10 reasons why YOU should attend Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (especially if you’re a student!)

1. Learn more about what you love to do, computing!

There are so many informative sessions, you are guaranteed to take something away from at least one of them. I am very interested in mobile development and learned about lots of new technology from various sessions, including a PhD forum. Other sessions focused on medical engineering, automobiles, and social media. On the schedule, they even show how technical the conversation will get, giving you the ability to choose sessions which are on par with your own background.

2. Key note speakers

Sheryl Sandberg in conversation with Maria Klawe and Telle Whitney

Many of them you will know, but even if you don’t recognize who they are right away, rest assured their key notes will leave you in awe. I was lucky enough to have Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) who has been all over the technology scene with her book “Lean In” (about women achieving the success in the work place while still maintaining a personal life). Her talk was inspirational, as were all the key notes.

3. Visiting a cool city

GHC locations are the best of the best. Minneapolis, San Diego, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, and coming next year, Phoenix. Booking in some extra time on your travels will guarantee you get a bit of sightseeing in while not missing the conference. Some of my sightseeing in Minneapolis included the Mall of America and walking the trails by the Mississippi River. Any city you visit will certainly not disappoint.

4. Networking

Alan Eustace, Google Senior Vice President, Knowledge

You never know who you may sit next to at lunch, on the bus, or in a session. There are some very important people in attendance to these conferences and the likelihood of you meeting one is quite high. So bring your business cards and prepare to make some friends and acquaintances for life.

Grab your own ice cream bars

5. FREE food

If you play your cards right, you could easily eat free at the conference. Companies host breakfasts in the morning. Organizations will do luncheons and and cocktail hours, and if you’re interviewing, there’s a good chance the recruiters will have planned a dinner or exclusive party for their applicants. During breaks there are lots of snacks offered such as fruits, crackers, coffee, and even ice cream bars.

6. Being around people just like you

I often imagine the rest of my life being stuck in an office as the only woman. Always having to talk about men stuff, going to lunch at Hooters, slowly drifting away from all female companionship. But this isn’t true! There are literally thousands of women in technology! And that’s growing. Attending GHC is so refreshing because you get to meet people who feel the same as you. It is the perfect opportunity to make those female friends you have difficulty finding at times.

7. The Career Fair

Whether or not you’re currently looking for a job, you never know when you will be. And where do/would you even want to work? Well there are over 100 companies at Grace Hopper dying for you to take notice of them. They are recruiting like crazy. If you’re a college student, you will probably meet one of your future employers here. Several people I traveled with went to multiple interviews while at the conference. And you will continue to hear from recruiters and interview after the conference. If you’re in the market for a job or internship, you could easily land one here.

8. SWAG!

Google’s Android Legos

Yes, the free stuff recruiters give out. And I’m not talking pens and sticky notes… I’m talking legitimate goods that we all need. I came back with a full wardrobe of computing stuff (15 WOMEN’S shirts and 1 hoodie), several car chargers, a USB splitter, iPad cases and I think I only visited half the booths! Need a manicure? Don’t worry, happened at Grace Hopper. Yes… A company set up a booth and gave manicures. You never know what you will come across at the conference.

9. Parties

This is a celebration of women in computing after all! The conference itself had 2 dance parties this year. They included a DJ who was sure to play something for everyone’s tastes, free desserts and snacks, a cash bar, glows sticks, a photo booth, a comedian, dancing dots, and more SWAG! Plus the big companies will be throwing their own parties, sure not to disappoint, as the ones I attended had free food and more free SWAG.

Thanks UCF!

10. You can probably go for free (or almost free)!

If you’re a student, there are tons of opportunities to get a completely free ride to the conference. There are several scholarships available, volunteer opportunities to waive your conference fee, or you can look into the resources at your University (this year, UCF paid the full bill for 11 students to attend). If you aren’t a student, reach out to your employer about the conference. Most companies will allot funds for attending conferences, it’s just about making claim to them and showing why you attending the conference will benefit them (you may even get paid to go).

I’m a girl… And I do what I love!

Brenda Chapman was the most inspiring session I attended at the Grace Hopper Celebration. I was so excited, I arrived half an hour early and sat third row back with a seat on the end and a perfect view of Brenda. It was nice to see that she had arrived equally early, happily signing autographs and taking pictures with her biggest fans for the entire half hour leading up to her presentation.

Now Brenda Chapman is an extremely qualified woman to be speaking at Grace Hopper Celebration. She worked her way up to the ranks of the best animation studios in the world, and like anyone else following a dream (women especially), she faced challenges. She was rejected from CalArts, a prestigious animation school and at the time (the 80’s), the only place studios like Disney looked for animators. A year later, Brenda decided to give CalArts one more shot, and to her surprise, she was accepted…as one of only 5 women in a class of 34.

