Six TechWomen Awarded Change Agent Scholarships, Will Participate in Grace Hopper Celebration

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - Nov 10, 2011) - The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology announced today that Google, Huawei and NetApp are sponsoring scholarships for six TechWomen alumnae for the 11^th Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. As TechWomen Change Agent Scholars, these TechWomen are up-and-coming leaders who work to advance women's participation in technology. During the conference, they will be recognized for their efforts to help expand opportunities for and impact the careers of girls and women in technology in their home country, territory or region, which will be held November 9-12, 2011, in Portland, Oregon.

TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Institute of International Education and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Bringing the power of global business, technology, and education together, TechWomen pairs women from the technology sector in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area with their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies. Using innovative technologies, cutting-edge content, and social networking tools, TechWomen fosters and develops the next generation of women leaders in the technology field by providing women and girls with the access and opportunity needed to pursue technical careers.

"NetApp feels it is important for women to globally connect, share ideas, and create innovative ways for technology to enhance lives. As a sponsor of the TechWomen Change Agent Scholars, NetApp supports the TechWomen program's vision to bring technical women from predominantly Muslim countries to the Grace Hopper Celebration where they will meet and learn from others, bringing back valuable contacts and knowledge to the initiatives they are starting to encourage girls and women to pursue tech careers in their region," said Brian Pawlowski, CTO of NetApp.

John Roese, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Huawei North America R&D stated, "As a key supplier of mobile networks in the MENA region, we believe the TechWomen mentorship program brings valuable experience to the region's future technologists. We are pleased to support the TechWomen Change Agent Scholars and help bring them to the Grace Hopper Celebration, so that the mentees can learn from a global community of technical women and return home with an ability to support local innovation."

About the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
The world's largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a four-day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Co-presented by the Anita Borg Institute and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the conference has expanded this year to now feature more than 132 sessions (panels, workshops, technical papers, Ph.D. forum, new investigators, technical posters, a track on large scale computing, and "birds of a feather" sessions) across ten tracks, invited technical speakers, and the ACM Student Research Competition.

This year's conference theme, "What If...?", recognizes that innovation in technology arises from the question: "What if a culture of technology that encourages participation and inquiry from a diverse workforce leads to greater levels of innovation?" More than 3,000 women and men from over 30 countries in industry, academia, and government are expected to attend this year's event. GHC provides technical women with visibility, a sense of community, critical social networks and mentoring relationships that improve female representation in the field.

For more information, go to www.gracehopper.org.

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. Our 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, HP, Microsoft, CA Technologies, Cisco, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Amazon, Broadcom, Motorola Foundation, Raytheon, Salesforce, and Yahoo! For more information, visit http://www.anitaborg.org.

About the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly and peaceful relations. ECA engages youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and rising leaders in many fields in the United States and more than 160 countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges. Striving to reflect the diversity of the United States and global society, ECA programs, funding, and other activities encourage the involvement of American and international participants from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. ECA exchange program alumni encompass over 1 million people around the world, including more than 40 Nobel Laureates and more than 320 current and former heads of state and government. For more information, visit exchanges.state.gov.

About the Institute of International Education (IIE)
The Institute of International Education collaborates with universities, governments, non-governmental organizations and corporations to develop and implement scholarship, exchange, and training programs that educate and build leadership skills among students, scholars, and professionals worldwide. These include the prestigious Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship Programs and the International Visitor Leadership Program, administered on behalf of the U.S. Department of State in partnership with other countries, as well as more than 250 other initiatives that benefit over 26,000 men and women from 175 countries each year. Through its West Coast Center (IIE/WCC) in San Francisco, IIE has extensive experience and success collaborating with the technology sector and local organizations, especially in the MENA region. For more information, visit www.iie.org.