This year 24notion and Girls in Tech Portland is the partner/co-sponsor of National Center for Women & Information Technology. NCWIT believe that inspiring more women to choose careers in IT isn’t about parity; it’s a compelling issue of innovation, competitiveness, and workforce sustainability. In a global economy, gender diversity in IT means a larger and more competitive workforce; in a world dependent on innovation, it means the ability to design technology that is as broad and creative as the people it serves.
The NCWIT Symons Innovator Award promotes women’s participation in information technology and entrepreneurship by honoring an outstanding woman who has successfully built and funded an IT business. By recognizing women IT entrepreneurs, the NCWIT Symons Innovator Award hopes to inspire others to pursue IT entrepreneurship, and increase awareness about the importance of women’s participation in IT innovation and business. This year, we are please to announced the 2010 NCWIT Symons Innovator Award Winner is Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource, Co-founder of Marimba, and the original product manager of Java at Sun Microsystems.
Be sure to join us for the 2010 NCWIT Innovator Award celebration, 6:30-8:30PM, Thursday, May 20, at the OHSU South Waterfront Atrium in Portland, Oregon. Many thanks to our local host, the Software Association of Oregon, guests will enjoy fine cocktails and decadent treats, the lovely musical styling of local vocalist Sarah Billings, and the opportunity to ride Portland’s famous Aerial Tram to experience a breathtaking view of the city at night. We invite you to purchase tickets early as space is limited at this venue.
KEY FACTS:
- Girls represented just 17 percent of Advanced Placement computer science (CS) exam-takers in 2008; that’s the lowest female representation of any AP exam.
- In 2008 women earned only 18 percent of all CS degrees. Back in 1985, women earned 37 percent of CS degrees.
- Women hold more than half of all professional occupations in the U.S. but fewer than 24 percent of all computing-related occupations.
- Only 16 percent of Fortune 500 technology companies have women corporate officers.
- A study on U.S. technology patenting reveals that patents created by mixed-gender teams are the most highly cited (an indicator of their innovation and usefulness); yet women were involved in only 9 percent of U.S. tech patents.
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