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By Lanita Withers Goins, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-3890
Posted 4-29-09
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Information technology isn’t just for the guys.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will offer the free workshop, “IT is for Girls,” Saturday, May 2. Teenage girls in grades nine through 11 are invited to participate in the hands-on workshop, where they’ll learn to create animations, interactive narratives and video games; design websites and explore computer and internet security. The workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a lunch where participants will meet successful “Tech Divas” from local firms.
Space for the workshop is limited to the first 50 registrants. Registration is available online at www.uncg.edu/bae/isom/wit.
The program is just one of the ways faculty at UNCG is working to help stem the decrease in the number of women pursing education and employment in information technology. “In my conversation with the Guilford County Schools’ career and technology education staff, it seems like the number of girls opting to take technology related courses is relatively low and has been dropping,” said Dr. Lakshmi S. Iyer, an associate professor of information systems and operations management in the Bryan School of Business and Economics.
Despite the fact that women constitute half of the United States’ workforce, the proportion of women in information technology has been declining, from a high of 40 percent in 1986 to about 20 percent in 2004, according data from the Information Technology Association of America.
“Innovations in technology are changing the way we do business and the way we live our lives, and when women are not involved in creating these technologies we have a limited vision,” said Dr. Steve Tate, head of the Department of Computer Science. “We need to engage girls now so they can see themselves as future technical leaders.”
“IT is for Girls” is organized by the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management and the Department of Computer Science. The project is made possible with support from the American Association of University Women; the Guilford County Schools; Hanesbrands Inc.; RF Micro Devices Inc.; Wachovia; Moses Cone Health System; Lorillard Inc.; TechTriad Inc.; and UNCG’s McDowell Research Center for Global IT Management, College of Arts and Sciences and Bryan School of Business and Economics.
For more information on the program or other UNCG initiatives, visit www.uncg.edu/bae/isom/wit, contact Iyer at lsiyer@uncg.edu or (336) 334-4984 or contact Tate at (336) 256-1112.