RIT University News first hit on the all-girl hackathon powered by AT&T taking place in Rochester on

October 28th.

10/9

http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=64018

Girls grades 312 get engaged with computer coding at ROCGirlHacks event Oct. 28. Rochesters first all-
girl youth hackathon powered by AT&T, iCanCode and RITs Women in Computing

Girls as young as 8 years old will use their laptops, imagination and teamwork skills for social good
at Powered by AT&T, Rochesters first all-girl youth hackathon hosted Oct. 28 at Rochester Institute
of Technology.The free hackathon is intended for all girls in grades 312, including those who have
never programmed before, those who are already building apps and anyone in between. The
learning program will challenge participants to come up with technological solutions and tools to
address the growing problem of cyberbullying and internet safety.Spots are limited for the
Saturday hackathon, which will run 10 a.m.6:30 p.m. at RITs B. Thomas Golisano College of
Computing and Information Sciences. Students and parents can register at
www.icancodeclub.com/events.The event is a collaboration between iCanCode, Women in
Computing at RIT (which is housed in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and
Information Sciences) and AT&T. The program was born out of a desire to expand coding
opportunities for Rochester-area girls and to encourage them to enter the field of technology,
specifically coding, an industry that is statistically male-dominant.Farah Sammour, founder of the
after-school community iCanCode, said that she wants to make sure local kids are prepared for the
future.So many of our youth, including girls, have the potential for high achievement in computer
science but have not had the opportunity to develop skills in computer science, said Sammour. We
want to find them, introduce them to other coding enthusiasts, help them develop their minds and
skills and show parents and educators how to cultivate young talent in this area.The hackathon will
allow girls to collaborate to build apps, games, websites, animations and interactive stories that
address cyberbullying and internet safety. Mentors from Women in Computing at RIT, tech
companies and local developers will be on hand to assist participants on their work.Exposing girls to
computing at a young age is important because they need to know its a career option, said Lana
Verschage, director of Women in Computing (WiC) at RIT. We have an Outreach Committee that is
dedicated to creating opportunities for young women to learn about computing before high school in
a fun and engaging environment, and its a win-win situation when our student leaders interact with
young girls as role models to help encourage them to see computing as a field they can succeed
in.Final projects at Powered by AT&T will be judged by a panel made up of local tech experts,
community leaders, education experts and elected officials. Each submission will be scored on its
potential impact on the category entered, the quality of execution and creativity or novelty within the
work.AT&Ts support for the regions first all-girl youth hackathon is part of the companys legacy of
supporting educational programs focused on STEM disciplines in New York state through AT&T
Aspire, the companys signature $400 million philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in
education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology,
employee volunteerism and mentoring.AT&T is proud to collaborate with Women in Computing at
RIT and iCanCode to develop and support this innovative experience for local girls as it further
enhances our commitment to providing resources for STEM-related educational programming
throughout the Rochester region and builds upon our vigorous efforts to bridge the gender gap in the
technology industry, said Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T Northeast Region. Our economy
continues to transform at a robust pace requiring a workforce with a focus on technological
education and literacy and computer science programs like this one are vital to ensure that the
students of today, despite gender, are equipped to compete in the global innovation economy of
tomorrow.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020 there will be 2.4 million unfilled
STEM jobs in the U.S. The urgency for more STEM and computer science educated employees is
accentuated by the low percentage of females who are currently employed at major technology firms
(29 percent) and women pursuing bachelors degrees for computer science18 percent. Increasing
opportunities for women in these fields is an important step toward realizing greater economic
success and equality for women across the board.For a full schedule and to register for the event,
go to www.icancodeclub.com/events. Follow the challenge on Twitter using the hashtag
#ROCGirlHacks.

