Girls in Technology

CSC 425 SPRING 2013

Issue # 1

Girls In Technology Why young women should chose a career in computer science

Black Girls Code Founder Hopes to Mold the Next Mark Zuckerberg Techies Break a Fashion Taboo

Madame, you are BOLD! Learn more about the hair care technology social network Madame You and it’s creators!

Plus: Marissa Mayer Angela Benton Corvida Raven What women in tech have to say about getting other women in tech Williams Ashley

[Pick the date]

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1 cw

2

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

3

Spring 2013 By: Ashley Williams CSC 425 – Senior Seminar Final Project

Why should young women consider a career in Information Technology?

TWITTER EXECUTIVES KATIE JACOBS STANTON AND CHLOE SLADDEN multidimensional problems requiring imagination and sensitivity to a variety of concerns.

Top 10 Reasons to Major in Computing 1. Computing is part of everything we do!

Computing and computer technology are part of just about everything that touches our lives from the cars we drive, to the movies we watch, to the ways businesses and governments deal with us.

Understanding different dimensions of computing is part of the necessary skill set for an educated person in the 21st century.

Whether you want to be a scientist, develop the latest killer application, or just know what it really means when someone says “the computer made a mistake”, studying computing will provide you with valuable knowledge.

2. Expertise in computing enables you to solve complex, challenging problems.

Computing is a discipline that offers rewarding and challenging possibilities for a wide range of people regardless of their range of interests. Computing requires and develops capabilities in solving deep,

3. Computing enables you to make a positive difference in the world.

Computing drives innovation in the sciences (human genome project, AIDS vaccine research, environmental monitoring and protection just to mention a few), and also in engineering, business, entertainment and education. If you want to make a positive difference in the world, study computing.

4. Computing offers many types of lucrative careers.

Computing jobs are among the highest paid and have the highest job satisfaction.

Computing is very often associated with innovation, and developments in computing tend to drive it. This, in turn, is the key to national competitiveness. The possibilities for future developments are expected to be even greater than they have been in the past.

5. Computing jobs are here to stay, regardless of where you are located.

There actually are more computing jobs than qualified people to fill them in the United

States. U.S. IT employment was 17% higher in 2004 than in 1999. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says computing has the greatest potential for new jobs through 2014. Yes, some IT jobs have gone overseas. If you consider the expected growth in computing, it’s easy to see that companies simply need more talent. Don’t miss out on pursuing the large number of open positions available right now, here in the United States.

6. Expertise in computing helps you even if your primary career choice is something else.

Having a computing major will provide you with a foundation of knowledge, problem solving and logical thinking that will serve as a competitive advantage to you in your career, in whatever field you choose.

7. Computing offers great opportunities for true creativity and innovativeness.

Creating high-quality computing solutions is a highly creative activity, and computing supports creative work in many other fields.

The best solutions in computing exhibit high levels of elegance and beauty.

8. Computing has space for both collaborative work and individual effort.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1 Computing is often about being part of a team that requires people with many different kinds of skills. Yet there is also plenty of space for individual flair and imagination.

9. Computing is an essential part of wellrounded academic preparation.

An increasing number of universities and employers see successful completion of a computer science course as a sign of academic well-roundedness.

10. Future opportunities in computing are without boundaries.

Computing is one of those fields where it is almost impossible to predict what will happen next. This is why we cannot even begin to imagine all the ways that you can make a contribution to it and it can make your life’s work exciting and real.

Source: http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=4

What types of Computer Science Jobs are there?

Animation Artist Application Software Developer Artificial Intelligence Specialist CAD/CAM Designer Computer Designer Computer Engineer Computer Graphics Designer Computer Network Manager Computer Product Designer Computer Programmer Computer Salesperson Computer Security Specialist Computer Systems Manager Contract Specialist Corporate Solutions Developer Data Programmer Database Manager Design Software Engineer Digital Artist Documentation Specialist Field Service Engineer Human Factors Engineer Information Security Engineer

4 Information Systems Specialist Interactive Applications Developer Internet Developer Library Computer Specialist Management Analyst Market Researcher Media Integration Specialist Network Analyst Network Design Engineer Operations Manager Product Manager Professor Researcher Software Developer Software Documentation Writer Software Engineer Special Effects Specialist Specification Writer Systems Administrator Systems Analyst Systems Engineer Systems Integrator Systems Programmer Systems Researcher Technical Marketing Agent Technical Programmer Technical Writer Telecommunications Specialist User Services Specialist Visual Effects Artist

Special Effects Companies, or Web Design Companies.

Example job positions: Business/Systems Analyst: -Responsible for design, testing, and implementations of systems and software solutions.

Project Managers: Use business and technology skills to develop teams that will deliver implementation of applications. They work with analyst, developers, and testers to deliver exceptional quality and capability for all software products.

Web Developer Web Developers create websites and create internet based applications. They are well versed in web-based application development and are currently in great demand.

Web Designer/ Developer Industires that Hire Those With Computer Science/Information Systems Degrees: Cable, Motion Picture & TV Studios Colleges & Universities Computer Companies Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies Gaming Companies Engineering Firms Financial Institutions Insurance Companies Internet Service Providers Management Consulting Firms, Manufacturing Companies Military Branches Newspaper Publishers Online Service Providers Private Sector Companies Private and Public Schools Publishers Research Institutions Retail Chains Software Companies Software/Hardware Manufacturers

Database Administrator Database administrators are responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of an organizations data. In addition to the planning and implementation of databases, they must monitor database activities to ensure the integrity and availability of this shared resource.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

5

Actress Paula Patton uses Twitter to update fans about her Cover Girl Campaign

Austin Rivers Everyone uses technology in some way, including New Orleans Hornets basketball player Austin Rivers

Where you can find Computer Science Applications?

Doctors use technology everyday to view patients information, x-ray, and results from other test that are run.

FAST FACTS: PERCENTAGE OF TECH JOBS

Horizon Admin-Rx on a daily basis to store patient’s information. The application helps caregivers improve medication safety, patient safety, and prevent medication errors. With this application, nurses, doctors, and surgeons are able to view a patient’s medical history, what medications that are currently and have previously taken, as well as vital signs and general care information.