After successfully completing her education at CalArts, Brenda was pleasantly surprised as she was immediately hired by Disney. To her dismay, an unnamed Disney executive openly explained to Brenda the reason for her hire was because Disney was in need of female animators, and she fit their quota– young and fresh out of school, Disney knew they could afford her. This news was devasting. She was hired because she was a woman, and Disney needed to add women to their team, not because of her artistic ability. Brenda knew, despite the terrible reasoning, she had to jump at this opportunity as it was a foot in the door, and she took full advantage of it.

It didn’t take long for Disney to notice Brenda’s talent, especially her ability to express realistic emotion in her chararcters. She was assigned to what would be the stepping stone of her success: The Part of Your World Reprise in The Little Mermaid. She became the animator of the most recognized scene of the film. This success certainly wasn’t short lived, as Brenda went on to animate several more Disney movies including The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, and the King of the Jungle…later renamed The Lion King.

Now no success comes without making changes and embracing opportunities. Brenda saw the environment changing at Disney and realized it too was time for her to make a change. She was given the opportunity to work at DreamWorks and took it. She moved around to other companies (including Universal and Sony Animation) always asking herself “If I don’t take this opportunity, will I regret it?”

And soon Pixar came along, with the opportunity for Brenda to share her own story, Brave. Brave is based on a wild, red headed girl inspired by Brenda’s own daughter. The story focuses on a young Merida who struggles finding herself with all the pressures from society to act like a lady. But what Merida really loves is shooting arrows and enjoying the wilderness. Through Brave, Brenda portrayed how little girls should follow their dreams, even if society doesn’t completely agree. Unfortunately, this story posed some creative differences between Brenda and Pixar, and Brenda was ultimately replaced with another director. Despite these differences, Brenda Chapman was still awarded an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.

Brave is one of Disney’s first tales about a girl who chooses not to live the typical princess fairy tale (and Pixar’s first animated movie starring a female) . Now this is a story I believe any women in STEM can relate to, as we all have decided fairy tales aren’t for us, but rather, changing the world is. Just because you are one of 5 girls in a class of 100, or get asked if you’re lost when entering a computer lab, or you believe your colleagues are really friendly when in fact, they have other motives, doesn’t mean we live in a men-only world. Women can flourish and succeed in this industry, in anything they desire to do. Brenda Chapman did, she was Pixar’s first female director, she stood up for what she believed, learned Pixar wasn’t for her, and now she’s working with LucasFilms! Take opportunities, embrace change, and to all women I know fighting a difficult battle: Be brave, we can do it.

GHC13: Bringing mobile health services to Africa

One of my passions is the opportunity to work with underdeveloped areas of the world. I have done work in rural areas of Panama struggling with poverty and food shortages and love learning more about other organizations working on similar projects. Software and Not So Smart Phones Providing Health Services in Africa focused on the impact technology can have in underdeveloped areas. Charlene Tshitoka and Liandra Cliedy Bassiane of ThoughtWorks are two inspiring women changing the world by using affordable mobile technology to do so.

It is common for Africans to live off only a couple dollars a day. Such a small income cannot be used for health services. This leads to low demand for health services and a decrease in the need for many health service workers. The businesses who do provide various health services fear dangerous circumstances for employees such as traveling through undeveloped roadways or the possibility of workers being robbed or even raped. But there is a solution to all of these problems: mobile health services.

In Africa, a smart phone can cost double compared to its price in the U.S., resulting in only 17% of the market being comprised of smart phones. But a basic phone can be purchased for only $8 and can provide a way for people to have access to the health services they need. The development of applications for not so smart phones give Africans the ability to get affordable and reliable health care, and there are many examples already on the market.

MOTECH is an open source application used in Ghana to assist women throughout their pregnancy. Many times, women are not familiar with the check ups they need to have during their pregnancy. MOTECH allows a woman to sign up and choose between receiving SMS or voice mail updates on her mobile phone. This program is helping women stay healthy encouraging them to attend their check ups throughout their entire pregnancy.

In Nigeria, 64% of anti malaria drugs are fake. 2 out of 3 people taking medication for malaria are not actually taking the proper medication. This is due to both counterfeit medications being produced and medication production below standards. mPedigree is another mobile app for not so smart phones built to fight this problem. With mPedigree, medications are labeled with a scratch off code the recipient can remove upon receiving their medication. The user then sends an SMS to mPedigree to verify the validity of the medication, giving users a simple and inexpensive way to save their lives.

