused attention.

"All of this technology has allowed us to multitask to an incredibly deep degree. Normally that's a good thing, but I do worry about what it means in terms of people's ability to go really deep on a topic and understand it really thoroughly," Mayer said. "I think it's hard to deeply understand a concept when you have ten things going on and so many of those things operate in short blurts of information."

Mayer also has concerns about the relatively low number of women working in tech. She estimates that just 15 to 17 percent of Silicon Valley engineers are women, who make up less than 20 percentof all engineering and computer science majors in the US.

Mayer blames the dearth of female programmers and Internet entrepreneurs in part on tech's image problem. She argues that growing up, girls are offered a narrow stereotype of what it means to be a "geek" -- something akin to the bespectacled loner who spends hours typing away at a screen. Attracting more women to the Silicon Valleys, Alleys and Roundabouts of the world requires doing away with those stereotypes and showing young women that techies don't have to love video games. Mayer herself is no ordinary geek: she's a former ballet dancer with a penchant for cupcakes and the fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.

"The number one most important thing we can do to increase the number of women in tech is to show a multiplicity of different role models," Mayer said. "The stereotype of that very complete and rigid picture of what being a computer scientist means really hurts people's understanding and ability to identify with the role and say, 'Yes, this is something I can be in and want to be in.'"

Mayer is optimistic that sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as smartphones and the programs they run, will be a catalyst for changing the ratio in technical fields by clarifying the practical applications of computer science. Though she maintains that men and women in the industry face similar challenges, she allows that some women differ from men in that it's important to them to understand how their careers will influence people's daily lives.

"Women, to some extent more than men, really want to see the application of what they do in people's everyday lives," she explained. "For a lot of women, they didn't see how computer science touches people."

As women become more familiar with technology, Mayer predicts they will become more curious about it, which in turn will attract more of them to computer science and engineering.

"One reason I think this will improve in coming years is that girls are experiencing a lot of computer science and a lot of technology on an everyday basis," said Mayer. "When you use those things every day, you become curious in terms of how they were made. And that type of technology hasn't touched us the way it does today for very long. I think it will create a curiosity and spur a lot more women into computer science and the technical fields."

Source: Huffington Post

Crashing The Silicon Ceiling: Introducing HuffPost's "Women In Tech" Series

2011-07-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

The tech sector has traditionally been a boy's club. But a growing number of women are disregarding the "No Girls Allowed" sign and are not only infiltrating the tech world -- but, increasingly, influencing and leading it.

This crashing of the silicon ceiling is cause for celebration -- and the launch of a new HuffPost series, "Women in Tech." Over the next few weeks, with a sponsorship from Dell and Intel, our Tech section will be spotlighting some of the most skilled and innovative women having an impact on today's tech scene.

Through exclusive interviews, video, slideshows, and Q&As, "Women in Tech" will provide a glimpse into the lives and minds of these game-changers -- from their big-picture thoughts to their favorite gadgets, apps, and people to follow on Twitter.

Among those we'll be profiling are Marissa Mayer, Google's brilliant young vice president of location and local services (not to mention the company's first female engineer), and Susan Lyne, chairman of Gilt Groupe, whose aim of recreating the excitement of a sample sale online is a close cousin to HuffPost's goal of giving readers a sense of occasion when they come to our site. Alexa von Tobel, who has previouslyshared her advice with HuffPost readers about launching a company during a recession, will fill us in on LearnVest, the online personal finance resource for young women she founded just a few years out of Harvard (where she lived in the same dorm as another budding techie: Mark Zuckerberg). We'll also turn the spotlight on Jennifer Hyman, CEO of Rent the Runway; Beth Simone Noveck, former White House deputy chief technology officer; Twitter's Erica Anderson; and NASA astronaut, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, among others.

Above and beyond their professional successes, these women embody the spirit of Biz Stone's declaration that Twitter "is not a triumph of technology, it's a triumph of humanity" -- and the growing consensus that success includes doing well for others. For example, Maja Matarić who, as founding director of the University of Southern California's Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems, has channeled her technical expertise into making a difference, creating robots that help victims of strokes, Alzheimer's, and autism.

HuffPost Tech has always promoted the accomplishments of women innovators, such as Ada Lovelace, the woman sometimes called "the Founder of Scientific Computing" -- and has featured the work of an array of amazing female bloggers, including Sheryl Sandberg, Ellen Miller, Danah Boyd, Susan Landau, Esther Dyson, Lisa Stone, Lee Woodruff, Marlo Thomas, and Esther Wojcicki.

Nevertheless, "Women in Tech" is built on the knowledge that there's more progress to be made. Marissa Mayer estimates women still only account for 15 to 17 percent of engineers in Silicon Valley.

By celebrating the accomplishments of those women currently blazing trails in tech, we hope this series will inspire more women to consider a career in the field. But no matter what gender you are or your place on the tech spectrum -- from Luddite to programming whiz -- "Women in Tech" will introduce you to some incredible women and their insights into this indispensable aspect of all our lives. Check out the first installment here.

Source: Huffington Post

Why Women Have an Advantage in Technology

2011-06-27T01:31:00.000-07:00

By ADRIANA GARDELLA

Source: NY Times

Audrey MacLean describes herself as an accidental technologist, an accidental entrepreneur, and an accidental investor. But at the age of eight, she made at least one plan: She would earn a college scholarship. Ms. MacLean, 59, executed that plan and went on to help startNetwork Equipment Technologies, which went public in 1987. Later, she was a founder and chief executive of Adaptive. She has given seed financing to numerous successful start-ups including Pure Software (founded by Netflix’s Reed Hastings),AdForce and Selectica.

Ms. MacLean, who continues to invest in early-stage companies and mentor entrepreneurs, is now chairwoman of Coraid, which designs and manufactures data storage products. She is also a Stanford professor, teaching graduate students in the department of management, science, and engineering. Recently, she discussed her early motivation to get an education, the advantages of being a woman in technology, and why a technical career offers the best path to changing the world. A condensed version of the conversation follows.

Q. Why were you so focused on getting a college scholarship?

Ms. MacLean: I was one of 10 children. While the issue was financial, it went beyond that. My dad, who had views typical for the era, thought women went to college just to get their M.R.S. degree. And he thought that if I had college debt — a negative dowry — no one would want to marry me. In his view, he had four sons who had to go to college. So, when I was 8, he told me I’d have to get a scholarship if I wanted to go.

Q. How did you get interested in technology?

Ms. MacLean: I never said, ‘Gee, I want a career in tech.’ But I saw that I did well in math, and I was economically motivated. That’s where the jobs were.

Q. Technology is often described as a field that’s inhospitable to women. Has that been your experience?

Ms. MacLean: When I entered the industry, it was burgeoning. Though being a woman was a novelty, it was growing so fast the opportunity was there, just as the opportunity was there for women during World War II. Tech is a true meritocracy. Either you have the goods or you don’t. There’s less concern with gender, race, color and creed. I really truly believe that, despite data on the dearth of women in technology, tech doesn’t have a barrier up to women. In fact, if anything, women who are technically prepared have an advantage.

Q. What’s that?

Ms. MacLean: In my class, I require the students to form teams to do a four-person project. I don’t assign the teams. I’ve noticed the guys seek the women out as teammates. I think the women are particularly good at bringing the team together and at presenting, which are extremely important skills when developing a product. Female engineers are also sought after. Women make up half the population, and companies want user interfaces that appeal to all buyers. In addition to generally being more collaborative, women have an intuitive sense of usability that leads to better products.

Q. So, what explains the discouraging statistics on women in tech?

Ms. MacLean: If more women prepared themselves academically for tech jobs, they’d get hired. Just like more doctors are women because more women have entered medical school. Women need to take advantage of technology courses at the university level, and not all major in communications or fashion design. It’s not that those things aren’t worthwhile if you like them, but your career opportunities will be greater in I.T., including those in green tech and medical tech. If women don’t get the required technical skills, they won’t be positioned to move into core, general management roles with technology companies. C.E.O.’s don’t come from H.R. They come out of product development and marketing.

Q. You mentioned that no more than 20 percent of the students in your Technology Venture Formation course at Stanford are female, and that most of those women are foreign. What accounts for the scarcity of women in the United States?

Ms. MacLean: In China, India and to some degree Russia, bright women are seeking technological educations. In emerging economies, the whole country has identified technology as the way out, the train to get on. There’s a competitive, lift-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps approach to bringing the country into the 21st century, and there’s testing at every educational level to identify talent. But in the U.S., we feel we’ve already made it. There are too many other options for women.

Q. What would get more women to choose careers in technology?

Ms. MacLean: We need to get girls interested in computing by first grade. By fifth grade, it’s game over. Computing has an image crisis. A boy geek subculture has grown up around gaming that involves violence. It’s not something little girls aspire to. It’s not about lack of educational opportunities for women. Smart girls graduate from high school with straight A’s, go to college, and find themselves surrounded by guys who’ve been hacking for 10 years. So they’re way behind. They get discouraged, and go into law or medicine.

Q. What’s the solution?

Ms. MacLean: At both the educational level and the business level, we have to come up with games and contests that appeal to first- and second-grade girls. Not car and war games. Let them design games that change the world, or save the planet.

Q. Can tech really save the planet?

Ms. MacLean: Whether you care about solving terrorism, curing cancer, or any other problem, tech can solve it. It’s not just tech for tech’s sake.