Most of the information is input into the system through the use of a barcode scanner. The nurse’s scanner a wristband that is on the patients arm in order to ensure that they have the right person. They are also able to scan all medications, from IV fluid for blood.

Dentists Offices – Dentist offices use applications to store patients dental x-rays, as well as take new ones.

18% The need for computer information systems managers is expected to increase 18% over the next 6 years

$47,900

Hospitals –

by [Article Author] Many hospitals use applications such as

$83,100

Salary The averages starting salary for a CIS major is $47,900, and the median career salary is $83,100.

Businesses/Payroll SystemsSystems such as ADP iPay Statements allow employees to easily keep track of how much they will get paid every pay period, as well as information for their W2 tax forms. The system is administered over the internet, so users can assess it from anywhere that they have an internet connection.

Radio: Technology is important in the radio industry as well. I recently asked some local radio DJ’s and producers why they find it to be important.

My Question: How important is information technology in the radio field? How often is it used and why is it important?

Quote from Z104 FM radio station: “It’s super important. Nowadays people to Twitter and Facebook for breaking music and news. I use it 24/7, on my phone, at work, and at home. Nonstop.”

-Brandon Stokes (Shaggy) – Music Director for Z104 FM in Virginia Beach, VA

Wireless Phone Management: Technology is used in various different ways in the mobile device industry. Wireless companies use information systems to store users billing information, store backup files for the information in the phone, and create a system where the users can get help with any technical and troubleshooting problems that they may have with their phone.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

6

E-Commerce/Online Shopping: Technology and computer science is widely used with online retail companies, such as clothing brands, and online marketplaces such as Amazon. Local fashion brands ConserVAtive CONtroversy, College Girls, and Craze all use the website “BigCartel.com to manage their online stores. BigCartel gives brands their own customizable online store in order to sell their products to customers http://concon.bigcartel.com/

http://www.collegegirls.bigcartel.com/ Magazines: Magazines have increased the amount of technology and computer science that they use now. Due to the advances in technology, most companies now provide e-subscriptions of their publications. The e-magazines are more interactive, and provide the user with interactive features such as video interviews and free games. Magazines also use technology in order to keep track of their subscriber’s information.

Websites:

“Information Systems is really important for the success of our company because it allows us to keep providing the content our readers love in a reliable, secure, and speedy way.”

- Annie Wang Co-founder, CPO, and Creative Director Her Campus Media

Retail Stores: A majority of retail stores now offer applications for the iPad and Android that allow them to view merchandise, videos, get style tips and suggestions, and also view exclusive sales and coupons.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

7

CS/CIS High School Curriculums: th

If you are interested in computer science in high school, there are various ways options that you have to begin taking courses.

In preparation for any major in college, there is no substitute for a solid, well-rounded education in high school. Take challenging courses and get good grades so you are ready to tackle rigorous coursework in college.

10 Grade Research pre-college summer opportunities at nearby colleges or universities; many offer computing camps.Find a job shadow or internship at a business or organization where you can work with technical people.

Learn which colleges and universities offer the major — or majors — you are most interested in.

College computing programs look for students with a strong math and science background. A minimum of algebra and geometry should be completed, while trigonometry, calculus, physics, and chemistry are highly recommended. Your well rounded high school education should also include English, social studies, foreign languages, and the arts.

11 Grade Develop a list of five to ten colleges that you are interested in. Finalize plans to participate in an internship or a pre-college summer program.

Most high schools offer a college preparatory track and advanced placement courses and exams that prepare graduates for college-level work. Advanced Placement (AP) computer science courses strengthen your transcript and it is wise to take the Math SAT II Subject Test. If your test scores are sufficiently high, you can often receive credit for college courses and advanced placement.

You should check the admission and college entrance examination requirements at each school to which you want to apply. Consult a guidance counselor early in high school to plan your program of study and to research potential colleges. th

9 Grade Think ahead to extracurricular activities that match your interests. You might join the robotics club, do community service that draws on your technical skill, or plan to attend a technology-based summer program or afterschool workshop .Find out which computer science courses are available at your high school and locally, and plan to take them.

TED – Ted.com TED (Technology, Education, Design) features short video talks from people with "ideas worth spreading"— including Bono, writer Dave Eggers, astronaut Mae Jemison, and the founders of Google, among others.

There's a special section on younger speakers called "TED Under 30."

th

th

12 Grade

ACM's Committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W) - http://women.acm.org/ The Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W)http://www.cra-w.org/

Consider enrolling in courses at a local university or community college, particularly if there are courses that are suitable for your intended college major. Check with your top schools to see how AP and college credit will apply to your degree program.Continue looking for other opportunities to expand your computing experience.

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) http://www.ncwit.org/

Source: http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/reso urces/howpreparecomputingmajor_web.pdf

SCRATCH - HTTP://SCRATCH.MIT.EDU/

OTHER RESOURCES HOW DOES DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AFFECT YOUR LIFE AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN?

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology-http://www.anitaborg.org/

The most easy-to-use programming language available—a great place to start your life as a Dot Diva! You can program e-cards, for example, or create an animated tutorial about American Sign Language.

ALICE - HTTP://WWW.ALICE.ORG/INDEX.PHP

Mashable.com A popular blog focused on the latest Web 2.0 and social networking news, covering everything from new uses for augmented reality to ways that social media are revolutionizing activism and philanthropy.

Named after the main character in Alice in Wonderland, this beginning software program is a good next step after Scratch. What's especially cool about Alice is that you can create everything in 3-D. Choreograph an animated ballet or produce an interactive tour of a pyramid—led by Cleopatra!

APP INVENTOR -HTTP://APPINVENTOR.MIT.EDU/

Blog: Veronica Belmont – veronicabelmont.com An avid gamer and social-networking junkie, Veronica blogs about women and technology, cool gadgets, new media trends, and what it all means.

Build your own smartphone apps using the App Inventor for Android. You can create a great game or build a quiz app to study for a test—it'll even ask you the questions aloud! And it's simple—no code writing necessary.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

8

CS/CIS College Curriculums: Based on what school your go to, the computer science majors may be included in the Science Department or the Engineering department.