In India, CycleTel informs women when their monthly cycle is beginning. Why is this information important to women? Because it is difficult to get women to take contraceptives in India. By setting up a reminder of their cycle start time, women are more likely to take their contraceptives and prevent unwanted pregnancies from occurring.

So what is the future for mobile health services? One aspect is improving the security of these programs and ensuring the safety of the individual. The ability for telecommunication companies to provide these services affordably is also a large focus of this effort. But most importantly, continuing to encourage the adoption of mobile health services in Africa in order for not so smart phone applications to help save the lives of many more individuals.

GHC13: Lightning Talks (Mobile Experience Track)

I love mobile technology. And really wanted to dedicate my day to everything mobile. So the next thing on my list for the day was the mobile lightning talks. This was a POPULAR event. I arrived a few minutes early, but they were already at capacity with a line. Luckily, after patiently waiting I got in! And here is some of the information I got to learn during the lightning talks:

Ann-Marie Horcher on Security
Today it seems everywhere we turn we need a password. It begun with the web and now it comprises our mobile apps as well. Whether it’s the social media sites we are always frequenting, our email, bank accounts, work, school…everywhere we turn we need a username and password. Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to remember all this information. Ann-Marie Horcher had a “Project Runway Moment” over this. Her solution, CLUE: Cued-recall Location-based User Entry. This project allows the user to, based on their GPS location, set up points with limited security. For example, if you are at home, your phone does not need a lot of security. With CLUE, you can set up hints for your passwords so when you are in a place you don’t have to worry about security, you can easily recall passwords for your accounts.

Kristine Delossantos Caller ID Application Current
What if your caller ID not only told you who was calling, but also let you know your friends latest Facebook post, Tweet, or LinkedIn update? With Current you can! This application efficiently provides information by delivering only newest data to your phone. So what should you keep in mind while developing a mobile app like Current? It’s important to evaluate the feasibility, especially over various platforms as well as avoiding surprises by determing devices for testing ahead of time.

Leslie Nguyen, Mobile Testing
When it comes to mobile development, what makes a user like your app? For example, the Obama campaign believed a video would be more successful for developing support for his campaign rather than an image. The campaign later discovered the video wasn’t going to be more profitable. For individuals to determine the effectiveness between two different visual layouts, A/B testing known as Multi Variant Testing is commonly done. This type of testing is still new to mobile but has the opportunity of being very successful. The challenges with mobile? There’s a long release cycle because of the time it takes to be shipped to the App Store. A possible fix for this is by wrapping UI elements in a configuration manager, enabling you to quickly change things like colors. A/B testing has resulted in increased profits in web and can also do the same for mobile apps.

Sonia Sharma, Designing for accessibility
Feedback happens in 3 ways: visual, audio, and touch (consisting of vibration/haptic feedback). It’s important to give feedback in all 3 ways. You also need to let the user decide how they want to receive this feedback or if the even want any feedback. So how can we improve the feedback given by mobile apps we are developing? One example is using sensors to stop a music app after a user has not moved for half an hour. This sort of feedback can increase the overall effectiveness of an app and ultimately improve the experience for the user.

Aarathi Prasad, Understanding mobile computing technologies for healthcare
It is hard to determine what type of health care information users are willing to share. Aarathi conducted a study by giving users an mHealth device to see what they would actually share, rather than just what potential users say they will share (which isn’t the most accurate). The study consisted of 41 participants and the use of a Fitbit to collect the information. The users were able to see their own information and share select information with others, such as a parent. The findings: People are less interested in sharing age, gender, and weight. As far as fitness, people are more willing to share this information with strangers. The conclusion? Users want to share data with people who they think will make use of it and help them, making mHealth a great possibility for improving individuals lives’.

The talks I was able to listen to were all very interesting. I love learning about mobile technology and these lightning talks were a fun way to do so.

GHC13: PhD Forum on Mobile Experiences

The PhD Forum focused on mobile technology and various students’ research. I’m currently looking into Graduate school and personally considering whether I want to pursue a PhD so I enjoyed the ability to learn about what other women are currently studying. They included:

Human Centered Approach Evaluating Mobile Sign Language Video Communication by Jessica Tran
Jessica Tran’s research focused on mobile video communication for people who are deaf or have other disabilities which make mobile communication difficult. Due to cell phone providers limiting bandwidth, video communication is becoming less reliable which can make using video communication a difficult task for those using American Sign Language to communicate via mobile video.