Source: NY Times

Students’ choice of Majors just as important as decision to get Bachelor’s Degree

2011-05-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

New report on the economic value of college degrees

links 171 college majors to earnings

Washington, D.C. – On average, bachelor’s degrees pay off. But a new study confirms that some undergraduate majors pay off a lot more than others. In fact, the difference in earnings potential between one major and another can be more than 300 percent.

Using United States Census data available for the first time, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is helping Americans connect the dots between college majors and career earnings. In the new report, What’s it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors, this first-time research demonstrates just how critical the choice of major is to a student’s median earnings.

While there is a lot of variation in earnings over a lifetime, the authors find that all undergraduate majors are "worth it,‟ even taking into account the cost of college and lost earnings. However, the lifetime advantage ranges from $1,090,000 for Engineering majors to $241,000 for Education majors.

“The bottom line is that getting a degree matters, but what you take matters more,” said Anthony P. Carnevale, the Center’s director. The new report analyzes 171 majors in 15 categories. It tracks earnings by majors and provides key break outs on questions of race/ethnicity and the gender differences in earnings.

The report finds that majors are highly segregated by race/ethnicity and gender, with few exceptions. White men are concentrated in the highest-earning majors, while women tend to be concentrated in the lowest-earning majors.

Some of the findings include:

The top 10 majors with the highest median earnings are: Petroleum Engineer ($120,000); Pharmacy/pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration ($105,000); Mathematics and Computer Sciences ($98,000); Aerospace Engineering ($87,000); Chemical Engineering ($86,000); Electrical Engineering ($85,000); Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering ($82,000); Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Mining and Mineral Engineering (each with median earnings of $80,000).

The 10 majors with the lowest median earnings are: Counseling/Psychology ($29,000); Early Childhood Education ($36,000); Theology and Religious Vocations ($38,000); Human Services and Community Organizations ($38,000); Social Work ($39,000); Drama and Theater Arts, Studio Arts, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Visual and Performing Arts, and Health and Medical Preparatory Programs (each at $40,000).

Unfortunately, race and gender earnings gaps still exist in almost all fields. For example, even in their highest paid major, electrical engineering, African-Americans still earn $22,000 less than Whites and $12,000 less than Asians with the same major. Women tend to hold the majority of degrees in many of the lower-paying fields such as education, but even women with degrees in the higher-paying field of chemical engineering earn, on average, $20,000 less than equally educated male counterparts.

Liberal Arts and Humanities majors end up in the middle of the pack in terms of earnings and employment. They are the third most popular major group, and earn median incomes of $47,000. Moreover, about 40 percent of people with these majors obtain a graduate degree, reaping a return of almost 50 percent. Liberal Arts and Humanities majors generally fare well in the workforce, ending up in professional, white-collar, and education occupations.

As to the question of graduate degrees, the report reveals that obtaining a graduate-level degree does lead to higher earnings, but how much in additional earnings is also driven by what you study. The highest earnings bump in graduate degrees can be found in the areas related to healthcare and biology: Health and Medical Preparatory Programs (190 percent); Miscellaneous Social Sciences (134 percent); and Zoology (123 percent). Meanwhile, the majors in which students have shown the lowest earnings boost from advanced degrees are: Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (1 percent); Studio Arts (3 percent); and Petroleum Engineering (7 percent).

In today’s challenging jobs economy, there are some fields with virtually no unemployment: Geological and Geophysical Engineering; Military Technologies; Pharmacology, and School Student Counseling. While majors with the highest unemployment rates are in the fields of: Social Psychology (16 percent); Nuclear Engineering (11 percent); and Educational Administration and Supervision (11 percent).

The analyses contained in this report are based on newly released data from the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS). For the first time in this survey the Census Bureau asked individuals who indicated that their degree was a bachelor’s degree or higher, to supply their undergraduate major. Their responses were then coded and collapsed by the Census Bureau into 171 different degree majors. Unlike other data sources focused on recent degree recipients, the Census data enables analysis across an individual’s full life cycle.

What’s it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors is available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/whatsitworth. Hard copies can be obtained by contacting the Center at cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu. There are two documents: a national report and a highlights document.

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (cew.georgetown.edu) is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula and career pathways.

Source: Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University

Island Energy Inquiry Leadership Seminar

2011-05-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Island Energy Inquiry Leadership Seminar
An Island Energy Inquiry Event For Education Professionals
With Science Teacher PD Facilitation Responsibilities

DATES: 6/6, 6/21, 7/19, 8/23 (Hybrid Course)

FACE to FACE: Monday 6/6/11 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Malcolm Training Center on the Island of Maui*
MEDB, 1305 N. Holopono St. Suite 5, Kihei, HI 96753
*Travel Stipends Available
ONLINE: 6/21, 7/19, 8/23 3 Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:30 PM

* DISCOVER the impact of the Island Energy Inquiry science curriculum, kits; professional development model!

* JOIN the Island Energy Inquiry Leadership Cadre to help further innovative energy science education in Hawaii!

* INTERACT with local energy professionals and peers leading innovative energy science education in Hawaii!

* Participants will:

* FACILITATE an event for teachers in their school or district to enhance energy science education via the IEI Curriculum & Professional Development Model.

* HELP TEACHERS ACCESS the statewide IEI Kit Lending Library Program. (Class sets of PV panels, wind, energy auditing, and other equipment!)

* RECEIVE Ongoing Support from MEDB Women in Technology IEI Staff.

* EARN a $400 stipend for full participation and implementation of at least one IEI PD event for teachers by 12/15/11.

Public and Private School Education Professionals Encouraged to Apply

*** APPLY ONLINE TODAY! ***
Deadline - May 15, 2011 http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C6QNG9X

Accepted Candidates will be Notified by May 18, 2011

See Flyer for Details

More Working Women Than Men Have College Degrees, Census Bureau Reports

2011-04-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

New Data Provide Most Detailed Look Ever at Years of School Completed

Among the employed population 25 and older, 37 percent of women had attained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2010, compared with 35 percent of men, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In contrast, among all adults 25 and older, 29.6 percent of women and 30.3 percent of men had at least a bachelor’s degree.

The data come from tabulations on Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 and not only examine gender differences in attainment but also provide the most detailed information on years of school completed ever presented by the Census Bureau, showing for each level of attainment exactly how many years of education adults have.

“The tabulations permit one to see not only the broad levels of educational attainment adults experienced, but also, for instance, if they did not receive a high school diploma, the specific level of schooling they did reach,” said Sonia Collazo, a Census Bureau demographer.

In 2010, 36 percent of the nation’s population 25 and older left school before obtaining a degree. This includes 15 percent of the population that didn’t earn a regular high school diploma — a group sometimes labeled “dropouts.” Among this group were about 1 percent of the population who reached the 12th grade, 2 percent who reached the 11th grade but still did not graduate, and 2 percent who earned a GED.

An even greater share of the 25-and-older population — 17 percent — attended some college but left before receiving a degree. At the graduate school level, 4 percent of the population left before obtaining an advanced degree.

Editor note: The data can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2010/tables.html

The majority of adults (64 percent), however, finished their schooling with a regular high school diploma or college degree. The most common of these is a high school diploma, which was the highest level attained by 30 percent of those 25 and older. Another 9 percent left school with an associate’s degree, and 15 percent finished with a bachelor’s degree (not statistically different from those who did not earn a high school diploma). Eleven percent of the population attained an advanced degree in 2010.

Data also include levels of education cross-referenced by a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, household relationship, citizenship, nativity and year of entry. Historical tables provide data on mean earnings by attainment level, sex, race and Hispanic origin, with data dating back to
1975 and tables on attainment levels dating back to 1940.

Other highlights:

· In 2010, 87 percent of adults 25 and older had at least a high school diploma or equivalent, up from 84 percent in 2000.

· Of the 200 million people 25 and older in 2010, 26 million had not completed high school, while 174 million had attained at least a high school education.

· In 2010, 30 percent of adults 25 and older, or 60 million people, had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 26 percent in 2000.

· More than half (52 percent) of Asians 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or more, higher than the level for non-Hispanic whites (33 percent), blacks (20 percent) and Hispanics (14 percent).

· Women 25 and older were more likely than men 25 and older to have completed at least high school, at 87.6 percent versus 86.6 percent.

· Among the population 25 to 29, 36 percent of women had a bachelor’s degree or more, compared with 28 percent of men.

· Thirty percent of foreign-born residents of the U.S. had less than a high school diploma, compared with 10 percent of native-born residents. Nineteen percent of naturalized citizens had less than a high school diploma. At the same time, 29 percent of the foreign-born population had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared with 30 percent of the native-born population. (The percentage of native-born residents with at least a bachelor’s degree was not statistically different from the percent of foreign-born residents with less than a high school diploma.) Thirty-five percent of naturalized citizens had a bachelor’s or higher degree.

Please feel free to contact the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at (301) 763-6100 with additional questions or concerns.

Source: Census, Office of Congressional Affairs

Get the Hawaii Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad App Now!

2011-04-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

In Celebration of EARTH DAY and in honor of teachers, students and parents worldwide, download the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad App from iTunes on April 22nd for FREE!

Clean Energy Hawaii STEM featured in WOW e-Newsletter

2011-04-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

Women in Tech is honored to have our Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app and curriculum featured in Wider Opportunities for Women national GREEN Space e-Newsletter.

