Tech Needs Girls
April 24 is International Girls in ICT Day. This is a global movement to raise awareness about opportunities in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and empower girls and young women with the knowledge that careers in ICT can be for them. In Virginia, we've also got some great opportunities to get girls and young women excited about tech this month!
In the spotlight section, we're highlighting two outstanding women in tech who will be visiting Charlottesville in April. You won't want to miss meeting them! The TomTom Festival is happening in April with lots of great technology events including the Genius Hour: Student Innovators, noon-3pm @ Lee Park. Be sure to check out the rest of the TomTom schedule which includes Tech Panels, Fashion Design Challenge, Music, Art, Crafts and more. Finally, the last weekend in April brings the USA Science & Engineering Festival to Washington DC. This is a huge event with lots of hands-on activities to do and STEM celebrities to meet. It's free & fun for the whole family! |
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Spotlight: danah boyd & Vanessa Hurst
Each month we spotlight a woman or girl in tech who inspires us. We are highlighting two influential women in tech because they are coming to Charlottesville in this month!
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danah boyd is Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and the author of It's Complicated: the social lives of networked teens. She studied computer science at Brown Univeristy and went on to earn a PhD at the UC Berkeley School of Information. In 2009, Fast Company named danah one of the most influential women in technology. One of the greatest things she brings to tech is a bridge between generations. She engages with youth to understand how, why and what they are doing with tech and helps translate that to the rest of us. She will be keynoting and signing her book at UVA on April 11. More details.
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Vanessa Hurst is probably best known as being one of the primary spokespeople for the hugely successful Hour of Code movement. She's also known in these parts as a computer science graduate from UVA. She is a strong advocate of the idea that coding can make an important and positive impact on people's lives. Vanessa is the founder and CEO of CodeMontage, where coders engage with social good projects to improve their skills and help the world. She also runs Developers for Good and co-founded Girl Develop It, a nonprofit encouraging women to learn software development. She has also been a behind-the-scenes advisor and supporter of Tech-Girls! Vanessa will be part of the TomTom Panel: Giving Back Through Tech on April 12. More details.
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Get Involved
Are you ready to become a mentor or sponsor a Tech-Girls workshop? Can you help us get the word out or cater an event? We are especially looking for volunteers willing to work 2 to 4-hour shifts with the CyberJutsu Girls at our joint exhibit booth at the USA Science & Engineering Festival April 26 & 27. However you would like to get involved, we need you!
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Field Notes
On March 15, Crozet Elementary School hosted 30 girls for Girls' Geek Day and they had a blast doing hands-on activities including, coding on the minis, MaKey MaKey instrument making, intro to chess, bedroom design and robot building. On March 23, the Society of Women Engineers at UVA hosted 60 middle school girls who enjoyed tours of 3D printing & electron microscope labs, demonstrations, student panel Q&A session during lunch and a team roller coaster design challenge. Be sure to check out the upcoming opportunities to get girls hands-on with tech!
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Activities & Events
Live & Local
- April 9-13 - Tom Tom Founders Festival. Check out the cool, free happenings at the TomTom Fest including Tech Panels, Fashion Design Challenge, Music, Art, Crafts and more. Schedule of events.
- April 12 - Girls' Geek Day provides lots of fun, hands-on STEM learning opportunities for girls. Registration required.
- April 12 - Women in Tech Happy Hour. From 3-5pm at Brookville after the TomTom Panel: Giving Back Through Tech. RSVP.
- April 17 - Tech-Girls Open House event for anyone interested in checking out what we're all about. Beginning in the Fall 2014, we will offer project-based after-school workshops @ Henley & Jouett.
- April 26 & 27 - USA Science & Engineering Festival (Washington DC). This is a great experience for the whole family - tons of hands-on activities and the opportunity to meet your favorite STEM rock star plus it's all free! Schedule of events.
- May 31 - Web Design: The Maker Party at Light House Studio. 8th thru 12th graders learn about the building blocks of the web, HTML & CSS, while making cool web pages. Registration required.
- June 28 - Women Can Fly event @ CHO with free airplane rides to women ages 8 and up, ATC tower tours, tours of aircraft on display, and opportunities to talk with professionals in aviation. Registration required for flights.
- July 14-18 - Soft Circuit Creations for rising 6th - 9th graders. More tech classes & registration info available at PVCC Summer Career Academies.
- July 28-Aug 1 - Video Game Design at Light House Studio. 7th thru 12th graders can get their first taste of video game design in this beginner-friendly workshop. Registration required.
- August 11-15 - Exploring Technology at Light House Studio for ages 8 to 11. Learn about what makes a computer tick & create your own technology. Registration required.
Virtual & Global
- Ongoing (monthly) - CreateHS is an online high school coding competition with new challenges released every month. Check out this month's challenge.
- April 30 (deadline) - House App Challenge for High School Students. Registration required.
- July 2 (deadline) - Women@NASA has created a virtual mentoring projects to middle school students across the country. Application info.
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