PA 39/16
Learn code, experience virtual reality, discover technology! University of Nottingham computer science students together with @hacksocnotts have teamed up once again to inspire and encourage people of all ages and abilities to pursue technology as a hobby or a career.
Their ‘Women in Technology Conference 2016’, @inspireWIT, #WIT16, takes place this Saturday 20 February 2016. The event is aimed at anyone, men, women, students, tech enthusiasts, non-programmers, people of all ages and from all walks of life. It will give them hands-on experience of what the world of tech is all about and a chance to hear from speakers who will be giving an insight into their fascinating life experiences in the tech industry. Hear what they’ve got to say in this video the students put together.
Amy Dickens is a Phd student in the School of Computer Science and is the lead organiser of the event. She said: “Only 14.4 per cent of STEM jobs in the UK are occupied by women and out of all the computer science students in the UK only 17.4 per cent are female.
Although the emphasis is on women guys are welcome too! The day itself is a valuable opportunity for anyone to be inspired by some of the exciting opportunities available in the tech industry and realise their own potential.”
Among the speakers will be:
Carrie Anne Philbin (@MissPhilbin), an award winning secondary computing and ICT teacher, who leads the education mission as Education Pioneer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
Jocelyn Spence (@stronglanguage) is an expert in human-computer interaction, experience design in the Mixed Reality Lab at The University of Nottingham.
Robyn Taylor (@robynchanteuse) is a Canadian singer and researcher working in Open Lab at Newcastle University. She uses participatory performance as a creative and investigatory medium inviting members of the public to engage in improvisational performances.
Tash Bromley — Forensic Computing graduate at Capital One UK working in cloud security engineering. Co-founder of Hack Cancer and an advocate for diversity in technology teams.
Holly Smith — Freelance VFX Artist and more recently a Media & VFX Tutor at Confetti Institute of Creative Technology. Holly works predominantly as a 3D artist creating content for film, TV & music videos.
Registration is free and there are opportunities for everyone to learn something new.
Professor Jon Garibaldi, Head of School of Computer Science, said: “it is absolutely clear to me that in the field of technology women are equally as capable as men and we should have as many women as possible working in computer science.”
To find out more go to:
Facebook — www.facebook.com/witnotts
Website — www.inspirewit.com
General enquiries — info-wit@hacksocnotts.co.uk
Members of the press are welcome to attend the event and are invited to register via the webpage: www.inspirewit.com or contact Amy on 07807 056 961.
— Ends —
Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.
For up to the minute media alerts, follow us on Twitter
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK by research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for three years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…