Download the April 6, 2011 issue.

Visit the Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) Website.

2011 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair winners announced

2011-04-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

HONOLULU - On March 28-30, 650 students from high schools throughout the islands competed for top state prizes and bragging rights at 54^th Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair (HSSEF) held at the Hawaii Convention Center.

The names and projects of all state winners have been officially announced and can be viewed or downloaded here.

“We congratulate our Hawaii state winners for their excellence and courage in bringing new knowledge to the STEM fields,” said Leslie Wilkins, Director of Women in Technology. “They are our future innovators and their achievements really help inspire other local kids to get interested in science and technology.”

During the past few months, approximately 7000 Hawaii students have competed at local science fairs across the islands for the honor to be sent to the annual state competition.

Besides the awards and prizes, the ultimate goal for HSSEF participants is to be among the best of the best who get to move on to the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Held in Los Angeles, May 8-13, Intel ISEF is considered the premiere pre-college science competition in the world involving over 1600 students from 60 countries.

Hawaii’s final selection of its 2011 Intel ISEF representatives can be viewed or downloaded here.

MEDB’s Women in Technology/Oahu was proud to play a significant role in the colossal event, providing critical planning and logistical support in partnership with the Inovi Group and under the direction of the Hawaii Academy of Science.

“It took months and months of exhausting work. I must commend our WIT Oahu staff, as well as all of the organizers and volunteers who were instrumental in making the whole event happen this year,” said Wilkins.

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Higher Teacher Quality Would Catapult U.S. Toward Economic Growth

2011-04-05T19:00:00.001-07:00

Analysis examines direct link between teacher effectiveness and lifetime earnings

Cambridge, MA – A new analysis of the economic impact of effective teachers shows that closing just half of the performance gap with Finland, whose students consistently outperform most developed countries, could add more than $50 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2090.

Eric A. Hanushek, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, conducted the analysis for Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance. An article presenting his findings, “Valuing Teachers,” will appear in the Summer 2011 issue ofEducation Next. Using the nearly $3 trillion drop in economic output resulting from the recent economic recession as a reference point, the author suggests that the achievement gap between the U.S. and academically top-performing countries “can be said to be causing the equivalent of a permanent recession.”

In his study, Hanushek calculated the economic value related to effective teaching by drawing on a research literature that provides precise estimates of the impact of students’ achievement levels on their lifetime earnings, and by combining these figures with estimated impacts of more-effective teachers on student achievement.

A body of research literature on teacher quality has isolated the impact of teachers on student achievement, apart from other factors, such as the student’s own motivations, support from family and peers, and school resources. These studies, reports the author, show that “the quality of the teachers in our schools is paramount; no other measured aspect of schools is nearly as important in determining student achievement.” However, he writes, “the variations in the quality of teachers, even within schools, are startling, and the implications of quality differences are even more startling.”

A teacher at the 84th percentile of effectiveness, for example, will raise the typical student from the middle of the distribution to the 58th percentile in a single year. While some of the achievement gains will be lost, the persistent achievement gains will lead to higher earnings over the student’s lifetime. The value of lifetime earnings for full-time work for the average American is currently $1.16 million.

Hanushek calculates that this highly effective teacher (in the top 16 percent of the teaching force) will shift the typical student’s lifetime earnings up by more than $20,000. This implies increased earnings for a class of 20 students of over $400,000. Conversely, he calculates that a very low performing teacher (in the bottom 16 percent of effectiveness) “will have a negative impact of $400,000 compared to an average teacher.” The impact of even a slightly better-than-average quality teacher – one whose effectiveness ranks at the 60th percentile, for example – still has significant economic results, raising an individual student’s lifetime earnings by $5,300, or a class of 20 students’ aggregate lifetime earnings by a total of $106,000.

Alternatively, considering the economic impacts of effective teachers for the U.S. economy, Hanushek presents a “thought experiment” on the economic gains that would result from replacing the very lowest performing teachers with teachers of average performance. He finds that replacing the least effective 5 to 8 percent of all teachers with average teachers would bring the U.S. to a level of student achievement equivalent to that of Canada, and replacing the least effective 7 to 12 percent of teachers with those of average effectiveness would “move the United States to the level of the highest-performing countries in the world, such as Finland.” Such gains would imply higher economic growth and enormous gains in gross domestic product. The present value of gains over the lifetime of citizens born today would, by his calculations, exceed $100 trillion.

Moving the scale of quality of the United States’ teaching force toward this higher level would, he recognizes, require significant changes in school districts’ employment practices, basing recruitment, compensation, and retention policies on the identification and compensation of teachers according to their effectiveness. Salaries “several times higher than those paid teachers today would be economically justified,” he writes, “if teachers were compensated according to their effectiveness,” but without reforms to employment practices, “we should expect both our schools and our economy to underperform relative to their potential.”

About the Authors
Eric A. Hanushek is senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.

About Education Next
Education Next is a scholarly journal published by the Hoover Institution that is committed to looking at hard facts about school reform. Other sponsoring institutions are the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance, part of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

Source: educationnext.org

Can we declare victory for women in their participation in science? Not yet

2011-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

"When will we know when we can declare victory? For years I proceeded on the assumption that victory was equal participation of men and women in all branches of science and engineering. Today I’m not so sure.... It’s possible that we will come to understand that some fraction of the asymmetries in the distribution of women in the sciences, with women far more well represented in the life sciences and less so in the physical sciences, is the result of women seeking those fields in which they are able to make the greatest contribution in their own judgement. As scientists we have to be open to that possibility."
- Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, speaking at Queen’s University [1]

The question of gender representation in science is an incredibly difficult one. Women are underrepresented in science as a whole, especially in senior positions, but the disparity can be even more dramatic, or in other cases disappear, when we narrow the focus to particular fields.

Over the last half-century, efforts to recruit and encourage women to pursue careers in science have been very successful, but they have not been evenly distributed. In 1966, for example, women earned only a quarter of the undergraduate biology degrees awarded in the U.S. By 2007, however, women out numbered men, taking 60 percent of these same degrees. In physics, though, these numbers have barely budged, with the percentage of undergraduate degrees earned by women rising from 14 percent to only 21 percent over the same time period. The question, of course, is why?

Most recent studies have shown very little difference in physics-related abilities between genders—not nearly enough to explain the large participation gaps.[2] So what is keeping women out of physics? Is it, as Dr. Tilghman suggests, that women just don’t choose to put their efforts into physics because they feel they can make a greater contribution elsewhere? Or, maybe women are not interested because they don’t see how science fits with their desire to work with people, as was recently argued by Claire Cupples, the Dean of Science at Simon Fraser University.

These might seem like comforting explanations—no discrimination, no stereotyping, just choice—but they are also too simple.

Read full article

Source: Scientific American

Inoculation Against Stereotype

2011-03-06T00:32:00.001-08:00

“We commend this lead article in the latest Inside Higher Ed publication because it statistically affirms what we’ve witnessed firsthand in the continuing success of the Women in Technology Project throughout Hawaii: It matters who teaches. Since young female STEM students seek strong role models they can relate to, they nearly always request female mentors and instructors.” ~ Leslie Wilkins, Director, Women in Technology

Inoculation Against Stereotype

Inside Higher Ed

March 3, 2011

New research provides evidence that female instructors may be key to encouraging talented female STEM students to stay in those disciplines.

The research, just published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (abstract available here), is based on a study at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst comparing the behavior of female and male students in introductory calculus course sections taught by male and female instructors. This course is required for all science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors and is the type of course that typically is the last STEM class for many women -- even those who have done well and shown interest in math and science.

The study found notable benefits for female students (and for male students as well, though to a lesser degree) to being taught by women -- and may point to strategies that would keep more women in STEM fields. The idea behind the research is that certain strategies "inoculate" female students against the sense that they don't belong or are not likely to succeed in math and science courses. The Amherst study was able to find a natural division of men and women, among students and instructors, because students sign up for a section without knowing who the instructor will be -- so none of the male or female students ends up by choice with a professor of a particular gender.

Students in the sections were then tracked on key indicators of level of engagement and confidence, and the findings suggest a powerful effect for having female instructors.

For example, the researchers tracked which students responded to questions posed to the class as a whole, not one particular student. At the beginning of the semester, female students were much less likely than male students (9 percent vs. 23 percent) to respond to such questions, regardless of the gender of the instructor. But as the course progressed, female students became much more likely to respond to such questions posed by female instructors (46 percent of female students were responding) than to male instructors (only 7 percent of female students were responding). Likewise, a larger percentage of male students answered questions posed by female instructors (42 percent of men) than by male instructors (only 26 percent of men). Notably, however, the impact of having a female instructor vs. a male instructor was much greater for women.

The researchers tracked other measures as well. At the beginning of the courses, there were not notable differences in whether female students approached female instructors (12 percent did) or male instructors (13 percent did) with questions after class. But as the course progressed, the percentage of female students approaching female instructors stayed constant, while the number approaching male instructors dropped -- all the way to zero.

On another measure -- asking questions in class without prompting -- male and female students had the same pattern, throughout the course. While 22 percent of students asked questions in sections taught by women, only 15 percent did so in courses taught by men.

Skeptics might wonder if some of the differences among students relate to how well the students know the material. The researchers checked for that and found that, across sections, women outperformed men on grades. So the data point to women losing confidence with male instructors -- even if female students know the material as well as or better than their male counterparts.

