Presented at the the first TechGirlz.org event. The goal of the presentation was to discuss why we need more girls in tech, debunk common misconceptions and show the different ways they can get into Technology.
4. Facts Age of first computer use - Female: 15 Male: 12 Age of first computer possession - Female: 19 Male: 15 Only 17.6% of students who graduate with Computer Science majors are women (and it’s dropping)
5. Why TechGirlz? Women are underrepresented Diversity is needed to spawn innovation
12. These garments can prevent colds, flu and protect someone with allergies Never need washing Created using electrostatically charged nanoparticles Introduce new materials(Nanotechnology)
15. Build a robot to do your chores…(Computer Engineering)
16. Developing the Future Take more math, physics and computer classes Intern in a company’s technology department Join a computer club online or at your school Enter a science fair Attend a technology summer camp Start a blog Listen to tech podcasts Watch online tech shows COME TO MORE TECHGIRLZ EVENTS!
Notas del editor
Introduce myself and what I do. Ask the girls if they know others who are entrepreneurs or work for themselves, or are in the tech field.
Parents, friends hate their jobs/or find it boring My typical work day - Flexible hours, emailing people all over the world, meeting with potential partners, advisers, interns, etc. Tell them by the time the session ends they will have learned more about technology and be inspired to consider opportunities in that space as they move beyond middle school.
Teen girls have access to computers later than teen boysFacts from:http://www.womenwhotech.com/resources.htmlTherefore, we can only assume that at some point or another, we stopped encouraging young girls to think about computers as objects of study and science and started asking them to think of computers as tools for communication and consumption. Making computers part of mainstream life has had this effect on the entire computer science and technology industry; fewer young minds overall are less interested in how these things work than in how they can be adapted to the needs of the individual.
If everybody around the room is the same, the ideas aren’t going to be diverse and the problems aren’t going to be attached from different perspectives, which will greatly impact innovation. Cite Apple iPad name example.You don’t have to be a user of your favorite product…you can CREATE them!Facts from:http://www.womenwhotech.com/resources.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/human-exoskeleton-suit-helps-paralysed-walk/2008/08/27/1219516518586.htmlParalysed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper RadiKaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward - with a proud expression on his face - as passersby stare in surprise."I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988."Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."The device, called ReWalk, is the brainchild of engineer Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company.Something of a mix between the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man, ReWalk helps paraplegics - people paralyzed below the waist - to stand, walk and climb stairs.Goffer himself was paralysed in an accident in 1997 but he cannot use his own invention because he does not have full function of his arms.The system, which requires crutches to help with balance, consists of motorised leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerised control box and rechargeable batteries.The user picks a setting with a remote control wrist band - stand, sit, walk, descend or climb - and then leans forward, activating the body sensors and setting the robotic legs in motion.
Computer Science:Find ways to do things faster, better, and more easily -> where I fit in
Computer Graphics and ImagingShrek, Up!, Toy Story 3, AvatarComputer modelingBrain scan
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/May07/nanofibers.fashion.aj.html“Fashion designers and fiber scientists at Cornell have taken "functional clothing" to a whole new level. They have designed a garment that can prevent colds and flu and never needs washing, and another that destroys harmful gases and protects the wearer from smog and air pollution.The two-toned gold dress and metallic denim jacket, featured at the April 21 Cornell Design League fashion show, contain cotton fabrics coated with nanoparticles that give them functional qualities never before seen in the fashion world.Ong's dress and jacket, part of her original fashion line called "Glitterati," look innocently hip. But closer inspection -- with a microscope, that is -- shows an army of electrostatically charged nanoparticles creating a protective shield around the cotton fibers in the top part of the dress, and the sleeves, hood and pockets of the jacket.Ong incorporated the resultant cotton fiber into a jacket with the ability to oxidize smog. Such properties would be useful for someone with allergies, or for protecting themselves from harmful gases in the contaminated air, such as in a crowded or polluted city.”
Computer engineering:Invent new toys…-> show the latest cool toys middle school girls want like? -> iPod Touch pictured above
Computer engineering:Createbetter products…show picture of tape player to CD player to iPod?
Computer engineering:Build robots that do your chores…(Jetsonsmaid, Rosie)
Don't sweat the details. If you find an interest in computers, follow that passion. People will try to force a lot of things on your far too early -- concretely: The importance of big-oh notation, running times, formal methods. When you need those tools, you'll find you're at the spot where you understand them. Do interesting things. Math & Science can be frustrating, and there's some value in everyone moving forward at their own pace. Doing the CGI for Shreck seems like an unattainable goal early on, but everyone who's doing that started at the same point -- just working at something they enjoyed without sweating the details.