• February 24

    Tech Happenings in the Treasure Valley

    Posted on: 2/24/2010 11:29:20 AM | Comments (0)

    Idaho Technology CouncilIt is a great time to be a techie in the Treasure Valley!  The area is booming with lots of events and resources to engage and empower you in your career in technology. 

    Our good friends at Tech Boise are hosting their monthly meeting tonight at 5:30pm at the Boise WaterCooler.

    You won't want to miss this great event! TechBoise will be joined by Jay Larsen, Founder and CEO and Rich Raimondi, Chairman of the newly formed Idaho Technology Council , as they share the story of their formation and, most importantly, their vision for the future of technology in Idaho.

    Jay Larsen founded the ITC after the hugely successful Utah Technology Council, and brought some of Idaho's best tech companies on board. If you're unfamiliar with the ITC Board of Directors, there are some names on there you might recognize. They've put together a solid group of technology veterans, as well as some promising young founders, to further their mission:

    "The Idaho Technology Council’s mission is to become the premier member-driven technology association dedicated to fostering the growth of technology companies in the state of Idaho, primarily in the areas of information technology, agriscience, and energy. The ITC provides a valuable forum for industry, research, educators, investors, and government throughout the state. It also advocates for creating a strong technology ecosystem and a high quality, high paid workforce. "

    Join our friends at TechBoise tonight for their great event.

    And don't forget!  Girls in Tech Boise meets next week at the Boise Watercooler.  Elizabeth Schierman, a Registered Patent Attorney for Dykas, Shaver & Nipper LLP, will chat with us about "What Innovators in Technology Should Know About Intellectual Property".  It should be a very informative discussion.  There will also be plenty of time for you to chat with other techie ladies and collaborate about the projects you are working on. 

    Click here to RSVP and let us know that you'll be joining us!  Or, if you are a member of our FaceBook group/fanpage, you can RSVP for the event on our page here.

    We hope to see you there!

     

  • February 18

    Lunch with the Idaho Media Professionals

    Posted on: 2/18/2010 8:47:07 AM | Comments (0)

    IMP LuncheonThe Girls in Tech Boise Advisory Board met with Idaho Media Professionals (IMP) yesterday during their monthly lunch meeting.  

    IMP is a statewide organization committed to promoting awareness of the film, television, new media and creative arts industry, in addition to developing a professional workforce through education and job opportunities that will grow the industry in Idaho.

    They seem like a very upbeat group of folks and the experience was all in all positive.  We (Candace, Krissa, and Kristen) talked about GIT Boise, our goals, and mission.  The group had several questions and suggestions and even offers for help.  Clay Morgan, creative writing professor at Boise State, offered to help us get connected to the university.  Another outgrowth of the lunch might be a chance to work with the Silver Sage Girl Scouts Council at some future event.  Several of the women at the event expressed an interest in joining us. 

    The lunch was held at the SunRay Cafe in Hyde Park, which by the way, was pretty good and also low cost.

  • February 17

    Computer Engineer Barbie?

    Posted on: 2/17/2010 1:50:17 PM | Comments (0)

    Computer Engineer BarbieI have to admit that when I first heard about the newest Barbie®, the "Computer Engineer Barbie", I had to resist from groaning a little. But when I looked a little futher into it and found out about the great new "I Can Be...™" Barbie® doll promotion, I quickly became a fan. The "I Can Be...™" Barbie® dolls are a special promotion/movement to inspire girls to try new careers. According to the website:
    We believe that when you add women and girls, you change everything. We are leaders and dreamers. We are the future. And, we want help making positive change - for ourselves and the world around us.
    Barbie® I Can Be...™ dolls and accessories empower girls to play out different roles and "try on" fabulous careers, including computer engineer, the first Barbie® profession chosen by popular vote! Always a reflection of the times, this digital diva engineers the perfect geek-chic look, with hot pink accessories and sleek gadgets to match. The inspiring set also comes with a special code that unlocks career-themed content online, for even more digital play (how fitting)! The newest "News Anchor" and "Computer Engineer" Barbie® dolls were inspired by and created based on votes received from girls and women on the site early this year. Not only are these dolls encouraging young women to dream "to be", they are igniting a national movement to inspire girls. On April 22nd, they are asking The Obama Administration to create a "Take our Daughters & Sons to Work Day". Click here to sign the declaration. While personally, I'm a little conflicted by the diva-style ultra pink "Computer Engineer" Barbie image, I have to give Matel™ a big hand for helping us spread the word and show young girls about the possibilities of working in our field. What do you think? Do you think that the Computer Engineer Barbie will help young girls "dream" about a career in technology?
  • February 16

    The Super Smarties Need Your Help

    Posted on: 2/16/2010 9:36:37 AM | Comments (1)

    The Super Smarties

    Put your hands together for the Super Smarties, Idaho’s FIRST Lego League Champions! 