Nilanjana Dasgupta, associate professor of psychology at UMass, is the lead author of the paper (with graduate students Jane G. Stout, Matthew Hunsinger and Melissa A. McManus), and she said in an interview that she sees the findings as significant in the ongoing debate over why women are not better-represented in STEM fields.

Several recent studies have suggested that the gender gap in STEM fields is caused not by bias, but simply by different choices made by men and women. What the new research shows, Dasgupta said, is choice isn't as simple as people think. "People assume that these choices are free choices, based on talent and interest and motivation," Dasgupta said. "But these data suggest that the meaning of choices, of what it means to choose math or science, is more complicated. Even talented people may not choose math or science not because they don't like it or are not good at it, but because they feel that they don't belong."

So what should departments do? Dasgupta said that the evidence suggests that women who are exposed to women doing math and science successfully end up with "stereotype inoculation" in which they gain confidence. The obvious solution from the new research -- which Dasgupta said wasn't realistic -- would be to have only women teach introductory STEM courses. Since many professors value their more specialized seminars, forcing women to teach all the intro courses would be unfair, Dasgupta said. And many STEM departments remain lopsided in gender make-up, with relatively few women.

"The issue is not to have only women teach women -- I don't think we need to go that far," she said.

However, female faculty members should certainly be in the mix, and having enough female faculty members so that teaching introductory courses doesn't fall on a few individuals is important, she said. Other strategies can work for male instructors, she said. Dasgupta said that more research is needed, but she believes women in those courses may be influenced by seeing women as teaching assistants, or having female undergraduates a few years older play some role in class. She also advised periodically referencing the work of female mathematicians and scientists, by name, so that there is an awareness of female success in STEM fields.

Dasgupta said that these efforts need to be regular and low-key -- in the same way that having someone as an instructor is not a special event. "It's better to have the intervention be integrated into the atmosphere, rather than a special week or month. It's the regular, humdrum exposure that makes a difference," she said.

— Scott Jaschik

New locally-developed iPad app teaches clean energy science

2011-02-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

An innovative iPad app designed to inspire and support energy science education worldwide has been developed and launched by a forward-thinking STEM partnership on Maui.

Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology (WIT) in collaboration with software application developer NSC Partners LLC created the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app for educators, students and parents to encourage scientific inquiry on renewable energy topics.

The term “clean energy” refers to creating electricity from sources that are renewable or create little or no pollution during production. The activities within the new app promote student scientific inquiry through fun, interactive experiences augmented by iPad’s industry-leading form and functionality.

In this flagship version, the islands are used as a practice model for all included energy information and activities, partly because the partners reside in Hawaii but primarily because the state has set a goal of 70% clean energy by 2030.

According to WIT Project Manager Diana Warren, education using today’s latest technology is critical in achieving that goal.

The application opens with a fully touchable view of all the islands across Hawaii. This allows students to see what types of clean energy -- biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind -- are available on each island.

A detailed description for each energy type is available via an interactive menu. Students can explore and learn about the energy mix and the legend of each island. Touchable icons show all the types of clean energy and their general locations with each providing detailed information on the energy site.

Where available, photos, videos, and web links are included. Additionally, two activities and links to related projects are shown at each energy site portal. The first activity is always tied to the specific type of energy. The second is randomly selected to make it more exciting for the students.

The Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store for $4.99. The app is also available from Apple under their App Store Volume Purchase Program for educational institutions.

Through March 31, 2011 qualified teachers in Hawaii schools can receive a single complimentary copy of the application by emailing Diana Papini Warren, WIT Project Manager at diana@medb.org.

Clean Energy Hawaii STEM supports curriculum of the Island Energy Inquiry (IEI) program sponsored by MEDB’s Women in Technology in collaboration with the UH-Manoa Curriculum Research & Development Group and Hawaii Sea Grant. It is funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture.

NSC Partners LLC is a privately held company located in Maui, Hawaii that innovates by developing mobile, web, and database software applications for education, healthcare, business, and sports. Its partners have deep expertise in business, strategy,management, technology, software, litigation, finance, accounting, tax, healthcare, and medicine.

###

Contact:

Diana Papini Warren, Project Manager

Women in Technology

Maui Economic Development Board

1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 1

Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753

T: 808-270-6804 F: 808-879-0011

E: diana@medb.org

HIGICC Mark Lierman Memorial Scholarship Award

2011-02-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Mark Lierman Memorial Scholarship Award is a $1,000 scholarship that recognizes a deserving student who has demonstrated an appreciation for and understanding of geospatial data and geographic information systems (GIS), and who is enrolled as a full-time student at a post secondary accredited educational institution.

Important dates:

April 5, 2011 - Deadline for submission by 5 p.m. Hawaii Time

May 1, 2011 - Announcement of Award, HIGICC will contact the recipient via phone or email.

See attached flyer

Visit website

Budding Maui Scientists Compete in Science Tournament

2011-02-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Kahului, HI – On Saturday, January 29th students from eleven public, private, and charter schools in Maui County competed in the Inaugural Maui Regional Science Olympiad Tournament held at UH-Maui College. The prestigious Science Olympiad program creates opportunities for students to compete in events that cover a wide range scientific disciplines. “It was a dream come true,” remarked Mrs. Flaviana Ancheta, the Maui Regional Director, “to have Science Olympiad here on Maui to give middle and high school students the opportunity to participate without having to travel to other islands.”

Designed to be hands-on, all of the events at this year’s tournament were problem-based and required a combination of in-depth scientific knowledge, problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork. Events at this year’s tournament included anatomy, disease detectives, experimental design, rocketry, and tower building.

Recognizing the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Saturday’s event demonstrated the important role both the public and private industry play in student success. Saturday’s event was attended by Mayor Allan Arakawa, who presented a proclamation declaring January 29, 2011 “Maui Science Olympiad Day” to Maui Regional Director Flaviana Ancheta and Hawai‘i State Director Franklin Allaire as special certificates of achievement to each of the participating schools. Also in attendance were State Representative Gilbert Keith-Agaran, County Council Member Michael Victorino, Board of Education Member representing Maui District Leona Rocha-Wilson, and Dr. Jonathan McKee, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at UH-Maui College.

For their efforts, students and teachers were rewarded with athletic style medals, trophies, and plaques. Maui Preparatory Academy won first place in the middle school division with St. Anthony Jr.-Sr. High School placing second and Lahaina Intermediate School placing third. In the high school division, H.P. Baldwin High School placed first with King Kekaulike High School placing second and Lahainaluna High School placing third overall.

Science Olympiad regional tournaments are qualifying rounds for the annual statewide tournament on Oahu. These six schools will represent Maui County at the 7th Annual Statewide Science Olympiad Tournament on Oahu on Saturday, March 5th at Leeward Community College. “Trophies and medals are great,” said Franklin Allaire, State Director for the Hawai‘i State Science Olympiad, “but the real goal here is to get kids excited about STEM and STEM-related careers.” Building on that point, Ancheta stressed, “it is our utmost goal to help raise the bar for STEM education and make a difference in the lives of students and the community where we live.”

Science Olympiad on Maui is made possible through partnerships between the Hawai‘i State Science Olympiad, UH-Maui College, the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), and Women in Technology. In addition to providing volunteers, MEDB awarded HSSO Ke Alakehe grant worth $5,000 to cover registration fees for participating Maui County schools and purchase materials for teachers to help their students participate in Science Olympiad.

Started in 1984, Science Olympiad is one of the largest team-based science competitions in the United States with 2.5 million students on 6,000 middle/high school teams in all fifty states and Canada participating annually. Students participating in Science Olympiad tournaments are eligible to receive over $1,000,000 in awards and scholarships including full four-year scholarships from several prestigious colleges and universities.

The Hawai‘i State Science Olympiad (HSSO), founded in 2004, is the state affiliate for the national organization and is an independent, federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education for K-12 students in Hawai‘i. “It gets kids interested in science through real-world, hands-on activities, said Allaire, “that are also fun and exciting to watch and do.”

For more information about the Hawai‘i State Science Olympiad and the Science Olympiad program in Hawai‘i please visit www.hsso.org.

Google Science Fair 2011

2011-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Google is looking for the brightest, best young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today!

Designed to be an all-inclusive competition, Google Science Fair 2011 open to students ages 13-18, worldwide. Students are eligible to participate either as individuals or in teams of up to three.

Submissions will be accepted until April 4, 2011. In May, 60 semi-finalists will be announced, and their projects will be posted online for public viewing. The public will have the opportunity to vote for the "People's Choice" award.

At the end of the competition, Google will name 3 finalist winners, one in each age bracket (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One of these winners will then be named the Grand Prize winner. The grand prize winner will be awarded a National Geographic Expeditions' 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands, a $50,000 scholarship from Google, and additional prizes, including a "once in a lifetime experience" prize from CERN, LEGO, Google, or Scientific American. Finalists also receive a scholarship, a "once in a lifetime experience" opportunity, and a range of other prizes from Google and the fair partners. There is also a $10,000 scholarship for the "People's Choice" winner. For more details, a full list of prizes, and complete contest rules and guidelines, visit the Google Science Fair website.

