"I live in the land of what's possible"

Nora Denzel, Technical Executive and Board Member, SABA and Overland, delivers the keynote speech at the 2012 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This is an amazing and very inspiring talk by Nora Denzel. Filled with wit and insight, it will encourage any woman working in technology and those who are planning to do great things in life. She ended her talk with two quotes. Well, the first was hers; she declared that the top reason she's lasted so long in a technology career is because she's not afraid of every opportunity or challenge that comes her way, but because she "lives in the land of what's possible." She went on to share a quote that has been her guiding mantra from the start of her career and co-incidentally recently found out that it was by Grace Hopper. Grace Hopper said: "Ships in the port are safe, but that's not what ships are meant to do."

Sheryl Sandberg's Keynote Address at the Grace Hopper Conference

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, gave a keynote address at the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in which she encourages women to consider and pursue careers in technology and explains why technology is such a key driver of the economy.

Watch live streaming video from fbtechtalks at livestream.com

Nominate: Anita Borg Change Agent

I was honoured to be nominated for and awarded the Anita Borg Change Agent award last year. Aside from being a huge recognition, it afforded me the opportunity to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing last October in Tucson, Arizona. I highly encourage you all to nominate women who fit the specs (see below).

********************************

The Anita Borg Institute is writing women into technical history. Thousands of women throughout the world are leading technology innovation. They often go unnoticed and unrewarded. ABI has created a set of awards to honor these distinguished technical women. I am writing to see whether you might want to nominate someone that you know through your work, or perhaps apply for the award yourself.

The Anita Borg Change Agent Awards honor technical women that live and work outside the United States. They are change agents in their communities – working to attract and support women in technology in their regions in developing countries. Recipients are recognized for their technical leadership and advocacy work.

- The application deadline has been EXTENDED to Friday, May 14, 2010 at 11:59pm EST – Eastern Standard Time.

- For more information see anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/change-agent-awards/

- To submit a nomination go to ssl.linklings.net/organizations/abi

For information on other Anita Borg awards go to anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards. The awards celebration will be held September 30, 2010 at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference in Atlanta, GA. The award includes free conference registration and travel expenses.

Call for Participation - Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

The 10th Annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) has opened its Call for Participation. The annual conference, presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, is the world's largest gathering of women in computing. The Grace Hopper Celebration will take place from September 28 - October 2, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. This year's theme "Collaborating Across Boundaries" recognizes the significant role women play in using technology to work together across various borders including gender, scientific, social, geographical, racial or political.

The submission deadline is March 16, 2010. Notifications on the submission status will be sent out by May 18, 2010. For more information, please visit the GHC website.

The Grace Hopper Celebration is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.

Learn more about the call for participation.

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

I was at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Tucson, Arizona and it was a wonderful event. It was great to be surrounded by so many techie women.

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.

I was awarded the Change Agent Award along with 2 other African women (1 from Nigeria and 1 from Kenya).

I have to say that I haven't enjoyed a conference as much as this one in a long time. I was re-energised and 're-inspired' for my work.

Review notes from the conference on the GHC blog and the Twitter updates.