WIRED NEWS

You Go, Grrl! Execs Play Up Tech 

by Katie Dean and Kendra Mayfield 

3:00 a.m. Jun. 19, 2000 PDT 

Although women are closing the gender gap in Internet use, the number of
women pursuing careers in technology still lags behind that of men. 

This year's Women in Technology International conference has taken notice,
with organizers hoping that new programs will appeal to a younger crowd.

The annual three-day Silicon Valley Technology Summit begins Tuesday in
Santa Clara, California. Leaders and
entrepreneurs in science, technology, and business will meet for seminars,
discussions, and networking, all in an
effort to boost women into these careers. 

This year's organizers took a cue from last year's conference, where Cisco's
CTO Judy Estrin emphasized that "It's
up to all of us to expose girls to the sciences as well as the corporations
to set role models." 

Encouraging girls at a young age is key, organizers said. 

"We were a little startled by information that came out regarding the rate
that young girls are selecting careers in
education and technology," said Denise Ryan, president and chief visionary
officer for strategic marketing firm
BluMarble and advisory board member for WITI. "It's very low relative to
demand." 

According to recent reports, young girls are not perceiving technology
careers accurately. "They view it as 'lonely
and boring,'" Ryan said. "We want to dispel that perception. That's why we
want to show women succeeding in
businesses." 

WITI will host its first college scholarship reception Monday evening,
giving female college students an opportunity
to network with top women executives from technology firms and apply for
foundation scholarships. 

"With the scholarships, we're hoping to bring more women students into the
technology field," said WITI
spokeswoman Jennifer Sauler. 

On Wednesday, organizers are expected to formally announce the first WITI
tech incubator at Smith College, a
program to support young women in technology through mentorships and other
outreach efforts. 

Attendees are encouraged to bring their daughters to an all-day event on
Tuesday, where they can interact with
role models through chat sessions, mentoring roundtables, and hands-on
science activities. 


While the "Bring a Daughter to the Conference Program" was offered last
year, this is the first year that the
program has really taken off, said Jennifer McDonald, national coordinator
for Advocates for Women in Science,
Engineering and Mathematics, which runs the program. 

The program is designed to give young girls as much exposure and interaction
with professional women as
possible. "Girls get to let their own curiosity shine through," McDonald
said. 

The program not only benefits girls, but also women attending the
conference. 

"When you see a 12-year-old girl say, 'I want to be an astrophysicist,'
that's motivating on a personal level,"
McDonald said. "To see how impactful, how meaningful it can be to spend time
with young women ... that might
spark something for them to be more active in their community." 

This year's event also spotlights a lineup of accomplished speakers,
including Donna Dubinsky, co-founder and CEO
of Handspring; Martha Deevy, senior vice president of marketing and business
development for Charles Schwab;
and Patricia Sueltz, president of software products and platforms division
for Sun Microsystems. 

Besides drawing young women to the conference, organizers also are focusing
on addressing women who are
starting their own businesses. WITI will Webcast interactive entrepreneur
track sessions on topics ranging from
packaging a venture for investment to creating a dynamic startup culture. 

"We're very much addressing women who are starting their own businesses,"
Ryan said. "We're really interested in
capturing that momentum and linking it to women launching technology
ventures." 

Several prominent researchers, scientists, and NASA astronaut Bonnie Dunbar
will be inducted into the WITI Hall
of Fame during the conference. 


Related Wired Links: 

Techie Girls Head Off to Camp 
May. 30, 2000 

Creating More Women Coders 
May. 19, 2000 

Why Girls Don't Compute 
Apr. 20, 2000 

A Hip Club for Square Teens 
Apr. 6, 2000 

Women Geeks Honor Their Own 
Feb. 1, 2000 

Wanted: Women in Tech 
Jun. 9, 1999 



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