Lemelson-MIT: Women are big potential inventors

2011-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Globe Staff

Young women have all the characteristics to be inventors but do not regard innovation as their forte, a self perception that deprives the United States of an untapped group of creative talent.

That's one conclusion of a new survey from Lemelson-MIT, a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that recognizes outstanding inventors and innovators and seeks to inspire young people to pursue creative careers through innovation.

In a press release, the program said: "The annual Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, which gauges Americans' perceptions about invention and innovation, this year surveyed young men and women ages 16 - 25. Almost three in four young women (71 percent) indicate they are creative, the characteristic they most associate with inventors (63 percent); however, less than one in three (27 percent) describe themselves as inventive."

Read Full Article

Source: Boston Globe

Island Energy Inquiry: Professional Development Course for Teachers Grades 5-12

2011-01-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

- ENGAGE in the use of the Island Energy Inquiry science curriculum which focuses on energy sustainability for Hawai'i (aligned to HCPS III and Common Core Standards)

- RECEIVE an Island Energy Inquiry Kit as well as access to an equipment loan program (PV panels, solar thermal, wind, energy auditing, and other equipment!)

- INTERACT with local Hawai'i energy professionals and hear live presentations

- BENEFIT from ongoing support from a graduate student mentor from UH College of Engineering

- LEARN to use a mobile lab of handheld devices to supplement the learning

- EARN either 3 PD Credits or a $200 stipend for full participation and classroom
implementation

Register Online Today with this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IEIRegistration2011

Download a Flyer for details:

Oahu - February 19 &26th

Kauai - March 14th &15th

Hawaii - Island March 17th & 18th

Questions, contact Diana@medb.org

Google's Marissa Mayer: Girls Can Be Geeks, Too

2011-01-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

Who says you have to be a guy to be a geek? This Google senior executive is teaching a new generation that femininity and technology are a winning formula.

Why are so few women working in the technology industry? Well, it’s something that I care a lot about changing. I love technology, and I don’t think it’s something that should divide along gender lines. I think there’s a lot of contributions that have yet to be made overall in this space regardless of gender. I’ve seen studies that show there are things that happen along the way at middle school and high school with girls in math and science. I guess I was very lucky. I was always good at math and science, and I never realized that that was unusual or somehow undesirable. So one of the things I care a lot about is helping to remove that stigma, to show girls that you can be feminine, you can like the things that girls like, but you can also be really good at technology. You can be really good at building things.

What percentage of engineers in Silicon Valley are women? It hovers somewhere around 15 to 17 percent in the technical areas, but here at Google we are slightly higher than that. We’re at about 20 percent.

Does Google make an effort to recruit women and hire more female engineers than the industry average? I was Google’s first woman engineer. And right away during my interview, [Google cofounders] Larry [Page] and Sergey [Brin] said, “You know, we have seven engineers, and they’re all guys. But we’ve thought a lot about how we want to start our company, and we’ve read a lot of books, and we know that organizations work better when there is gender balance. So it’s important to us that we have a strong group of women, especially technical women, in the company.”

Read full article
Source: Newsweek

Island Energy Inquiry Mentorship Opportunity

2011-01-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

- HELP Hawaii Schools Learn about Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency!

- EARN a $2000 stipend for 5 months of mentoring – f2f and online!

- SUPPORT students in middle in high school as they build wind turbines, conduct energy audits, and engage in other hands-on activities!

If you are a UH College of Engineering Graduate Student, you are eligible to apply to be a mentor to Hawaii teachers and students in the Island Energy Inquiry program. Female students and Society for Women Engineers members are encouraged to apply.
Deadline to Apply - January 24, 2011

For more information download:

DETAILED FLYER

APPLICATION FORM

Fashion, technology altering winter wear

2011-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO (AP) — Annie Hemmesch knew there was a market for high-tech winter gloves when she saw her mother answer an iPhone call from her father.

"She brought it to her face and slid her nose on it," Hemmesch, of Chicago, said. "She said it was too cold to take her gloves off."

Last February, Hemmesch, her mother and sister started selling Telefingers gloves made by threading the thumbs, pointer fingers and middle fingers with conductive material that allows wearers to use touchscreen devices while keeping their hands warm.

The gloves are just one example of the influence that fashion and technology have had on cold-weather clothing this winter, providing more efficient but still stylish designs.

Read Full Story

ENGINEERING DOCTORATES TO WOMEN DOUBLE

2010-12-16T21:09:00.001-08:00

According to the latest figures reported by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), more than twice as many women received engineering doctorates in 2009 (1,928) than in 2000 (954).

In 2009, 21.2 percent of the 9,083 engineering doctorates awarded went to women. This is a 33 percent increase from the 15.9 percent mark posted in 2000. Total engineering doctorates grew by over 3,000 during this time, as well. This translates into a substantial raw growth in female Ph.D. recipients.

The trend is tremendously significant since women have historically had the least representation in the engineering workforce of all the occupations.

Year	Total Doctorates Awarded to Women	Percentage of PH.D.s Awarded to Women
2009:	1,928	21.2%
2008:	1,913	21.1%
2007:	1,877	20.8%
2006:	1,690	20.2%
2005:	1,345	18.3%
2004:	1,176	17.8%
2003:	1,018	17.4%
2002:	1,004	17.4%
2001:	1,021	16.9%
2000:	954	15.9%

Other data trends can be viewed at www.asee.org/colleges.

TED Women Conference

2010-12-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

TED Women is happening this week in Washington, DC. Check out the lineup of amazing speakers, performers and attendees have gathered for two days of TED in Washington, DC.

Read the CNN TEDTALK Tuesdays

Nancy Pelosi at TED Women conference: It's not about power but about getting a job done

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: Women need to claim a seat at the table

Ted Turner suggested world would be better off if women ran it

A Call to Men co-founder: "My liberation as a man is tied to your liberation as a woman.

Six of NYC's Most Interesting Women in Tech

2010-12-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

Check out six of NYC's most interesting Women in Tech at the New York Observer.

INTERNSHIP TURNS A NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO A MODEL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

2010-11-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

It could be a model for what’s technologically possible as Maui County moves to increase renewable energy sources and cut its dependence on petroleum.

Explaining the technology to the average person is another matter.

For that, Maui Economic Development Board relied on two Maui students who turned what they learned into an informative display comprehensible to students and non-technicians.

When MEDB installed a photovoltaic array at Ke Alahele Center, it was coupled with a sophisticated energy storage system designed to reduce interconnection disruptions to the Maui Electric Co. grid.

While the PV array is sufficient to power the Donald Malcolm Center, it would not by itself be a problem for Maui Electric. But it is scalable and proves the technology, which involves 60 224-watt photovoltaic panels, a bi-directional three-phase inverter system and a charge controller network.

The International Battery storage product is a 48 volt, 16.4 kWh lithium-ion-based, battery management and control system that stores electricity in four battery modules of 32 160-Ah lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells integrated into a 19″ portable rack-mount chassis and enclosure, outputting alternating current matching the cycles of the Maui Electric grid.

It’s all on display in the Malcolm Center, the video conferencing facility developed by MEDB to support its mission of promoting and supporting clean, high technology industries in Maui County.

Translating the technology for Malcolm Center users was a work-study project for two Maui students, retained as interns during spring 2010. The result is a series of explanatory displays on components of the energy system, as well as a brochure, “MEDB Malcolm Center Photovoltaic System Documentation.”

“It was really fun. I really liked doing the explanations,” said Kurt Rasos, the graphic designer half of the team that prepared the display.

“We took what we learned about photovoltaic panels at the Malcolm Center and put it together so we could explain it to people who don’t have any background in electricity,” said Nick Mahoney, the engineering half of the display team.

“They did a remarkable job. Everyone who has seen the display has commented on how helpful and informative it is – and how accurate it is,” said MEDB President/CEO Jeanne Unemori Skog

Read More

Source: Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.

2010 HOLIDAY CAREER FAIR

2010-11-29T23:47:00.001-08:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Registration is now open for the 9th Annual High Tech Maui Holiday Career Fair.
Pre-register online now and upload your resume for employer review at www.hightechmaui.com.

Wednesday, December 29 Ke Alahele - The MEDB Center Maui Research & Technology Park Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Past Featured Companies:
- Akimeka
- The Boeing Company
- County of Maui
- Maui High Performance Computing Center
- Lockheed Martin
- Oceanit
- Pacific Disaster Center
... and more!

Sponsored by:
- The Maui Economic Development Board's Women in Technology Project
- Kama'aina Careers
- The Maui News

Funded in part by:
- County of Maui
- U.S. Department of Labor

For questions, contact Mapu Quitazol at mapu@medb.org or (808) 875-2343.

GIS Field Day kicks off at Bishop Museum

2010-11-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

WHAT: 2010 GIS FIELD DAY AT BISHOP MUSEUM

WHEN: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
8:15 am - 12:30 pm: K-12 school activities
12:30 to 3:30 pm: General public activities

WHERE: Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI
WHO: K - 12 students, general public
COST: FREE [does not include admission to museum exhibits]

HONOLULU -- As part of national GIS Day on November 17th, the Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council (HIGICC) is partnering with Bishop Museum and the Women in Technology (WIT) Project to invite students, teachers and the general public to a free action-packed day of geospatial activities (admission to museum exhibits is not included).

The Hawaii GIS Day event consists of a series of 45-minute sessions featuring a range of hands-on GIS/GPS field activities and presentations. Morning sessions will be geared toward K-8 grade levels while the afternoon sessions are targeted at high school students and the general public.

