PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - March 3, 2011) - The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology announced today the A. Richard Newton Educator Award. This new award recognizes teaching practices, techniques or innovative and new education approaches that attract girls and women to math, computing, and engineering. The award recognizes the educators (either individuals or teams) as well as the practices in K12 or undergraduate education. Nominees may be submitted by educators and activists from colleges, universities, community colleges, K12 schools and outreach programs. The award winner will receive a $5,000 prize.
A. Richard Newton was a professor and dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, a pioneer in electronic design automation and integrated circuit design, and a visionary leader in the technology industry. Newton's eloquence and magnetism drew widespread attention to his ideas for the role engineering could play in tackling some of society's most difficult challenges, particularly those of developing nations. Dr. Newton passed away in 2006 and this award is dedicated in his honor.
"Richard Newton was an advocate of promoting women in engineering and, while he was dean, the number of women on the faculty at the College of Engineering nearly doubled from 15 in 2000 to 27. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology as a visionary force during the Institute's formative years, and was a strong believer in the Institute's mission to increase the impact of women on technology and to increase the positive impact of technology on the world's women. He always believed that change depended on innovative ideas in education. This award honors educators who develop practices to increase the number of women in technology," said Telle Whitney, CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute.
The awards will be presented on November 11, 2011, at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Portland, Oregon. Nominations will be accepted at http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/ until May 2, 2011.
About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)
The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, Microsoft, HP, CA Technologies, Cisco, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Motorola Foundation, Yahoo, Amazon, Facebook, and Raytheon. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Jerri Barrett
650-857-6095