Welcome! Our Mission

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entrepreneur. We hope you'll enjoy the news we've compiled here for all of you-- our participants and supporters-- who make the Technovation Challenge possible. Thanks for reading!

The mission of the Technovation Challenge is to promote women in technology by giving girls the skills and confidence they need to be successful in computer science and entrepreneurship.

1 Like Tweet 0 Welcome! Welcome to our monthly newsletter! The Technovation Challenge is gearing up for an exciting program this year in six sites across the country. We aim to serve 300 high school girls this spring, bringing in over 120 professional women and undergraduate teaching assistants to mentor the girls as they learn what it takes to be a high-tech entrepreneur. We hope you'll enjoy the news we've compiled here for all of you-- our participants and supporters-- who make the Technovation Challenge possible. Thanks for reading! Our Mission The Technovation Challenge is a program of Iridescent, a 501c3 science education non-profit. The mission of the Technovation Challenge is to promote women in technology by giving girls the skills and confidence they need to be successful in computer science and entrepreneurship. In the course, students design a mobile phone app prototype, write a business plan, and pitch their plan to a panel of venture capitalists at a high-visibility, Pitch Night event. Winners of each regional Pitch Night will come to the San Francisco Bay Area for a National Pitch Night. To learn more visit Surpassing Stereotypes

by Brittany Cheng From our pilot program in Spring 2010 I am most proud of learning how to design an app for the Google Android. I think that is a really interesting and unique skill to have.

I'm very proud of learning how to use App Inventor, creating a phone application with commercial uses, winning 2nd prize for our idea, working well in our group, and I was lucky.

2 by Brittany Cheng From our pilot program in Spring 2010 I am most proud of learning how to design an app for the Google Android. I think that is a really interesting and unique skill to have. I also enjoyed learning how to create PowerPoints and improving my public speaking skills. I'm very proud of learning how to use App Inventor, creating a phone application with commercial uses, winning 2nd prize for our idea, working well in our group, and I was lucky. Despite the stereotypes commonly associated with computer science and engineering nerdiness, awkwardness, anti-social tendencies, an unhealthy obsession with video games, masculinity, etc. I wasn t driven away from the subject. I owe this, mostly, to my mom, who showed me a different definition of engineer. Both of my parents are engineers, so I grew up with two different ideas of what an engineer was. My dad was your stereotypical engineer. He wears thick glasses, has few friends, and tells jokes that no one understands. My mom, on the other hand, presented a completely different view of engineering. She is outgoing and social, has a lot of friends, and, while she is very smart, her interests beyond mechanical engineering include shopping, jewelry, and make-up. To top it off, my mom was an engineering manager. In other words, my mom was in charge of a bunch of guys. Thanks to my mom s image of an engineer, I never believed that girls were less capable in engineering. In fact, I believe that my mom s social skills led her to be more successful than the guys on her team. That s why I say I was lucky. If my idea of an engineer was based entirely on my dad, as much as I love him, I likely would have chosen a completely different career path. I m now a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). In computer science and engineering, I see a way to combine many of my interests together. My passions for graphic design, math, and science blend together into fields of computer science such as human computer interaction, computer graphics, user interface design, and animation. If that sounds like a bunch of nerdy words that don t mean anything, consider this: the magic behind Disney, both the parks and the animated Pixar movies, is largely a bunch of engineering and computer science mixed with art and imagination. If that doesn t make engineering and computer science sound cool, I don t know how to help you. A couple of months ago I got a mass asking female EECS majors at Berkeley to apply as interns for the Technovation Challenge. Since I had a little bit of experience giving presentations, and since I believe the field of computer science is sorely lacking in girls, I decided I d apply and try to get involved. Not long after that, I got a call from AnnaLise, and I was in! Recruiting was a lot of fun, because I got to spread my passion for computer science and engineering to high school girls all over the East Bay. I also got to meet the other Technovation Challenge interns and hear about their stories and interests. I believe that the best thing Technovation Challenge has to

presenting confidently to a group of 3 judges. [I learned] how to make apps, that not all computer people are geeks, [and that] you can have fun while doing something to further your education.