A detailed description of each session can be found at http://higicc.camp8.org/. Although morning sections have already been filled by student classes, the public can still register online for the free, highly informative afternoon sessions.

In addition to the Bishop Museum Field Day, an exciting schedule of live webcasts co-sponsored by HIGICC and WIT’s GeoTech in Hawaii program will be happening simultaneously.

Local GIS professionals across the islands, as well as from Texas and California, will present a range of GIS/GPS-related topics.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the HIGICC website. For more information on the GIS events, email Royce Jones at rjones@esri.com.

Future plans built with Legos

2010-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

KAHULUI - Afternoons of fun with robotics and Legos have turned into a source of inspiration for a future in science and technology for Molokai youngsters.

A contingent of 40 Molokai students ages 9 to 14 participated in the state's largest district contest Saturday for Hawaii's FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League.

Altogether, nearly 300 Maui students in 27 teams from across the county competed in a daylong competition aimed at introducing them to the fun and excitement of science and technology while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills.

Read the full article here.

Source: Maui News

"Body Forward" Engineering Meets Medicine

2010-10-21T21:21:00.001-07:00

Maui First Lego League Robotics Qualifier

Saturday, November 6, 2010
12:00 - 3:00 pm

Schedule of Events
12:00 - 12:30 Welcome and Introduction
12: 30 - 3:00 "Engineering Meets Medicine" Robotics Challenge
3:00 - 3:30 Announcements of Qualifiers Winners

Please RSVP by October 29, 2010 to info@womenintech.com or call 808-875-2341.

DOWNLOAD FLYER

Scholarship Available for Hawai’ian Teacher

2010-10-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship Recipient to Attend Program in Colorado

Educators of Hawai'ian or part-Hawai'ian ancestry or who work with pre-K-12 students of Hawai'ian or part-Hawai'ian ancestry have an extraordinary opportunity to travel to Colorado Springs - for free - to learn how to use space in the classroom.
Each year, the Space Foundation provides professional development opportunities for a qualified Hawai'ian educator through the Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship. It will cover tuition, fees, travel expenses and lodging for the recipient to travel to Colorado Springs and participate in one of the Space Foundation Discovery Institute's week-long Space Across the Curriculum courses during the summer of 2011.
The application deadline is April 15, 2011.
Established in 2005 and funded by Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Holokauahi Pulham and his wife, Cynthia A. Pulham, the scholarship honors the memory of Elliot's grandmother, Lucy Enos, who was born in Pahala, Hawai'i, in 1898.
Space Foundation Discovery Institute Space Across the Curriculum Courses
The week-long Space Across the Curriculum classes, held at the Space Foundation Discovery Institute in Colorado Springs, cover topics ranging from rocketry and robotics to astronomy and living and working in space. The courses show teachers how to use space themes in their classrooms to improve student performance in literacy, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and other subject areas. Attending teachers may elect to receive continuing education or graduate academic credit for the course; graduate credit may be applied toward one of several master's degrees offered by the Space Foundation and partner universities.
Application Details
Scholarship applicants should become familiar with Space Foundation teacher training and Space Across the Curriculum programs by visiting the Space Foundation website at www.SpaceFoundation.org/education.
Interested teachers should apply by submitting a letter, not exceeding two pages, detailing the motivation for applying, interest in space themes in the classroom, what the applicant hopes to gain from the experience and how the knowledge gained will be applied in the classroom. The application letter must be endorsed with a letter of support by a principal or other supervisor.
Applications must be received no later than April 15, 2011, and the recipient will be notified in early May.
Mail applications to:
Iain Probert, vice president - education
Space Foundation
310 S. 14th Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Pictured: Previous Lucy Enos Memorial Scholars

Women Lead in Doctorates

2010-09-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

With female enrollments growing at all levels of higher education, doctoral degrees have been one area where men have continued to dominate. No more. New data being released today show that in 2008-9, for the first time ever, women earned a majority of the doctoral degrees awarded in the United States.

The data are part of an analysis of graduate enrollments and degrees from the Council of Graduate Schools. The majority for women in doctoral degrees is slight -- 50.4 percent. But the shift has been steady and significant. As recently as 2000, women were earning only 44 percent of doctoral degrees. In master's degrees, where women have already accounted for a majority of degrees, their share now stands at 60 percent.

Read the full article here.

Source: Inside Higher Ed

WOMEN'S FUND OF HAWAII: APPLY NOW FOR A GRANT

2010-09-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Women's Fund of Hawaii grant applications for the Fall 2010 Grant Cycle and projects that start in FY2011 are now being accepted through a competitive grant process.

Organizations and programs that improve the lives of women and girls across the state are encouraged to apply.

Complete details can be downloaded here.

The deadline for applications is Friday, October 15, 2010.
Grant notification by Friday, December 31, 2010.

HAWAII WINS $75M FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM

2010-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

WIT congratulates the Hawaii Department of Education for developing one of the highest scoring proposals in the very competitive Race to the Top program.

Thank you, Superintendent Kathy Matayoshi, for your leadership and to all those who worked so hard on the proposal. Our state will receive dedicated federal funding for bold educational reform in Fiscal Year 2011.

Read US Education Secretary Duncan's announcement here.

Weblink: Science Buddies

2010-08-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Check out this great website for outreach projects in a number of STEM categories (age appropriate).

It also includes sections for teachers, students, parents and the curious. Sign up for "Ask an Expert" where you can tap professionals with questions on projects. Career information, too.

Closing the gender gap in the tech industry

2010-08-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Over the past two decades women have increasingly taken on leadership positions across all sectors of our society. Even though the statistics indicate that we still have some ground to make up to close the gender gap, women are well on their way to impacting the most influential industries of the future.

Yes, according to the White House Project women account for only 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs, only 16 percent of corporate officers and less than a quarter of U.S. congressional representatives and judges. However, I think the larger picture is a bit more complex with numbers rising in a variety of areas. If we focus our efforts, we can increase all those numbers to dramatic effect.
Read full story

Source: Washington Post

ROBOTICS GRANTS APPLICATION DEADLINES

2010-08-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Requests for Ke Alahele First Lego League (FLL) and VEX Robotics grants are due into the MEDB office by August 20, 2010 at 4:30 pm. Botball and FIRST Robotic applications are due by October 15, 2010 at 4:30 pm.

Robotics programs and competitions give our students a chance to explore the various dimensions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through an engaging and hands-on course of instruction. Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. (MEDB) supports these programs (e.g., First Lego League (FLL), VEX, Botball, and FIRST League) as important avenues for economic diversification and the inclusion of young women and other underserved populations who historically have been under-represented in STEM education and careers. MEDB welcomes our grant applicants’ participation in robotics and hopes your experience will be fun and a substantive learning endeavor.

Download the Ke Alahele Robotics Guidelines at the MEDB website

Closing the Gender Gap

2010-07-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

A new report examines key factors that may be keeping women from pursing and succeeding in careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

The report can be found in the July 2010 issue of Civil Engineering magazine. Click on the front page the STEM Gender Gap Explained.

Maui Photo Festival & Workshops - August 25-29

2010-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

The second Maui Photo Festival & Workshops, set for August 25-29, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Maui, will once again bring world-class digital photographers and instruction to one of the word's most photogenic places: Maui. With content from novice to professional — attendees will learn from over 50 classroom sessions, location shoots, and hands-on demo sessions led by pro photographers. Optional excursions include doors-off helicopter shoots or underwater photo tours to Turtle Town. In the evenings we'll gather in our outdoor theater on Kaanapali Beach to view the work of our presenting pros and see images shot that day. Space is limited. For more information and online registration go to www.mauiphotofestival.com.

Coupon code MEDB will save you $100 off the $595 price until 7/25/2010. (Kamaaina can use code kamaaina to save $100) MPF room rate for the Hyatt Regency Maui is $225/night but ends 7/25/2010. Education rate is $395 for the 5-day festival with valid ID. 2-day passes available.
Download the 2010 Maui Photo Festival schedule

INTRODUCTION TO GEO TECH: GPS, GIS, & REMOTE SENSING

2010-07-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

FREE Online Course for Educators and Counselors
September 13, to November 15, 2010
Online Course Includes Asynchronous Activities & 8 Live Sessions on Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. PST

- Learn about GeoTech: GPS, GIS, & Remote Sensing!
- Interact with GeoTech Professionals via WebCasts!
- Identify career pathways for students in the geospatial technology field! Rapidly expanding!
- Learn how to integrate GeoTech into the classroom!
- Receive GeoTech related books and materials!
- Discover the benefits of interactive, online learning!
- Receive a stipend of $100 for participation!
- Participants must attend all eight Tuesdays and fulfill course participation requirements to receive stipend!

Read more

Engineering Graduates still see highest salary offers

2010-07-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

First Bell, ASEE, July 16, 2010
“The summer 2010 salary survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that ‘engineering degrees account for four of the five most highly paid majors among the college class of 2010,’ with petroleum engineers receiving the highest starting salary offer - $74,799.”

Read more

Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) launches first GREEN newsletter

2010-07-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

WIT congratulates WOW for their first edition of GREEN Space which provides valuable links, news and resources on the latest green jobs available to women.

Visit www.wowonline.org for more information.