In addition to prerequisite and general education courses, here are the courses that are specific to CSC/CIS majors.

Hampton University CSC/CIS Curriculum Computer Courses: Computer Programming I & II Computer Architecture, Systems and Organization I & II Data Structures I & II Discrete Structures Information Systems in Organization Operating Systems I Information Analysis Organization and Programming Languages Database Management C++/Unix Programming Data Communication Software Design and Development I & II System Design Process

Old Dominion University CSC/CIS Curriculum Introduction to Information Systems Business Applications with C++ GUI Programming with C++ Principles of Technology Architecture Systems Analysis Business Telecommunications and Networks Database Concepts Project Management in Information Systems Systems Design and Implementation Introduction to Computer Science Introduction to Programming Fundamentals of Computer Organization Problem Solving and Programming Introduction to Unix for Programmers Introduction to Computer Architecture Computers in Society

Object Oriented Programming Design Introduction to Software Engineering Principles of Programming Languages Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms Introduction to Discrete Structures Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science Computational Methods and Software Operating Systems

Information System Security Operations Assessment of Secure Information Systems Programming Languages Artificial Intelligence Software Analysis and Design Interaction Design Numerical Mathematics and Computer Applications Operating Systems Design and Analysis of Algorithms Information Security Cyber Defense TCP/IP Networks Internetworking Network Applications Development Network Analysis and Design Issues in the Telecommunications Business Database Design and Application Distributed Database Management Database Administration Selected Topics in Computer Science Selected Topics in Information Security Computer Graphics Applications

James Madison University CSC/CIS Curriculum Principles of Programming Operating Systems and Server Administration Information Technology Enterprise Integration Computing and Telecommunications Networks Database Design and Application Intermediate Computer Programming Systems Analysis and Design Information Systems Development and Implementation Introduction to Computer Professionalism and Ethics Algorithm Development Discrete Structures I-II Advanced Computer Programming Algorithms and Data Structures Discrete Structures Introduction to Databases Projects in Computer Science Computing and Telecommunications Networks Assembly Language Programming Intelligent Systems Software Engineering Web-Based Information Systems Developing Interactive Multimedia Computer Organization Introduction to Information System Security Information Systems Security Management Information System Security Administration

Spelman College CSC/CIS Curriculum Introduction to Computer Science I 窶的I Foundations of Computer Science Computer Organization and Design Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis File Processing and Data Management Operating Systems and Computer Architecture Theory of Programming Languages Software Engineering Senior Design Project

CSC 425 SPRING 2013

Issue # 1

Support the ladies of Techturized and Madame You in their crowdfunding campaign at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/supportmadame-you/

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1 Marissa Mayer, Google VP, Calls Tech the "Wild West" of Industries--but That's a Good Thing, Promise!

10 Another more hands-on tool is CodeAcademy.com, an interactive site for people who want to learn to program websites. I’m currently using it to brush up on my JavaScript, and there’s nothing like a bottle of beer and a little coding to unwind at the end of the day.

Source: http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/theconversation/2012/04/marissa-mayer-google-vp-calls.html

Women in Tech: We Really Do Need More!

by Kara Swisher

Here's Mayer back in 2009, during her when Glamour captured her in her Google office for her Woman of the Year portrait.

New York City’s 92Y is really knocking it out of the park, inspiring women-wise. The night before hostingGlamour’s Running in Heels panel, 92Y partnered with Bloomberg Businessweek on a Q&A session with Marissa Mayer, Google engineer extraordinaire and one of Glamour’s 2009 Women of the Year. (Yeah, we know how to pick 'em. What can we say?)

Back in 2009 when we chatted with her for WOTY and again at last week's event, Mayer stressed the need for more women in tech—we make up just 24 percent of the workforce for fields within science, tech, engineering, and math. Cue sad trombone noise.

Is it too late for you to start getting involved? Not necessarily.

As Mayer has said at 92Y and in this fantastic interview with BuzzFeed Shift, “Because it’s a new and young science, it also means you can catch up fast.” She should know, having gone from “Using a Mouse 101” to TA-ing computer science courses while an undergrad at Stanford. Even within the tech industry, people are constantly looking for the next best coding language, algorithm, or working method—as a web producer myself, there’s always something new I’m learning (or at least trying to learn).

There are plenty of resources online if you have the interest and the discipline to teach yourself. Mayer’s alma mater, for one, offers complete courses through iTunes U for free. Free! It’s a great way to get your feet wet without committing the time and money that grad school would require. (Although, given how tech is among thefastest growing industries, that wouldn’t exactly be a bad investment, either.)

Could the next Mark Zuckerberg be a Marcia? That’s the question Glamour recently asked me, as part of an effort to throw some light on the disturbing lack of women in high-level tech jobs.

While things are a lot better in the digital industry than, say, in deep-sea fishing, it’s still a slow slog to equality in power, influence and money. Need proof? While women make up 48 percent of our workforce, they hold just 24 percent of the jobs in science, tech, engineering and math.

I’ve ranted about the problem on my blog,allthingsd.com. It reminds me, I’ve said, of an old short film featuring the Little Rascals: After not getting invited to a party, the little dudes of Our Gang decide to form their own group, called, comically, The He-Men Woman-Haters Club. In other words: No girls allowed!

It was wink-wink cute back in the 1930s, when Spanky huffed and puffed about keeping out Darla, but it’s not as a-dork-able when you look at the big Web companies today: Very few have a female CEO or women on their board.

So what’s the problem? That, as it turns out, is an incredibly complex issue with a range of reasons: Not enough women get advanced computer science degrees, much less funding goes to women-led start-ups, and some tech CEOs don’t practice gender diversity where the real power resides—in top corporate jobs.

The good news, though, is that The He-Men Woman-Haters Club was never able to keep Darla out for long. It’s certainly possible that the next great tech legend will be a woman. Now’s the time to make it probable. Meet the women who are doing just that.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

11 She loves being a geek because… “it’s really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.

Teaching someone to program is like giving them a superpower.”

