Did you know that new research on men and women in information systems occupations finds that cognitive differences between the genders cause them to think about women’s technical participation in fundamentally different ways? Researchers from the University of Arkansas, Florida State University, and Baylor University conducted multiple single-gender focus groups with men and women in information systems jobs and developed a system of causal mapping, which “revealed very different cognitive patterns in the way men and women think about these challenges to women’s participation in the information systems workplace.” The researchers found that men displayed a “general awareness” of the challenges women encounter, but male managers did not state specifically how these concepts fit into the larger system or connect to other concepts. “The men appear not to ask themselves how or why these challenges exist or what can be done to address them; they just accept that they exist. They appear to believe that it is largely the responsibility of the company’s leadership to change these conditions.”
**************************************************
Did you know that AA member Virginia Tech has created a formal partnership with a local science museum to help provide science education? Virginia Tech and the Science Museum of Western Virginia have partnered to provide informal science education and outreach to young people, with particular focus on underrepresented groups. The museum already attracts tens of thousands of elementary and middle school students each year, as well as providing instructors to visit classrooms. The partnership will allocate both funding and resources, but as the museum’s board chair says, “A lot of it is about STEM education — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — it’s what we’re focusing on here…We need to be able to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers in our region. We’ve got to do it early, that’s the thing.”
**************************************************
Did you know that enterprises less than five years old are responsible for creating all net jobs in America over the past 30 years? This according to Scott Case, co-founder of Priceline and newly selected CEO of the Startup America Partnership. The partnership, a public-private non-profit organization designed to help catalyze the Obama administration’s challenge to encourage more Americans to start high-growth businesses, will “work with the private sector to ensure that startups have every best chance to succeed.”
In a visit to the DEMO conference this week Case heard suggestions from the audience, including those to scale existing mentoring and seed-investment programs such as TechStars, build more innovation centers around universities with strong entrepreneurship programs outside the usual Silicon Valley/Boston axis, and build the capacity of organizations that support women entrepreneurs such as Astia and Springboard Enterprises. What would you suggest?
**************************************************
Did you know that the BigShot is about to hit the market? The BigShot Digital Camera is a low-cost ($50) self-assembly camera developed by Shree Nayar of the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia University, and designed to give kids a hands-on way to learn about fundamental concepts like optics, mechanics, electromagnetism, electronics, and image processing. By building the camera themselves, kids associate the creativity of taking pictures with the creativity of the scientific concepts that make the camera function. We love the idea of this little camera and hope it can find a successful business model as it works toward its mission to attract more students to math and science by inspiring learning and expression.
**************************************************
Did you know that the White House released a report this week called “Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being”? The White House calls the report, based on broad sets of federal data, “one of most comprehensive sources for information on women’s lives today” and hopes it will assist in the administration’s goal of “catalyzing the private sector.” The report reveals that even while women have made significant gains in terms of their participation in the labor force and their educational attainment, they still earn less than men and are more likely to have competing family responsibilities than men.
Forbes magazine points out that this socio-economic inequality penalizes not just women, but everyone. Using an example from Pepsico where the company actively sought to diversify its ranks upon discovering that a vast majority of its customers are women, Forbes comments that women’s participation wasn’t “an issue of diversity as much as it was an issue of competence. When women are 60% of talent and 90% of customers, it’s not diversity: it’s the future.”
Did You Know? is a brief round-up of information and news that crossed NCWIT’s radar this week that we think might be of interest to you. Practices or content of the news presented are not vetted or endorsed by NCWIT.
- K-12
- K-12
- I Want To
- K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities.
- K-12 Programs
K-12 Programs
Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels.
- K-12 Alliance
K-12 Alliance
Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Higher Education
- Higher Education
- I Want To
- Higher Ed Resources
Higher Education Resources
Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Education Programs
Recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- Higher Ed Alliance
Higher Ed Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Workforce
- Workforce
- I Want To
- Workforce Resources
Workforce Resources
Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions.
- Workforce Programs
Workforce Programs
Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more.
- Workforce Alliance
Workforce Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Resources
- Resources
- Programs
- Programs
- Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career.
- BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting.
- Color of Our Future
Color of Our Future
The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American).
- Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is an online thought leadership series that presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing.
- Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed programs recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition.
- Regional Initiatives
Regional Initiatives
NCWIT’s Regional Initiatives bundle research-backed programs and practices to increase the local participation of women and girls in tech fields and careers. To understand local computing ecosystems, and cater content and programming to needs on the ground, NCWIT partners with community stakeholders to build awareness, inspire participation, and connect women to like-minded peers, role models, and opportunities.
- Sit With Me
Sit with Me
Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion.
- Tech Inclusion Journey
Tech Inclusion Journey
The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures.
- Aspirations in Computing
- News & Events
- News & Events
- NCWIT Summit
NCWIT Summit
The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.
- News
News
Check out NCWIT’s latest press releases, press mentions, newsletters, blogs, and articles we are talking about!
- Events
Events
NCWIT offers various in-person and virtual events throughout the year and is also present at many other industry events. Find out about past and upcoming items here.
- re:think Magazine
- NCWIT Summit
- About NCWIT
- About NCWIT
- LOG IN