SWE Releases Comprehensive Review of Engineering and Technology Literature

2010-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO – June 23, 2010 – As part of the yearlong 60th anniversary celebration, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) today released acomprehensive review of the most impactful science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related literature. The compilation spans the past nine years of SWE Magazine’s annual reviews of social science literature on women in engineering. The reviews provide expert analysis of published documents in the engineering and technology fields with a focus on women’s issues, ranging from work/life balance to outreach to diversity in higher education.

“This comprehensive collection of literature reviews recognizes the significance of research to address the issues facing women in STEM fields,” says Nora Lin, SWE president. “Publishing this collection during our 60th Anniversary Celebration reiterates the advances we’ve made in the recruitment and retention of women in the profession, and the challenges that lie ahead.”

Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, the compilation will guide readers through past publications and research. The collection also includes a simple search feature that enables easy access to nearly a decade’s worth of research.

“The Henry Luce Foundation is proud to support this invaluable compilation of resources for women making their mark in STEM – professions typically underrepresented by women,” says Jane Daniels, Ph.D., program director for the Clare Boothe Luce and Higher Education Programs. “This project complements Clare Boothe Luce’s vision to establish a legacy that benefits current and future generations of talented women in science and engineering.”

The compilation is available electronically to the public and will be updated yearly to provide the most current research. Please visit the SWE website for more information about the Society and to access the literature review compilation.

7 Ways to Change a Young Girl’s Life with Tech

2010-07-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

This article stems from a conversation on how technology has changed three formerly young girls’ lives (Angela, Sherri and Robin) and has the potential to change even more.

COSIA Workshop, 7-9 August

2010-06-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for new ways to engage and interest your audience or students in natural history? Attend a free three-day workshop developed by science educators at Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California-Berkeley. Explore the latest findings about how people learn in informal settings and and leave with practical new strategies.

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) is designed for marine educators, though anyone involved in non-formal or free-choice learning will find this valuable, including educators, directors, and trainers at non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and business staff that deal with visitors and educational groups.

The workshop (including all materials, coffee breaks, and lunch) is FREE through a National Science Foundation collaborative grant with University of Hawai`i and the Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence. It will be held in Kahului, Maui, 7-9 August 2010 at the University of Hawai`i Maui College campus. A limited number of travel stipends and accommodations are available for neighbor-island participants.

See the pdf flier for more information.

2010 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

2010-06-17T21:09:00.001-07:00

Location: Hilton Hawaiian Village
July 25-30, at the Honolulu Hilton Hawaiian Village

www.igarss10.org

This is the 30th Anniversary of IGARRS. It is a gathering of more than a thousand world-class scientists, engineers, and educators engaged in the fields of geosciences and remote sensing from around the world. The theme of this year's conference is "Remote Sensing: Global Vision for Local Action", with a focus on the emerging field of community remote sensing. (Community remote sensing is a new field that combines remote sensing with citizen science, social networks, and crowd-sourcing to enhance the data obtained from traditional sources. It includes the collection, calibration, analysis, communication, or application of remotely sensed information by these community means.)

Outreach and education are integral parts of the IGARRS conference. Please look at the impressive list of outreach/educational activities at the 2008 conference in Boston: http://www.igarss08.org/Outreach.asp. The organizers of this year's conference are planning similar activities for students in grades 3-12, on July 28th and 29th. These activities include an essay contest, art contest, exhibits, seminars, earthzine interviews, mathematics of remote sensing competition, and local school-based research opportunities. All of these activities will be hosted at the same venue as the conference, with the intention of having students interacting with world class scientists.

America's Most Powerful Woman

2010-06-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

By Merrill Matthews

URL to original published op/ed: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/536673/201006082315/Americas-Most-Powerful-Woman-As-The-Overseer-Of-ObamaCare.aspx

She's the most powerful woman in the country, exercising enormous control over the life of every American.

Not First Lady Michelle Obama or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, though they have a lot of power. No, I'm referring to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Ms. Sebelius was handed one of the biggest jobs in Washington when she left the Kansas governor's office to run HHS. She oversees about 70,000 employees (full-time equivalents), manages a budget of about $860 billion (for 2010) and runs the largest health insurance programs in the world, Medicare and Medicaid.

And now Congress has handed Ms. Sebelius the authority to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka, ObamaCare).

A quick search of the legislation reveals that the word "Secretary" appears nearly 3,000 times in the 2,700-page legislation. And the vast majority of those references are to the secretary of HHS.

Over and over again we see: "the Secretary shall establish"; "the Secretary shall promulgate regulations"; "the Secretary shall develop standards"; "the Secretary shall periodically review"; "as the Secretary deems are important"; "the Secretary may develop and impose appropriate penalties"; "the Secretary may adjust the rates"; "if the Secretary determines necessary"; and "the Secretary has the authority."

Democrats gave this former head of the Kansas trial lawyers association the statutory power to remake the U.S. health care system. And within a few years virtually every health-related decision individuals make — with regard to insurance, premiums and co-pays, picking a doctor (if you can find one), treatment and drug options, etc. — will have her stamp on it.

Forget about "big brother"; what we have, at least for the time being, is "big sister"! That's meant as no disrespect to Ms. Sebelius. She didn't take the power; Congress handed it to her. But no one yet knows how much power; the secretary is required to provide a list of her new authorities under ObamaCare, but she missed the deadline — along with some other deadlines, according to The Daily Caller.

But the secretary appears to have embraced the challenge — months before the legislation even passed. When health insurer Humana sent out letters last fall to seniors in the company's Medicare Advantage plan warning that ObamaCare could have a negative impact on their coverage — a warning recently confirmed by Medicare's chief actuary — Ms. Sebelius rattled her saber by sending a cease-and-desist letter to Humana. Now the secretary has sent out 40 million taxpayer-funded puff pieces to seniors gushing over "improvements" to Medicare. (See article below.)

Right after its passage, health insurers began to raise questions about whether the legislative language required them to immediately accept all current policyholders' children up to age 26. Secretary Sebelius sent them a letter essentially saying that the intent of the legislation was that insurers should cover those children, and health insurers would do it regardless of what the actual legislation said.

If you are a health insurer and must now operate with the HHS boot on your neck — to adapt a new White House slogan — you will probably acquiesce to such demands regardless of the actual legislative language.

But that's just the start. The Kaiser Foundation identifies 30 major reforms that must be implemented by the end of this year. Most are major changes that should not be rushed if they are to be done correctly, but they are.

For example, the legislation requires establishing a temporary high risk pool for uninsurable individuals by July 1. There were already 34 existing state-based high-risk pools, but because Congress created different eligibility rules, many states will just have two separate pools for the next four years.

The legislation also requires health plans to report their "minimum loss ratios." That's the percentage of premiums insurers spend on claims — the legislation says 80% or 85%, depending on size — as opposed to administrative expenses. But the initiative has already missed one imposed deadline because state insurance commissioners are divided on what should be considered administrative costs.

And there are many more changes coming this year to Medicare, Medicaid, preventive care, prescription drugs, quality-of-care improvements and even new taxes.

The job of capturing a $2.5 trillion health care industry and taming it with massive amounts of congressional and bureaucratic regulations and micromanagement is daunting. Especially since the Democratic leadership and the Obama administration decided to punt a lot of the important decisions down the line to the secretary's office.

That step allowed Democrats, who regularly call for more "accountability" and "transparency," to avoid doing either in health care reform. Let the unelected person make the decisions ... and take the heat.

• Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation.

Women Deliver 2010 - Technology as a catalyst for social change

2010-06-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Penelope Chester

URL to original published article: UN Dispatch

Walking through the halls of the imposing Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C., you can feel that the Women Deliver conference is the largest gathering on women’s issues in more than a decade. There is a palpable excitement and enthusiasm among the thousands of attendees milling around between sessions, connecting and sharing experiences, which is only matched by the intense engagement and intellectual energy felt during the panels, plenaries and discussions.

The second day of Women Deliver was dedicated to examining the role of technology as a social catalyst, specifically the ways in which technology can enhance women’s lives and their health. The day kicked-off with Hans Rosling, of Gapminder fame, whose lively and entertaining presentation about the connection between decreasing maternal mortality and fertility rates and increasing GDP was a hit among the sleepy-eyed delegates in attendance. Through a riveting visual data representation, Rosling showed how scientific progress and the advent of new technologies in reproductive health contributed significantly to reducing maternal mortality and decreasing unsustainable fertility rates. He also urged the crowd to “put forward their successes as a motivation for activism”, a call which resonates strongly here at Women Deliver.

One of the messages that keeps coming up is that there are 200 million women across the world who do not have access to contraception, and are thus unable to control their fertility. We know that breakthroughs in contraceptive techniques have helped improve and save women’s lives, not just in the developing world but in the developed world as well. The potential benefits of increasing access to and affordability of contraception for women in the developing world are enormous, and speakers at Women Deliver discussed the many technological, scientific and practical innovations to achieve just this that are currently in the pipeline.

Researchers and advocates spoke of the tantalizing innovations that are slated to fundamentally transform global maternal health. In the same way that the Pill was a revolutionary technology 50 years ago, scientists are working hard to develop innovations with a comparable impact. As critical as scientific breakthroughs and innovations in technology are, though, they are not a panacea. Social, cultural, political or religious constraints can be insurmountable barriers to access for women across the world.

