Let's Get Girls Jazzed About Science and Technology

CRN Industry Editor Craig Zarley article

This is one of those issues that will never go away, of course, unless it's addressed within the educational system. You've gotta start them young. So, this morning, I wanted to give a shout out to Atrion Networking of Warwick, R.I., a network integrator and 1NService member that runs several innovative mentoring and education programs in its local community.

One of the organization's new programs is an interactive expo called GRRL Tech. (GRRL is the acronym for Girls Reaching Remarkable Limits.) The expo is being held March 9 on conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training and Roger Williams University. It will feature programs intended to encourage young women to consider careers in areas including computer repair and services, finance, architecture and environmental engineering.

I've always been leery about writing news articles about efforts that focus exclusively on girls and women (after all, my intentions are suspect). But after covering this industry for close to 20 years, I can tell you that I am often dismayed by the ratio of men to women at certain events. I am seriously outnumbered. More recently, this has begun to change, and efforts like the one I just described will help.

While I'm on my soapbox, I'm eager to see what Autodesk Executive Chairman Carol Bartz does in this area now that she has has more time on her hands. She's already been a donor to this unique school and has established math, science and engineering scholarship. At the recent CRN Industry Hall of Fame event, Bartz also mentioned the notion of helping develop more interactive games that encourage girls to develop their computer skills.

By the way, this is another interesting article about this whole issue

Last but not least, if you're a friend of Atrion's and you want to help out with a donation to the upcoming GRRL Tech event, you can contribute to the initiative by visiting www.firstgiving.com/GRRLtech.