Jessica Tran, as part of her research, has been studying the lower limits of frame rates and bitrates of mobile videos, and what rates are intelligible by those using ASL. Her study included showing participants a video of someone signing and afterwards asking whether or not they understood it. This was done over lower frame rates and bitrates to determine the lowest levels intelligible by someone viewing another person signing, in order to try and determine optimal frame rates and bitrates while using video communication for ASL.

Her study was very interesting for me personally, as I have an uncle who is deaf. It is difficult for my mom and him to communicate due to lack of available technologies. I hope to try and get my uncle involved in this study as one day I’m sure research like this will help improve communication for him and other people who have disabilities. For more information on Jessica’s research visit bit.ly/jjtran.

Perkinput: Eyes-free Text Entry for Mobile Devices by Shiri Azenkot:
Similar to Jessica Tran’s study, Shiri Azenkot’s research focuses on improving mobile communication for people with disabilities, but instead, focusing on those who are blind. The current technology which exists to allow the blind to manipulate smart phones seems to be dominated by VoiceOver which consists of a vocal navigation assisting users to find areas on the screen and then allows them to use gestures such as double tap to select buttons on the screen. The downfall with this current technology is it is very slow, as the user averages about 1.5 words per minute typing this way. Perkinput is a unique technology which allows the user to enter text on a phone using 3 fingers and tapping out braille characters (which consist of two columns of 3 dots. The user is able to type a letter using only two taps per character on a mobile screen or only one tap with two hands on a larger screen such as a tablet. Shiri had participants use VoiceOver, which is what is currently used with smart phones such as the iPhone, as well as Perkinput to see which they could enter text faster in. Her results showed that not only did participants immediately enter more words a minute initially, but after multiple trials saw more improvement. The error rate was also lower for entering text using Perkinput rather than VoiceOver. Shiri is currently working on creating an iOS app to deploy Perkinput on the app market. To learn more visit http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes.shiri.

Towards Secure Web Browsing on Mobile Devices by Chaitrali Amrutkar:
Chaitrali Amrutkar emphasized the current assumption that mobile browsing is the same as desktop browsing in regards to security. Her studies concluded mobile browsers do not have authenticators which you will find on a desktop site, creating more vulnerabilities for mobile devices. One factor that prevents desktop phishing is that the URLs are long and easy to be spotted. On a mobile device, you are not able to see the full URL as easily, making phishing easier on mobile devices. Her studies have concluded these differences. Chaitrali has more information available at http://www.amrutkar.org.

All three women have amazing research and I encourage everyone to read into them more.

GHC13: Inspiring future leaders

Patty Azzarello, featured in Forbes magazine’s Women We Love, was a speaker I HAD to hear. She became HP’s youngest GM at the age of 33!  Her Leadership Workshop focused on ways to both inspire leaders as well as teach you how to thrive in a leadership role.  But in order to become a leader there is one thing that is not so obvious, yet the most important aspect… You NEED to put yourself out there, be known, and be respected.  I am someone who dreams of being a leader, but sometimes overlook these very important aspects. So how do you become a successful leader?

1.  Do better.

I found it interesting how much Patty Azzarello suggested focusing on improving your strengths rather than your weaknesses. There are so many times I know I get caught up in focusing solely on my weaknesses rather than developing the areas I’m already strong in, but in the end, it can be more worth while to spend your time and energy focusing on strengths which are already natural to you.

Another idea which really hit home to me was being less busy, as I want to do everything. The tendency to take on multiple tasks at once is extremely draining.  It is important to set priorities and understand you can agree to do something and say, “Yes I can do this, but I first must complete these things and then I will get to this next task. ”

2.  Look better.

What happens after you have completed all this hard work, and nobody notices or acknowledges all those amazing efforts?  Not only do you have to do better, simultaneously your efforts must be seen so you look better.

3.  Connect better.

Network!  Go to conferences like Grace Hopper Celebration, strengthen relationships at work, and connect with others.

This Leadership Workshop was very inspiring and I encourage anyone interested in developing themselves for leadership roles to read more about Patty Azzarrello. To learn more visit http://www.azzarellogroup.com.

Hi GHC Community!

My name is Alexandra Della Sera and this is my FIRST time attending the Grace Hopper Celebration.  It’s also my first time blogging, first computing conference I have ever attended, first time visiting Minneapolis, and I just completed my first year studying Computer Science at the University of Central Florida!

Over the next few days, I will be blogging about some of my favorite topics in computing including mobile development, leadership, and how women are changing the world!  Can’t wait to meet all you wonderful ladies (and men too) at Grace Hopper!

It’s almost GHC time!

Finally am starting to pick out the sessions I will attend!