Acknowledging this, many of the speakers presenting their technological innovations also discussed innovations in packaging, delivery, distribution and other ancillary issues. For instance, dual purpose contraceptives which can incentivize users are one of the technologies that were discussed by panelists at yesterday’s press conference: vaginal rings that stop the multiplication of diseased cells in women’s breasts, or male contraceptives that can prevent baldness. Others talked about integrating interventions, such as giving a free long-lasting insecticide treated bednet to women coming for a breast examination or an HIV screening.

Issues of stigma, discrimination and general lack of access continue to cloud over the potential of technology to improve women’s lives. In addition to new science and innovative thinking, women’s health advocates will have to continue to contend with the powerful forces which seek to bar women’s access to these life-saving technologies.

A key part of providing 200 million women with contraception and truly making these technologies catalysts for social change will be to address the social, political and cultural hurdles which restrict women’s access to health care.

Women’s Role in the Clean Energy Economy

2010-05-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Women Will Be Critical Workers and Innovators of the Future

Women across the nation are preparing to play an integral role in the green economy, and the United States will need their help if we’re going to pull ourselves out of the recession and compete in the new economy on a global scale.

It’s true that men have been hit the hardest in the recession as far an unemployment numbers go, but we will need to seize the opportunity to diversify the future workforce in a way that will incorporate all workers in all areas of the clean energy economy—including those where women have been traditionally underrepresented.

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Source: Center for American Progress

ESRI’s Virtual Campus

2010-05-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

MEDB’s Women in Technology Program (WIT) has partnered with ESRI and the Hawai‘i Department of Education to make ESRI’s Virtual Campus courses available to Hawai‘i teachers and students FREE OF CHARGE. You may take these courses any time, at your own pace, and online from the comfort of your own home.

Read more at the GIS Hawaii Distribution Center, and download a pdf of the Virtual Campus handout.

WIT team tours USNS Mercy

2010-05-11T00:50:00.000-07:00

The USNS Mercy is an 894-foot long former tanker turned hospital ship with a primary goal of providing an afloat, mobile, acute surgical medical facility to the U.S. military that is adaptable to support expeditionary warfare.

The WIT team had the honor of touring the ship during its stop at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard over the weekend.

The Mercy is due to set sail for a series of missions to Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. As the lead ship for Pacific Partnership, an annual humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) mission that takes place in nations throughout the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, the Mercy and its crew are positioned to strengthen regional relationships with host nations and partner nations in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Pacific Partnership through medical, dental as well as engineering outreach projects that reinforce the mutually supporting roles between partners and to help participants practice the skills that would be called upon in response to a disaster.

Led by Commodore Lisa M. Franchetti, Captains Jeffrey W. Paulson and David Bradshaw, the Mercy is fully equipped with operating rooms, blood bank, pathology lab, physical therapy center, dental, pharmacy, angiography suites, and even an on-site veterinarian.

The Mercy medical crew is maintained by personnel from the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, along with civil service mariners maintaining the operations and volunteers from various medical fields serving for the 5 months of deployment.

Touring the Mercy and hearing about its unique mission to serve in both medical and outreach capacities through its partnerships was truly an experience to be remembered.

-- WIT Team

2010 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARRS)

2010-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

July 25-30, at the Honolulu Hilton Hawaiian Village

www.igarss10.org

This is the 30th Anniversary of IGARSS. It is a gathering of more than a thousand world-class scientists, engineers, and educators engaged in the fields of geosciences and remote sensing from around the world. The theme of this year's conference is "Remote Sensing: Global Vision for Local Action", with a focus on the emerging field of community remote sensing. (Community remote sensing is a new field that combines remote sensing with citizen science, social networks, and crowd-sourcing to enhance the data obtained from traditional sources. It includes the collection, calibration, analysis, communication, or application of remotely sensed information by these community means.)

Outreach and education are integral parts of the IGARSS conference. Please look at the impressive list of outreach/educational activities at the 2008 conference in Boston: http://www.igarss08.org/Outreach.asp. The organizers of this year's conference are planning similar activities for students in grades 3-12, on July 28th and 29th. These activities include an essay contest, art contest, exhibits, seminars, earthzine interviews, mathematics of remote sensing competition, and local school-based research opportunities. All of these activities will be hosted at the same venue as the conference, with the intention of having students interacting with world class scientists.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Hamilton
NOAA’s Pacific Regional Coordinator
737 Bishop Street, Suite 1550
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808-522-2299
Fax: 808-532-3224

MentorNet News

2010-05-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

We're excited to announce the winners of our Spring Campaign to recruit new protege, ending on the anniversary of Anita Borg's death, April 6th. University of New Mexico won for the highest number of signups, and University of Hawaii, Manoa, for the highest ratio of signups to size of the student body. They both receive 10% off their MentorNet annual fees for next year.

The campus "Reps" at these universities are the true champions of this contest. Nora Dominguez, Director of the Mentoring Institute at University of New Mexico said, "Our goal is to create opportunities for our students to establish professional networks at early stages of their careers in order to enhance the quality of their education and to envision their careers after graduation."

Isla Young, program manager of the Women in Technology Project at the Maui Economic Development Board in Hawaii, said, "Women in Technology (WIT) have been pleased to sponsor MentorNet at all of our UH-system campuses for nearly a decade because we know everyone enters STEM pathways from a different portal, and MentorNet has been a key tool in keeping women and minorities in the STEM pipeline."

Dominguez was excited to hear that she had won. "Our partnership with MentorNet is helping us to achieve our mission of creating a mentoring culture at UNM and the State of New Mexico. This program provides the means for students, faculty, staff and alumni from the University of New Mexico to engage in productive and meaningful mentoring relationships with participants from multiple corporations and universities across the nation."

Young also expressed thanks for a helping hand at University of Hawaii: "We commend our WIT recruiter, Colleen Umetsu, for knowing the unique landscape of our Hawaii schools." MentorNet is very thankful for all the energy and time our campus Representatives put into making our program a success! Congratulations, University of New Mexico and University of Hawaii, Manoa!

- Leila Armush, Media and Communications Consultant

Source article: MentorNet News

The Most Influential Women in Technology 2010

2010-04-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

For some inspiration check out Fast Company's list of the most influential women in technology 2010!

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDING

2010-04-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

A program providing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) training for women will receive $737,000 for program expansion and community outreach, Senator Daniel K. Inouye announced today.

The Women in Technology program run by the Maui Economic Development Board Inc. (MEDB) received the grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The project will provide STEM training for girls, women, Native Hawaiians and other underrepresented segments of Hawaii society.

“Hawaii cannot keep up with the pace of technological and scientific advancement being set by our global competitors if we are not encouraging every able member of our workforce to reach their full potential,” said Senator Inouye. “We have to take action to prepare our next generation for the rigors of the international marketplace.”

The program’s goal is to enhance academic understanding and work skills of the participants while preparing them for a career in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Women in Technology Project is a statewide workforce development initiative founded in 1999 and funded in part through grants from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Agriculture and Education.

The 4th Middle School Tech Careers – I am the Future

2010-04-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

The 4th Middle School Tech Careers – I am the Future will be held on May 19 -20, 2010. Technology-based companies in the Maui Research and Technology Park will open their doors to approximately 60 middle school students.

As part of Maui Economic Development Board’s ongoing workforce development initiatives, the goal for this event is to introduce students to career opportunities in STEM. Exposure to career options at the critical middle school level enables students to make curricular and extracurricular choices that will help them prepare for these careers.

Download the application packet

EXCITE CAMP 2010— FOR INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL GIRLS

2010-04-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday thru Friday, June 22 - 25

- Learn about Astronomy, Space, and Science from a Hawaiian Cultural perspective
- Visit an ahupua`a and use geospatial technology to investigate and analyze Hawaiian culture past & present
- Explore a future career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, & math)
- Engage in fun exciting hands-on engineering activities
- Tour one of the fastest supercomputers in the world & many more technology-based companies

Download application package for all the registration information and participation guidelines.

Sci-Tech Pros Offer Learning Day

2010-04-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Honolulu, HI – Professionals from the science and technology industry are answering the call to share lessons in their fields on Friday, April 30, 2010 at three regional centers. Sci-Tech Day will be offered to students in grade levels 6th through 8th and each center will be limited to 80 students. The cost for this full day of ultimate learning is FREE and lunch is included.

Sci-Tech Day centers are Honolulu Community College, Leeward Community College, and Windward Community College. On-site registration at each of the centers will take place on Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Visit website to learn more.

Too Few Women in Science

2010-03-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Two new studies look at reasons women are underrepresented in science professions in the United States.

Two new studies have investigated why fewer females, compared to males, study and work in the so called STEM subjects in the United States. Those subjects are science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The American Association of University Women examined existing research. Its report, called “Why So Few?,” also suggested ways to interest more girls and women in the STEM fields. The researchers found that cultural and environmental factors make a difference.

Researcher Christianne Corbett says more boys than girls score very high on math tests in most countries. She says Iceland and Thailand are exceptions.

Read more

Source: VOA News

Waialua, McKinley and Campbell win robotics competition

2010-03-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

By Star-Bulletin Staff

A three-school alliance of robotics teams from Waialua, McKinley and Campbell high schools won the 2010 BAE Systems FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics) regional competition at the Stan Sheriff Center yesterday, according to a news release from the governor's office.

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Source: Honolulu Star Bulletin