EMU Today

YPSILANTI – For every 100 jobs in information technology, information assurance and cyber security, only 12 are filled by women.

That understanding – and the potential the field holds for girls and young women – are driving forces behind the Digital Divas event, to be held Nov. 4 at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center. The day-long conference seeks to show the 330 middle school girls attending that careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields can not only be lucrative, but fun and rewarding.

Keynote speakers are Neelima Ramaraju, Director of the Global Impact Team atLlamasoft; and EMU alumnus Stephanie Price, a software engineer at Promess. The day’s program runs from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Topics from fashion to robotics to drones

Topics for the day’s breakout sessions include CSI & Chemistry, fashionlogy-technology and fashion, building and designing your own website, building your own motion detector, robotics, cyber safety, Google coding, orthotics and prosthetics, gaming and drones. The EMU College of Technology is hosting the event.

“Recruiting and supporting the young women the U.S. needs in the fast-growing technology and computer science fields requires strong commitment, leadership and coordinated efforts from educators, relevant organizations and the business community,” said Bia Hamed, program manager. “This event encourages and engages female middle school students to take an interest in technology careers while giving them an opportunity to meet and network with professors and students.”

High school girls attend in spring

The College of Technology holds a similar event for high school girls each spring. The Digital Divas conference was founded in 2010 by Gerald “Skip” Lawver, a former professor in the College of Technology, with the goal of connecting young women to opportunities in the fast-growing technology and computer science fields

The middle schools attending include: Stout Middle School-Dearborn, St Clair County Middle Schools (combined group), Old Redford Middle School, Boyd W Arthurs Middle School-Trenton, Tecumseh Middle School, Dexter Middle Schools (combined group), Pontiac Middle School and Hazel Park Junior High - Clinton Township.

For more information on the conference, see the Digital Divas website. If you would like to donate to the program, see TheEMU Foundation Website. For more information about the College of Technology programs, visit the College of Technology homepage.

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 22,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information visit the University's website.