     

    This all girl team from Boise placed 2nd in robot design and 1st in robot performance at the Southwest Idaho First Lego League Qualifying Tournament.  From this field of 180, they were one of 56 teams invited to the State Championship where they took 2nd in robot performance and won the 1st place championship award.

     

    There are 400 championship events held around the world.  Of those, 85 are selected to send a representative to attend the world festival. 

     

    You read that right, the WORLD FESTIVAL. 

     

    This year, the world festival is in Atlanta, GA, April 14 – 17.  The Idaho Super Smarties will be there, representing our fair state.  They are looking for sponsors to help send the team and coach to the event.  If you are interested or willing to help, please contact Lee Coulson (Coach of the Super Smarties).

     

    The competition is more than just legos.  It teaches team work, and more importantly, gracious professionalism™.  There are several categories in the competition including an interview, presentation of a community project, a problem solving areas and the robot field game.

     

    Teamwork, professionalism, graciousness, problem solving, math, science, engineering, robotics – all through legos!

     

    Go Super Smarties!

  • February 12

    Feedback From "Rally Around Mentoring" Meeting

    Posted on: 2/12/2010 3:12:56 PM | Comments (0)

    Our monthly meeting for February was a little different than usual.  Because we have recently partnered with Meridian Technical Charter High School, we met at the school for a tour and discussion around mentoring.  The charter high school is very cool, offering an environment rich in technology and giving students experience using technology applications in the school and in the workplace.

    After the tour, we met in groups to discuss what Girls in Tech Boise could do differently for the members and how we could better support each other. Great suggestions we made by all who attended!

    Here is a (condensed) list of some of the suggestions made at the meeting:

    ·        We need to have a more solid central communication strategy on our website (as opposed to multiple updates from multiple social sites)

    ·        We need a more formal “membership” process – Perhaps a sign up on our website with some sort of verification step.

    ·        Add a special “members only” section on the web

    o   Must log in to gain access

    o   Searchable member directory (only if a member has “opted in”) with a skills set for each member

    o   Calendars and schedules

    o   Mentoring reminders

    ·        Other ideas for the website

    o   Build out the careers section – Help wanted AND Help needed

    o   Add a Mentoring section

    o   Community tech events – not just GIT events

    o   Add a feed reader from the Corporate site

    ·        There was also a suggestion the GIT Boise participate in the next Ignite Boise  

    We felt that all this member feedback was very valuable.  We will be working to implement as much of these suggestions as possible.  In fact, we've already added a live feed reader from the Girls in Tech Corporate site!

    So keep watching this site for updates and keep those suggestions coming!

  • February 11

    Lunch & Learn

    Posted on: 2/11/2010 3:10:37 PM | Comments (0)

    Girls in Tech Boise is passionate about mentoring young women and showing them all of the options available to women working in the technology field. As an organization, we have recently partnered with the Meridian Technical Charter High School to offer lunch & learn sessions for their female students.

    During these sesssions, students eat pizza and get to hear real world stories from ladies working in the field. We had our first lunch and learn session today and it was a great success! Students got to hear from two software engineers and a technical business owner about the great opportunities that await them in technical careers.

    It was a great time and the students seemed to be very interested in the personal advice and real world stories about working in the field.

    Check out the great pictures below from our event:

    Girls in Tech Boise - Candace Sweigart

    Girls in Tech Boise - Karen Faucette

    Girls in Tech Boise - Gail Hughes

    Meridian Technical Charter High School Girls

    Want to get involved and help out at future lunch and learn sessions? We'd love to hear from you! Volunteering at one of these events is easier than you might think and will only take a little over an hour of your time. Several speakers share the floor, so you don't need to worry about filling up an entire hour of speaking time.

    Things you could share include:

    1. Why are you interested in technology?

    2. How does your job relate to technology?

    3. What platforms/technologies do you work with?

    4. What is the ratio of men and men where you work?

    5. Tell us the top 3 reasons your job is great.

    If you're able to speak for 10-20 minutes and answer questions about what you love about technology, you are a perfect fit for this!

