$47,200

updates

800
data centers targeted for closure by 2015 by the federal government to reduce costs, increase IT security, efficiently use computer technology, and promote green IT.

is the per capita U.S. GDP Chinas per capita GDP is $7,600 Nigers per capita GDP is $700

Women in Computing When Boys Come Last

omen play an active role in the computing community at ACM, and their presence is spread throughout the many branches of the organization. ACM-W, ACMs women in computing branch, is dedicated to celebrating, informing, and supporting womens contributions to the computer science community. As a part of the larger ACM student chapter program, ACM-W runs a student chapter program geared toward retaining and recruiting female student members throughout the world. ACM-W also organizes a variety of activities and conferences to help recognize and support ACMs prominent and growing female membership. Women throughout ACM are encouraged to act as role models to help promote studies and careers for women in the computing world, and a series of awards and distinctions are presented to the women in ACM in celebration of their contributions to the field. Apart from the ACM-W chapters, women also have significant involvement in regular ACM student chapters. We found one such member in a student chapter in Colombia and would like to share her experience with you. Mariana Rios Flores, currently the vice president of the ACM Student Chapter at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, tells us her story, which begins in 2009. Since my admission to the chapter, I have seen how womens contributions attempt to change the main structure of the chapters activities. I have to admit that our main impact was to make these activities more people-orientedfocusing on the individual needs and wishes of our members. I think this is why I became the first woman president of our chapter in 2010. One of the first things to do was to find a motto that would embody the characteristics of the chapters members, which went beyond the academic topics, in one single phrase. We came up with La actitud es la clave. It became our slogan, characteristic, and our main behavior. In Spanish it means that with disposition, enthusiasm, passion, and love we can achieve our goals. In respect to new members, our recruitment program requires a meeting with the president as an induction phase. Wanting to take this activity one step further, I tried to make these

Pontificia Universidad Javerianas student members (from left): Fabio Avellaneda, Andrs Tellez, Mariana Rios Flores, Santiago Madrigal, Luz Evelyn Fernandez, Fabian Merchn, Nadia Meja, and Daniel Crdenas.

meetings a bit more personal. Apart from listening to what new members imagined doing in the chapter, I tried to understand their feelings about their university life and support them in meeting their goals. I think that due to my approach, recruitment was very successful. One of our interest groups, which focuses on programming contests, has three women out of 15 members who are known for their strong connection, their friendship, and their high scores in several competitions. These characteristics have created a family environment for

the group, which makes new members want to stay involved and defend it throughout the university program. As the leader of this group, apart from finding and recruiting new programmers for our team, I try to take the concept of programming beyond a bunch of programmers: We are creating a community where friendship, commitment, and attitude are the perfect complement to the programming learning process. Vaggelis Giannikas and Ben Deverett

XRDS winter 2011 Vol.18 No.2