If it wasn t for my mom s example, I would never have considered majoring in something that, as my friends are all quick to point out, rhymes with geeks.

I hope that the Technovation Challenge participants this year will be inspired by their mentors and TAs, just as I was inspired by my mom, and see computer science for what it really is: awesome.

3 presenting confidently to a group of 3 judges. [I learned] how to make apps, that not all computer people are geeks, [and that] you can have fun while doing something to further your education. offer is female mentors for high school students. If it wasn t for my mom s example, I would never have considered majoring in something that, as my friends are all quick to point out, rhymes with geeks. But my mom (and Disney, I suppose) showed me that stereotypes are nothing compared to the incredible things you can do with computer science and engineering. I hope that the Technovation Challenge participants this year will be inspired by their mentors and TAs, just as I was inspired by my mom, and see computer science for what it really is: awesome. I m really looking forward to the start of Technovation Challenge in March. While my friends say, I tutor high school students in SAT subjects, I ll be able smile and to tell them, I help teach high school girls how to make Android apps... Yeah, my job is really cool. I m very excited to meet my team and see what they come up with. And maybe someday, one of them will tell someone about how she got involved in computer science, and the story will start like this, I signed up for this program called the Technovation Challenge... Contribute We need your support! There are many ways in which you can contribute to making the Technovation Challenge a success. Let us know if you would like to: Donate your airline miles to fly the winning teams out to the Bay Area for "National Pitch Night" Become an official sponsor (multiple levels of sponsorship available) Videotape and/or edit footage from our courses Become a mentor For donations and partnerships, contact: Our Sites AnnaLise Hoopes Executive Director annalise@iridescentlearning.org The U.C. Berkeley Wireless Research Center will host two sections of the Technovation Challenge (M+W and T+TH), both Meet Our Instructors Sarah Bird (T/TH Berkeley Course) I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley doing my Ph.D. in Computer Science, funded by a National Science Foundation Fellowship. My thesis is on improving the user experience and energy efficiency of mobile devices like smartphones or media tablets. I love that the Technovation Challenge will get more women excited about mobile computing, and I can't wait to see the girls' applications. I am currently the student representative for HotChips, and in the past, I have organized workshops at both Microsoft and

are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., from March 7th through May 5th. The Google Office in Mountainview will host the Technovation Challenge Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., from March 1st through April 28th.

The Google San Francisco Office will host the Technovation Challenge on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., from March 8th through May 5th.

While at UT, I worked at IBM on the design of the Xbox 360 processor and have several patents from that project.