    Email candace@girlsintech.net for more information.

  • February 11

    Girls in Tech Newsletter

    Posted on: 2/11/2010 8:59:25 AM | Comments (0)

    Have you ever wondered what the other Girls in Tech chapters are up to?  You've heard that Girls in Tech has chapters all over the US and the World, but what type of events do they have? 

    What is it like to be a Girl in Tech in Prague or Athens?  What are the ladies of LA, NYC, Denver and Boston up to this month?

    The monthly Girls in Tech newsletter is your best source for great news and information on what is happening in the organization. 

    In this month's edition you'll find:

    Chapter News & Events:

    Athens, Prague, Boston, Denver/Boulder, Los Angeles, New York City

    News from Corporate:

    Girls in Tech Mentorship Program kick-off

    Click the here to view the latest Girls in Tech newsletter. 

  • February 10

    How Will You Celebrate National Engineers Week?

    Posted on: 2/10/2010 8:20:59 AM | Comments (0)

    Flowers?  A card? 
    How about a banquet?  We found the perfect way for you to celebrate.
    Girls in Tech Boise, you are cordially invited to attend the IEEE Boise Section National Engineers Week Banquet. 

    Besides food and networking opportunities, you will hear from 
    Dr. Gordon Day, 2009 President of IEEE-USA.  He will speak on "Prosperity, Innovation, and Engineering Brain Power."

    The banquet will be held February 17th, Wednesday at the
    BSU Student Union Building Lookout Room.   RSVP by February 12th here.
    The cost is $20 for IEEE members and guests, $35 for non-members and $15 for students.
    You do not need to be a member to attend.
    For additional information, please contact Denise Korman.
    Hope to see you there!
  • February 09

    Get Your Meetup On

    Posted on: 2/9/2010 3:23:28 PM | Comments (0)

    Listen up, Girls in Tech!  There’s a new meetup in town.  Please welcome (and join) jquery to the Boise Valley.  No word yet when the group will meet up, but some have suggested gathering during Boise Code Camp March 27-28 at BSU.

     

    Code Camp is a technical conference organized by, and for, the local software developer community.  Boise Tech Fest is held in conjunction with Boise Code Camp and offers sessions and topics for techies beyond software development (all the other stuff).

     

    Both events are free.  Registration is advised so the organizers can plan a great event (food, parking, etc).

     

    Speaker submissions are open until March 12th – so if there is something you are an expert in, passionate about, want to know more about, get more information here.  There’s always room for Sponsors.  This year, the folks behind Code Camp and Tech Fest are trying a fresh approach and asking for donations.  Simply drop a $1 or $2 or $5 into the donation box to help pay for the event.  If you donate $100, there’s a Boise Code Camp T-Shirt in it for you.  Corporate sponsorship is also welcome.

     

    Both events are held on the weekend, so you don’t have to take time off to attend (how cool is that?)  In the words of the organizers, “this is about getting better at our craft, not necessarily paying attention to the technology of your day job :).”

     

     

  • February 08

    For a Short Month, There's Sure a Lot Happening

    Posted on: 2/8/2010 9:39:59 AM | Comments (0)

    Ah February!  Our thoughts to turn hearts, flowers, cupid, chocolate and contracts?  You read right, contracts.

     

    What do contracts have to do with love and February? If you are in the process of developing an idea and thinking about starting a business, you better love it.  You will spend a lot of time, energy and resources to get your idea off the ground.  This month’s Kickstand event focuses on using contracts as a risk management tool.  Attorney Mark Peterson will provide the key areas on which you should focus when looking at contracts.  The meeting will be held on February 11th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the WaterCooler

    Also this week on Tuesday, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm, you can join Boise Beer & Blog at the Falcon Tavern.  Think of it as a dedicated happy hour (every Tuesday, same time, same place) to blogging and meeting interesting people in the Boise Valley.  It’s a small, but dedicated group and everyone is welcome.

     

    For all you media professionals in the Valley, Girls in Tech will be presenting at a luncheon on February 17th at Sun Ray Cafe Hyde Park.

     

    Girls in Tech’ers, let your creative ideas flow as Ignite Boise 4 submissions will soon be open.  Submissions open February 20th, with the event itself taking place on April 22nd at the Egyptian Theatre. 

     

    Finally, TechBoise will be holding its event on the last Wednesday of the month, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the WaterCooler.  Stay tuned for details.

     

    Happy Valentine’s Day!

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