Her fave tech tool is… “my Kindle. I’m also a huge fan of the NYCMate Android app; it’s my secret weapon for travel around the city.”

“Women have a better understanding of what other women want.”

—Jess Lee, 29, cofounder, Polyvore You know her work if… you’ve ever mixed and matched pictures of clothes on polyvore.com to create a fashion layout that displays your personal style.

She got her start… “taking computer science courses at Stanford. I loved to program. My first job was at Google, where I was hired by VP Marissa Mayer.”

The great thing women bring to tech is… “a better understanding of what other women want. Women control most household purchases—a great opportunity.”

“Doing is the best way of learning.”

—Caterina Fake, 43, cofounder, Flickr and Hunch, and founderCEO, 2bkco, a new software start-up You know her work if… you’ve ever passed around photos on Flickr, to name just one example. Fake is a pioneer in applying networking tools to websites. “The primary use for the Internet, for me, has always been social—connecting with other people and sharing the things we’ve created.”

The best way for women to get their feet wet in tech… “is to just do it—building websites, starting companies and diving right into this field. Doing is the best way of learning.”

“Teaching someone to program is like giving them a superpower.”

—Hilary Mason, 32, chief scientist, Bitly You know her work if… you’ve ever shortened a link on a social network like Facebook or Twitter. Mason was part of the team that created the software that does the shortening automatically for you.

“It’s about creating something new…and blowing someone’s mind.”

—Kati London, 35, director of product, Zynga New York

You know her work if… you’ve ever played games like CityVille on Facebook or Drop7 or Words With Friends on your iPhone.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

12

London works with designers and engineers to develop games that connect people.

One bizarre thing she invented… “is called Botanicalls, a networked sensor that enables houseplants to make phone calls or tweet to request water, then thank their owners.”

She loves being a geek because… “it’s about creating something new, tackling the hard questions…and blowing someone’s mind.”

“I always like to say that it’s chic to be a geek.”

“When women are involved, the decision-making is better.”

—Julie Larson-Green, 49,corporate vice president of program management for the Windows division, Microsoft

—Stacy Brown-Philpot, 36, director of owned and operated properties, Google

You know her work if… you’ve ever clicked on an icon at the top of the window in Microsoft Office to open, save, undo, print, whatever. Larson-Green led the team that developed the company’s iconic “ribbon” toolbar.

She loves being a geek because… “you can have such a huge impact—more than a billion people around the world use Windows. Tech can solve anything we put our minds to. I always like to say that it’s chic to be a geek.”

The great thing women bring to tech is… “a different experience of what technology can do in daily life. If you like keeping up on fashion trends, for instance, you’d see the business possibilities in things like flash sales.”

You know her work if… you’ve ever forgotten your password and Google retrieved it for you. Or if you made a suggestion about Google and saw it put into action. She manages the 400person team that collects user feedback from help centers, forums and blogs to improve Google products.

The great thing women bring to tech is… “diversity of thought. I’ve been in meeting rooms where we’ve had a good balance of men and women, and the decision-making there was so much better.”

We can get more women into tech by… “having teachers make math and science fun. My high school calculus teacher, Mr. Poterala, did that. I grew up in inner-city Detroit, and I don’t think I would have made it out if it weren’t for great teachers like him.”

Her fave tech tool is… “Baby ESP. I had my first child in July; this Android app lets me track things like nursing, bottles, weight and diaper changes, and links to my Gmail account so I can send the info to my baby’s doctor.”

Source: http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2011/10/women-intech-we-really-do-need-more?page=1

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

Tech Savvy: Rachel Sterne

by Adam Green | photographed by Sebastian Kim

In late August, while millions of New Yorkers rode out Hurricane Irene with bottled water, flashlights, and transistor radios, Rachel Sterne, the Bloomberg administration’s 28-yearold chief digital officer, was hunkered down in City Hall with a MacBook Pro, a BlackBerry, and an iPhone. As wind and rain lashed the five boroughs, Sterne was involved in a real-time experiment in how a municipal government networks with its citizens during a natural disaster. It involved coordinating the city’s use of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Tumblr, Crowdmap, and its own Web site and data mine to send out alerts (“Stay indoors”), provide maps with citizen-submitted photos and reports (downed trees, power outages), and answer questions spreading through the digital sphere (No, Rikers Island is not in an evacuation zone; yes, you can take your pets to shelters). “It was a really exciting case study of how technology can exponentially increase our reach during an emergency,” Sterne says. “I could totally nerd out talking about it forever.”

Mayor Bloomberg named Sterne the city’s head nerd back in January, making New York the only U.S. metropolis with a chief digital officer, joining London and inspiring Rio de Janeiro to follow suit. “Right now, our society—the way that we get information, consume culture, have relationships—is being disrupted, which is just a trendy way of saying ‘completely transformed,’ ” she says. “And if we want government to stay relevant, we need to harness the technologies that are changing the way people live.” The news of Sterne’s appointment caused an online frenzy and instantly transformed her from a well-liked, well-connected member of the New York digerati with a short but impressive résumé—founder of her own citizen-journalism site; TED Talks and Aspen Institute pundit; adjunct professor at

13 Columbia Business School—into the face of a new era in digital governance.

Caroline McCarthy, a former tech reporter who now works for Google, remembers meeting Sterne for the first time at an informal monthly New York tech meetup in 2007. “There I was in jeans and a hoodie, probably with greasy hair, like everybody else,” McCarthy recalls. “And when I saw Rachel, I thought, What is this incredibly articulate, impeccably dressed, gorgeous young woman doing at a start-up-pitch event?”

With her willowy, six-foot frame, Sterne cuts a striking figure in any setting, whether she’s gathering ideas about how to improve the city’s Web interface from a dude-heavy crowd of digital activists at an Open NY Forum, speaking on a panel about “We Government” at NYU, trying to explain her job to guests at a Gracie Mansion reception, or catching up with friends from the start-up and new-media scene at a rooftop party thrown by David Karp, the 25-year-old founder of Tumblr.