4 are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., from March 7th through May 5th. The Google Office in Mountainview will host the Technovation Challenge Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., from March 1st through April 28th. The LinkedIn Office in Mountainview will host the Technovation Challenge Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., from February 28th through April 27th. The Google San Francisco Office will host the Technovation Challenge on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., from March 8th through May 5th. Intel with the goal to increase collaboration between academia and industry. I have a degree from UT Austin in Electrical Engineering. While at UT, I worked at IBM on the design of the Xbox 360 processor and have several patents from that project. I have also interned at Google and Microsoft Research and will be returning to MSR this summer. In my free time, I like to ski, play soccer, and travel. Kat Villariba (M/W Berkeley Course) Hi my name is Kat. Currently I am working on my Masters thesis in Interdisciplinary Computer Science at Mills College. Prior to that, I studied at UC Berkeley where I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Applied Math. I love working on puzzles - crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, Rubik's cube. I love to eat, especially if it is good home cooking. I am excited about the Technovation Challenge because I just got into mobile phone development and I can't wait to hear about all the creative app ideas from the girls in the program. Michelle Friend Hutton (Google and LinkedIn Courses) After several years as a system administrator, I started working at The Girls' Middle School in Mountain View (CA) where I had the chance to teach computer science. I learned that I love teaching computer science to girls! I am the board president of the Computer Science Teachers Association, a membership organization for computer science teachers around the world, and I am active in the K-12 Alliance of the National Center for Women in Information Technology. These activities inspired me to go back to school and I am now a PhD student in Education at Stanford University. I am excited to help inspire girls in the Technovation Challenge and help them learn what an exciting and fun world it is when you can create your own technology. Omoju Thomas Miller (San Francisco Course) I am interested in issues of creativity and cognition, and how this knowledge can be applied to the design of learning games. I come from a background of Artificial Intelligence with emphasis on knowledge representation and reasoning. I am also interested in pathways that lead to the inclusion of under-represented groups in Engineering and Computer Science. I have had professional experience as a software engineer with Thoughtware Learning Technologies, Inc. I am currently enrolled in a interdisciplinary doctoral degree in Computer Science and Education at the University of California, Berkeley. I was invovled in an organization called CARES (Community Assessment of Renewable Energy and Sustainability) on the design and actualization of renewable enegry workshops with the Pinoleville Pomo band of Indians. I participated in Girls Experiencing Engineering as a speaker at the University of Memphis, and was a facilitator for the Memphis Science Olympiad. I am excited about the Technovation Challenge because it will give me an opportunity to motivate girls to learn to design technology and encourage them to start thinking of themselves as budding entrepreneurs. Rebecca Davidson (New York City Course) I am an MS Candidate at NYU studying computer science. I also work at NYU as a bioinformatician. My research interests lie in analyzing biological data using an approach called system biology, and I also enjoy programming interesting ways to visualize that information. In my spare time, I like to mentor young ladies interested in entering the exciting field of computer science. As an undergraduate at NYU, I co-founded Women in Computing, a student group dedicated precisely to that! I am excited to be an Instructor for the Technovation Challenge and can t wait to help girls develop some creative phone applications! Before entering the field of bioinformatics, I interned at Goldman Sachs and worked as an EMT. My hobbies include yoga,

flute playing, and reading. The Google New York Office will host the Technovation Challenge on Mondays from 5 to 8 p.m., from February 7th through May 9th.

5 flute playing, and reading. The Google New York Office will host the Technovation Challenge on Mondays from 5 to 8 p.m., from February 7th through May 9th. Rachelle Fuhrer (Los Angeles Course) I couldn't be more excited to join the Iridescent Learning team as the Technovation Challenge Course Instructor. Prior to pursuing two undergraduate degrees in Mathematics-Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts at the University of California, San Diego, I was a complete stranger to the world of computer programming. It wasn't until I decided to pursue a career in digitally animated films that I was even introduced to the subject, but once I had taken my first computer science course, I was hooked. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with incredibly inspiring peers, professors, and colleagues at UCSD, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Intuit, and in my current Master's of Computer Science Game Development program at the University of Southern California. I am looking forward to passing on my passion and excitement for computer science and innovation to the next generation of women in computer science through the Technovation Challenge program. Iridescent's Science Studio in Los Angeles will host the Technovation Challenge on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., from February 22nd through April 21st. Contact General: technovationchallenge@iridescentlearning.org Bay Area: Jeri Countryman Director of Programs jeri@iridescentlearning.org New York City: Bryan Johnston Director, Iridescent NY Science Studio bryan@iridescentlearning.org Los Angeles: Renee Green Program Coordinator renee@iridescentlearning.org Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube! Iridescent 553 W. 23rd Street Los Angeles CA Subscribe Unsubscribe Preferences Send to a Friend

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Bay Area Team - Director of Operations, Bryan Johnston

Bay Area Team - Director of Operations, Bryan Johnston Subscribe Iridescent Send to a Friend This year promises to be a pivotal one for Iridescent! We are expanding to three sites (New York City, San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles) and are building a stellar