“We were looking for someone with the sensibility of an entrepreneur and a passion for making a difference,” says Katherine Oliver, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, who hired Sterne. “But also someone who was really plugged into the tech community. An ambassador between that world and ours.”

Like McCarthy, Sterne is part of a new generation of bright, attractive women who are turning Silicon Alley into less of a boys’ club. It’s a group that includes her good friendSoraya Darabi, a cofounder of the social-dining app Foodspotting; Brooke Moreland andAshley Granata, the cofounders of Fashism, a social-shopping site and smartphone app that lets users crowdsource opinions about their outfits by uploading pictures of themselves for comment (Moreland got the idea while trying on clothes at Uniqlo and wishing she had someone to ask for advice); and Rachel Sklar, an online journalist, and Emily Gannett,an event planner, who together have started an informal organization called Change the Ratio, dedicated to raising the profile of women in technology.

“There’s a lot of generosity in the tech space—people genuinely want to help each other succeed—but it’s still incredibly important for women to support each other,” Sterne says. “I’ve been really lucky and gotten tremendous support, and now I find myself trying to do the same thing.” Apparently she has.

Moreland and Granata cite Sterne’s generosity. “It’s weird to say that someone who is younger than you is a role model,” Moreland, who is 30, says. “But Rachel is.”

“She’s an intellectual heavyweight who’s as smart as—or smarter than—any guy in the room,” Sklar says. “And she’s ambitious, but she’s also really nice and gracious and poised.

She’s a lady.” Half-joking, she adds, “She’s kind of our Kate Middleton.”

Sterne grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, but spent her early years in Brooklyn and has always been in love with New York City. She worked on her first Mac when she was seven, built her first Web site at thirteen (“basically a bunch of links to fashion and other stuff I thought seemed cool”), and was raised with an equal respect for capitalist innovation and public service. During

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1 her years as a history major at NYU, she spent a summer in France as an au pair, volunteered on a Native American reservation in Montana, interned for then New York City District 1 Councilman Alan Gerson, and, along with the rest of her generation, discovered Facebook. After a postgraduate internship with the State Department and a stint at LimeWire, Sterne began building ties within the tech-start-up community—and looking for her big idea.

That idea turned out to be GroundReport, a citizen-journalism site that provided a platform for anyone with a cell phone and a Wi-Fi connection to report a breaking story. “Rachel was really quite a visionary because there were very few people at the time who understood what citizen-generated media was or could become,” says Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum. Sterne ran GroundReport from 2006 to 2010, and though it generated more buzz than cash (a major newspaper came close to buying it but ultimately backed off), it did establish her as a new-media player by the time she was 25.

Sterne lives in Greenwich Village with her fiancé, Max Haot, the 34-year-old Belgian cofounder and CEO of Livestream, a wildly popular service that allows anyone with a video camera to stream content live over the Internet. Haot and Sterne have found themselves on lists of New York media power couples, though their synergy has thus far been more personal than professional. Haot says that he would love for her to someday mastermind digital strategy for his company, but he concedes, “I probably can’t afford her.”

For the moment, Sterne is happy to leave the private sector behind for a job where, she says, “the bottom line is making people’s lives better.” She spent her first 90 days putting together a 68-page report called “Road Map for the Digital City,” which Mayor Bloomberg unveiled at a press conference last May with Sterne, towering over him in her flats, at his side.

Right now, about four million people a month log on to the city’s Web site, find their way to one of its social-media accounts, receive e-mail updates, or fire up one of its smartphone apps to pay a water bill, submit a geo-tagged photo of a pothole to 311, find an affordable apartment, or—every New Yorker’s dream— complain to the mayor and have him respond on YouTube. The specifics of the Road Map fall under the category of cool rather than revolutionary: Wi-Fi in the parks, a “hackathon” to revamp the city’s Web site, and using Foursquare to alert restaurantgoers about health-code violations. But its underlying vision of “open government” is potentially transformative. “Our challenge is, How can we put even more power into the hands of citizens?” Sterne says. “How can we give them the resources to solve their own problems and meet their own needs?”

Sterne shares Bloomberg’s vision of turning New York into a tech hub that rivals Silicon Valley, but she understands that it won’t happen by opening factories that make computer chips.

What matters now, she says, is the code—the digital language— that is quickly becoming the foundation of the city’s financial and cultural infrastructure. “Rachel is part of the generation that understands that code is literally the architecture of the future,”

14 Rasiej says. “Code can solve problems, save money, make money, and advance humanity.

“She isn’t entering this job walking into a headwind,” he adds.

“She’s got a hurricane at her back.”

Source: http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/tech-savvyrachel-sterne/#1

10 Black Women Taking the Tech World by Storm

BY ARIELLE LOREN With the debut of CNN’s Black in America 4, there’s been an increase in mainstream discussion about the number of Black American entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. While some critics argue that the series overlooked Black Americans’ history of achievement in technology development, there’s certainly a dire lack of minorities holding high leadership positions within the field. Worse than Black men, Black women are painstakingly absent from the limelight of the technology world, as Ursula Burns, the Chairwoman and CEO of Xerox, remains one of our only mainstream figures of hope. But there’s good news, as the 10 women below are building technology startups, brands, and consulting businesses that are changing the present and looking to reshape the future. What better way to support our sisters than to celebrate their achievements? Share this article and uplift the message that Black women in technology are already in the trenches and prepared to take the tech world by storm.

Angela Benton is the founder of Black Web Media, which serves as the publisher of the popular technology and innovation website, Black Web 2.0. After noticing an absence of discourse on the web targeted to Black Americans interested in the technology world, Benton chose to create a space for Black Americans to receive news, resources, and affirmation. More recently, she founded the New Media Entrepreneurship Conference, which aims to diversify the current Internet economy with programs like the NewMEAccelerator. Co-founded by Benton and tech entrepreneur Wayne Sutton, the Accelerator is the feature of CNN’s Black in America 4, as eight Black entrepreneurs, including Benton and Sutton, attempt to get funding and mentorship in Silicon Valley. Benton is the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, including being named as one of FastCompany’s Most Influential Women in Technology for 2010, one of Ebony Magazines’ Power 150, and Woman of Power honoree by the National Urban League. Follow Angela on Twitter @abenton and support her trailblazing endeavors!

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

15 which have grown to become forces on the Internet through breaking news and social commentary. With a background in marketing, Sutton understood the value of building a digital content platform for years, before bigger editorial brands hopped on the bandwagon. Now, she’s sought as an expert in the field of Black new media, securing major online advertising deals, and leading other publications to the light.

Arielle Patrice Scott and Danielle Leslie are two of the cofounders of GenJuice, an emerging content discovery platform for Generation Y. After originally launching GenJuice as a nationwide tour spreading the good news of entrepreneurship to the younger generation, the two along with their third cofounder Virgilia Kaur Singh, quickly gained attention in the technology world. Scott and Leslie are graduates of the University of California Berkley, and featured in numerous esteemed publications for their undeniable talents in new media and technology. GenJuice is currently in beta testing and open for you to give it a try. Discover it at GenJuice.com

Corvida Raven is a technology consultant and advisor to major brands on everything social media. She is the co-founder of Everything Twitter (Search and Social Award Winner), Community Catalyst for TED, and Social Media Advisor to Intel.

She pens the blog, SheGeeks.net to inform readers of various social media happenings and mobile technologies. The young twenty-something has worked as a Social Media Specialist for GM’s Chevrolet Volt Unplugged Tour, along with serving as the Community Manager for FastCompany, The Standard, and ReadWriteWeb. Follow Corvida on Twitter @corvida to get the latest news and reviews of technology innovation.

Deanna “DeDe” Sutton is a technology entrepreneur in her own right, focusing on the content demands of young women of color across the globe. If you enjoy reading Clutch or CoCo & Crème, Sutton is the founder of these two publications,

Jenna Wortham is a technology reporter for the New York Times, covering digital culture, Web startups, and mobile communications. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Wortham has worked as a technology and culture reporter for Wired.com and freelance writer for Wired magazine, Bust magazine, and Frommer’s. Using the joint power of online and print journalism, she delivers quality stories on the ways that consumers are using technology in their daily lives in addition to covering emerging technology businesses and the leaders shaping the start-up industry. Follow Jenna on Twitter @jennydeluxe for the best of technology journalism.

Lashanda Henry is the creator of numerous websites, including SistaSense, WebTechGurl, Multiple Shades of You Online, and BlackWomeNetwork, which reinforce her dedication to providing coaching and advice to Black women exploring entrepreneurship and the technology space. As a profiting entrepreneur, Henry shares her knowledge with women across the globe on how to make real money online through developing websites, affiliate programs, selling ad space, blogging, and selling eBooks.

Through video tutorials and blog posts, Henry proves that technology entrepreneurship is doable and profitable for women willing to invest in quality information and good strategy.

Learn more atLashandaHenry.c om.

Lizz Burr is a twenty-something

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

16

blogger and web developer with an undeniable passion for the Internet. She started writing for the web in 1999, before it was even called “blogging,” and went on to hone her interests to designing and developing websites. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Media Studies from MIT, and received her master’s degree in Communication Management, with an emphasis in Online Communities, from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Burr seeks to uncover ways that Black Americans, Native Americans, and women use and consume content on the web in addition to how they’re represented in this space. Follow her on Twitter @calinative to get her daily musings and inspirations from the web.

Lynne d Johnson is a content and community consultant to help brands become more human and build better relationships with consumers. She is the former Senior Social Media Strategist at R/GA, the digital agency of the decade, and Senior Vice President of Social Media for the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). Prior to the ARF, she was the Senior Editor and Community Director for FastCompany.com, and General Manager of New Media for VIBE, SPIN, and VIBE Vixen. Clearly a friend to major brands and businesses, Johnson has proven her expertise to be viable and powerful in the technology world. But her talents don’t stop there, as she also works as a professional journalist for numerous esteemed publications, such asCool Hunting, New York Press, The Source, and PAPER magazine.

She serves as an adjunct professor at the Metropolitan College of New York, and holds an MBA in Media Management. Follow Lynne on Twitter @lynneluvah for fresh tweets on media, marketing, music, and pop culture.

Tiffani Bell is the founder of Pencil You In, a web application that allows hairstylists, barbers, make-up artists, and nail techs to effectively manage their businesses and accept appointments

online. As one of two women in the first class of the NewMEAccelerator, the feature of CNN’s Black in America 4, the 26-year-old entrepreneur embodies our faith in a diversity shift in Silicon Valley. The Howard University engineering graduate is working steadfast to get Pencil You In off the ground and into consumers’ lives. Visit Pencil You In’s website for more information and prepare to get access to your stylist’s calendar 24/7.

Are you excited to see Black women making strides in the technology world? Know a Black woman in the field that deserves a shout out? Share this article to elevate our voices and join the conversation.

Source: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2011/11/10-blackwomen-in-taking-the-tech-world-by-storm/

Black Girls Code Founder Hopes to Mold the Next Mark Zuckerberg

By Erin E. Evans

Kimberly Bryant – Founder of Black Girls Code If you were to look to Silicon Valley and some of the most successful tech entrepreneurs, you’d think that AfricanAmerican women weren’t into technology. Young, white males dominate the scene there. Statistics say only 1 percent of tech startups are founded by African-Americans.

However, Kimberly Bryant is convinced that the next Mark Zuckerberg will be a woman of color. With a bit more exposure and education, one of the Black girls whom she mentors through her nonprofit, Black Girls Code, could be dubbed “Markia Zuckerberg” in the next few years.

Black Girls Code’s mission is to teach girls from 7 to 17 about programming and technology, so that they can become the

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

17

next innovators of the future. Through workshops in cities across America, its participants are introduced to HTML, CSS, basic web structure — and more recently — robotics. BGC’s workshop in Atlanta in mid-February quickly filled its 80 spots.

And an event in Memphis sold out so fast that BGC created a second workshop for next month.

community manager and a development/communications consultant. The manpower to teach the girls comes from 300400 volunteers in the local chapters of Black Girls Code in San Francisco/Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Las Vegas and New York. She hopes to expand to other cities by 2014.

It’s clear that Black girls are excited about technology and that the demand for these workshops is out there. To see Black girls among other Black girls who are just as enthusiastic about computer science is an environment that Bryant was happy to create.

“We want to do something that’s going to change the world,” Bryant said. “Once we match that desire for us to kind of change the world and make a difference in society with the tech field, then ‘Markia Zuckerberg’ will be the next big innovator.”

Source: http://www.bet.com/news/national/2013/02/22/blackgirls-code-founder-hopes-to-mold-the-next-markzuckerberg.html

“We are not generally included in that narrative — people of color — definitely women of color don’t normally fit that narrative that has been built around the whole image and the whole story of the Silicon Valley,” she told BET.com.

Bryant, who was a biotechnology engineer for several years before moving to the Bay Area, saw this firsthand. After attending several tech networking events — sometimes twice in one day — she realized that she was often the only woman of color in attendance.

Her daughter, Kai, 13, had a similar problem. She was really into gaming and computers, but was one of the only girls at a 2011 summer computer programming program at Stanford. So Bryant started Black Girls Code in 2011 to raise up a new generation of tech innovators who looked like her.

“We realize that our kids don’t tend to have software engineers living down the street who look like them or have parents that are even in the tech industry,” Bryant said. “Although we use a lot of technology and consume a lot of technology as people of color, we’re usually not the ones at the tables doing the creating of it.”

For Bryant, who grew up in the inner city in Memphis, Tennessee, she had the same struggles as her daughter. She excelled in math and science and was pushed by her high school guidance counselors to pursue engineering. She ended up working for a biotech firm for several years before moving to the Bay area to take part in the big tech startup boom.

Black Girls Code hopes to stop the cycle of Black women not being exposed to technology at young ages. At South by Southwest (SXSW) this year, she and several other techies of color will present a panel titled “Tech Them While They’re Young.”

“If they’re already in high school, it’s a lot harder of a hill to climb to convince them this is something that they would actually be interested in,” she said. “Because by that time, a lot of the images of computer programming [are of] the nerds, the geeks.”

Black Girls Code, like many start-up tech companies and nonprofits, is a very lean organization: Bryant works with a

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

18

Techies Break a Fashion Taboo

From left: Theresia Gouw Ranzetta, an investor at Accel Partners in Palo Alto, Calif., Sukhinder Singh Cassidy runs the video

Lauren Lyon, left, director of partnerships for the Web site

shopping site Joyus in San Francisco; Ruzwana Bashir is a founder

Samasource, and Leila Janah, its founder, in San Francisco.

of Peek, a Web travel start-up in San Francisco.

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

But when it came time for dinner, Chanel’s president, John Galantic, didn’t sit at a table with actresses, but one with Silicon Valley tech executives, like Marissa Mayer (wearing a gray beaded Chanel cocktail dress) and Alison Pincus (in a classic black Chanel shift).

Silicon Valley has long been known for semiconductors and social networks, not stilettos and socialites. But in a place where the most highly prized style is to appear to ignore style altogether and the hottest accessory is the newest phone, a growing group of women is bucking convention not only by being women in a male-dominated industry, but also by unabashedly embracing fashion.

Despite the geek stereotypes of hoodie sweatshirts, flip-flops and thick glasses, it makes perfect sense, these women say, for people interested in technology to be intrigued by fashion.

“Designing software and products isn’t all that different from the design of clothes,” Ms. Mayer, 37, the new chief executive of Yahoo, said in an interview last February. She once paid $60,000 at an auction for lunch with Oscar de la Renta. “Like components of software,” she said, “fashion designers learned how to do this shoulder, put pleats on the skirt that way.”

Jemal Countess/Getty Images Marissa Mayer, left, now the head of Yahoo, with the jewelry designer Monique Pean in 2010.

LAST winter, Chanel flew planeloads of style setters to Las Vegas for a party celebrating Numéros Privés, an exhibition showcasing the brand at the Wynn hotel. There, guests including Diane Kruger, Jessica Alba and Rachel Zoe mingled inside a giant red-lighted replica of a black Chanel 2.55 handbag.

Ms. Mayer, who for years was responsible for the design of Google’s search engine, proved her point when she asked Naeem Khan to make the dress for her wedding to Zachary Bogue, a financier, in 2009. She gave the designer a spec (a set of requirements that engineers write for new products) for the gown, including scalloped trim, an A-line skirt and lace, preferably with snowflakes.

“A side zip was eliminated because it would get caught on the lace and embroidery, so we realized that wasn’t feasible from an engineering perspective,” Ms. Mayer said.

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1 Not every fashionable techie is so collaborative, but designers are nonetheless eager to explore a client base with not only money to burn but also a forward-looking ethos.

“Definitely my New York clients want to penetrate the valley,” said Allison Speer, founder of Allison Speer Public Relations, who helps introduce designers to customers in Northern California. “When we opened Bottega Veneta, they said: ‘We don’t want the social girls who do everything. We want the upand-coming tech girls.’ ” Alice & Olivia recently opened a San Francisco store and started a career line of peplum blouses, blazers and cropped pants to cater to women in tech, said Stacey Bendet Eisner, the brand’s designer.

“Women in the tech world aren’t confined to wearing a standard black suit, so they can have more fun with their day clothes,” Ms. Bendet Eisner said. “They also want an element of sophistication to their clothes because they want to be taken seriously. Hollywood women are more focused on sex appeal.”

FOR the men who have so long dominated Silicon Valley, the casualness of their clothing has seemed to bear an inverse proportion to the magnitude of their innovations. But despite Steve Jobs’s baggy dad jeans, his black turtlenecks were made

by Issey Miyake. And Mark Zuckerberg’s signature hoodies and shower sandals are nothing if not a style statement.

As the area ages and settles, however, more of its denizens are starting to think about dressing for the office rather than the dorm room. And while some women here still worry that they will not be considered serious technologists if they care about clothes, as Katrina Garnett was in 1998, when she wore a slinky black Hervé Léger bandage dress in ads for her business software company, many are confident enough to dress the way they want to.

“Earlier in my career, if I had to choose between a skirt and being taken seriously, I would have chosen being taken seriously,” said Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, 42, a former Google executive who now runs a video shopping site called Joyus and said she never leaves the house without four-inch heels and at least one vintage item. “But now I’m at a point in my career in the valley where I’m judged by what I’ve done.”

Ruzwana Bashir, 29, a founder and chief executive of Peek, a travel start-up, said that she was surprised when she arrived in the Bay Area and discovered that some people were distrustful of fashion.

“Perhaps they think they’re not taken as seriously if they make an effort,” she said. “In the end, I’d rather wear a nice dress, and if someone is not going to take me seriously, that’s so superficial.”

19 For women newer to Silicon Valley, sometimes there is pressure to blend in.

“The perception in Silicon Valley is that if you dress well, you couldn’t possibly be smart, or you’re in P.R. but couldn’t possibly run a company,” said Leila Janah, 29, a tech entrepreneur who worked in New York before moving to the Bay Area. She has settled on a wardrobe of tailored Zara blazers, silk scarves she buys in India and chunky jewelry she inherited from her grandmother.

“I remember briefly attempting the Adidas and jeans and sweatshirt over T-shirt look, but I realized I was trying to dress like a young tech geek, and that just wasn’t me,” said Ms. Janah, the founder and chief executive of Samasource, a start-up that uses the Web to connect people in developing countries with jobs. “Fashion is expressing my aesthetic sense just as much as our Web site is.”

Sorel, the boot company, asked Ms. Janah to be a spokeswoman in its ads.

In Silicon Valley, women stand out simply because they are in the minority, accounting for 5 percent of the founders and chief executives of tech start-ups, a quarter of computing professionals and 11 percent of tech investors, according to industry sources. Dressing well, said Gladys Perint Palmer, director of the fashion school at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, provides a dose of confidence.

“If a woman looks good, she feels more confident, whether she is in Silicon Valley or Hollywood,” she said. “It’s biological.”

There are also business advantages to standing out, said Theresia Gouw Ranzetta, an investor at Accel Partners, a venture capital firm.

“When it’s a sea of young guys in jeans and hoodies, and the V.C.’s are in their khakis and button-down uniform, it’s kind of a benefit to be different,” said Ms. Gouw Ranzetta, who compares her shoe collection to her male partners’ cigars and cars. (Her favorites are Jimmy Choo and Gucci, “but if it’s the weekend and I’m running around after my kids, I’m a big fan of my sparkly Converse sneakers.”)

She is quick to add that ideas and skills matter most, but a nice outfit can’t hurt.

“Silicon Valley is definitely a place of meritocracy, but if on top of it, if you don’t happen to look like the 10 other people in the room, that’s not always bad,” Ms. Gouw Ranzetta said.

The look is still West Coast casual and, fittingly for women who live on the Web, mostly procured online. Ms. Mayer dresses down the latest Erdem floral dress with a cotton cardigan. The day uniform for Ms. Pincus, 37, who helped found One Kings

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

20

Lane, the home-décor flash sale site, is J Brand jeans, Vince Tshirts, Isabel Marant sweaters and Céline flat boots.

But the absence of the Brooks Brothers tradition that still hovers over Wall Street and law also affords more opportunities for creativity, many women said.

“You can be this super-successful woman who’s smart and effective but still feminine,” said Ms. Bashir, glancing at her hotpink Christian Louboutin heels and bright orange Hermès bracelet on a recent workday. “When I worked in finance, I didn’t always think that was possible.”

Ms. Singh Cassidy hunts for vintage finds, like her recent purchase of a bell-shaped Prada dress, wool on top with a taffeta skirt. She pointed out that vintage shopping is moving online as sites like Portero and TheRealReal “are finally taking vintage out of eBay and putting it in luxury Web site design.”

Ms. Gouw Ranzetta worked in consulting in New York and travels East regularly for board meetings of media and ecommerce start-ups she has invested in.

“In New York retail or e-commerce or media, it’s a requirement to be in the latest fashion and completely put together from head to toe,” she said, “and on Wall Street, it’s required to be conservatively put together from head to toe. But in Silicon Valley, as businesswomen we have no uniform. I’ve actually found it more freeing because I can have a little more fashion fun.”

Some of Silicon Valley’s best-dressed women, including Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Juliet de Baubigny, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm, declined to be interviewed about their style. But others said that dressing well (and talking about it) could help erode the stereotypes that repel some women from the technology field.

“It’s possible to hold your femininity and love of fashion,” Ms. Singh Cassidy said. “Now I feel not at all at risk that people would say, ‘How can she care about dressing well and run a billion-dollar company or be smart?’ ” And though some Google employees rolled their eyes when Ms. Mayer appeared in Vogue and Glamour in her signature brightly colored dresses, with full skirts nipped at the waist, she said the decision was intentional.

“My willingness to talk about it is because I believe the way we’ll get more people into computer science and ultimately more women into computer science is by making it really clear that you can be yourself and don’t need to give up parts of yourself to succeed,” she said. “You can be into fashion and you don’t have to be the pasty white programmer with a pocket protector staying up all night.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/fashion/in-silicon-valleyshowing-off-their-louboutins.html?pagewanted=all

Christian Louboutin must be really “pumped” for the new iPhone 5 (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves), because they just released this tech-themed Lady Peep ‘Geek’ embroidered pump ($1,695). The peep-toe pump is quirky for sure: it features a stylized computer-chip pattern that would take a very chic and very wealthy geek to pull off — like, say, Yahoo’s new female CEO Marissa Mayer. You would also have to be really into marrying fashion + tech in order to make this purchase worth it – at $1,695, you could buy a new iPhone, iPad, even a MacBook!

Source: http://www.shefinds.com/2012/louboutins-geek-pumpfeatures-a-microchip-pattern-only-techies-could-love/

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

21

Visit http://www.seventeen.com/entertainment/features/deletedigital-drama to find out more about Seventeen Magazine and their campaign against cyberbullying!

CSC 425 SPRING 2013 | Issue # 1

22

awkwardblackgirl.com