Rochester Chamber of Commerce

10-16

https://greaterrochesterchamber.com/news/powered-by-at-t-coming-to-rit

<ROCGirlHacks> Powered by AT&T Coming to RIT

Girls as young as eight years old will bring their laptops, imagination, and teamwork to the first all-girl
youth hackathon in the greater Rochester region known as <ROCGirlHacks> Powered by AT&T. AT&T is
a Rochester Chamber Partner member. The hackathon will take place October 28 at RIT in the B. Thomas
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The hackathon is a collaboration between
iCanCode, Women in Computing at RIT and AT&T, and was born out of a desire to expand coding
opportunities for Rochester-area girls and to encourage them to enter the field of technology,
specifically coding, an industry that is alarmingly male-dominant. Coding and computer science related
skills are quickly becoming one of the most desired job skills to possess in todays global economy.
Programs like the <ROCGirlHacks> Powered by AT&T will continue to introduce youth to future career
opportunities that are available in the fields of information technology and coding.<ROCGirlHacks>
Powered by AT&T will be run in a similar fashion to other hackathons held locally in which computer
programmers and others professionals in software and hardware development collaborate intensively
on projects to solve challenges with technology. This time around, the event will be geared towards a
younger crowd and focus on different types of issues within the digital world. The young female
participants will build apps, games, websites, animations and interactive stories related to cyberbullying
and internet safety, while being judged on their teamwork, code skills and design skills. The hackathon
will feature mentors from Women in Computing at RIT, tech companies and local developers assisting
the participants. The event is free to participate in, but is limited to 80 female students, who must fill
out an application and possess basic criteria coding skills to take part. Parents may register their children
at www.icancodeclub.com/events.We want to make sure local kids are prepared for the future. So
many of our youth, including girls, have the potential for high achievement in computer science, but
have not had the opportunity to develop skills in computer science. We want to find them, introduce
them to other coding enthusiasts, help them develop their minds and skills, and show parents and
educators how to cultivate young talent in this area, said Farah Sammour, founder, iCanCode. I thank
AT&T and Women in Computing at RIT for partnering with iCanCode to provide this innovative
opportunity for the girls of this community. It demonstrates their commitment to advancing STEM and
coding education opportunities in the region.AT&T is proud to collaborate with Women in Computing
at RIT and iCanCode to develop and support this innovative experience for local girls as it further
enhances our commitment to providing resources for STEM-related educational programming
throughout the Rochester region and builds upon our vigorous efforts to bridge the gender gap in the
technology industry, said Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T Northeast Region. Our economy
continues to transform at a robust pace requiring a workforce with a focus on technological education
and literacy and computer science programs like this one are vital to ensure that the students of
today, despite gender, are equipped to compete in the global innovation economy of tomorrow I am
excited to see the creativity and innovation from the young minds that participate in this unique
hackathon.Exposing girls to computing at a young age is important because they need to know its a
career option, said Lana Verschage, Director of Women in Computing, RIT. Women in Computing has
an Outreach Committee that is dedicated to creating opportunities for young women to learn about
computing before high school in a fun and engaging environment. Its a win, win situation when student
leaders in Women in Computing interact with young girls as role models to help encourage them to see
computing as a field they can succeed in.Final projects at <ROCGirlHacks> Powered by AT&T will be
judged by a panel of judges made up of local tech experts, community leaders, education experts and
elected officials. Each submission will be scored on its potential impact on the category entered, the
quality of execution, and creativity or novelty within the work. The hackathon will challenge
participants to come up with technological solutions and tools to address the growing problem of
cyberbullying and internet safety, while awarding for best design skills, code skills and teamwork.Coding
is quickly becoming the new literacy, with technology powering every electronic device kids and adults
interact with. The appetite among students for coding is growing in popularity as the discipline is a main
driver of innovation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, much of the growth in the demotic and
global economy will come from STEM related jobs a highly lucrative and competitive field. While jobs
overall are expected to grow by 10 percent in 2018, STEM jobs are predicted to grow by 17 percent, and
it is estimated by 2020 there will be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the US. More than half of this
growth will be made up of computer careers, underscoring the importance of providing youth the tools
and skills necessary to compete in this innovation economy. The urgency for more STEM and computer
science educated employees is accentuated by the low percentage of females who are currently
employed at major technology firms (29 percent) and women pursuing bachelors degrees for computer
science, just 18 percent. Women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more than those in non-STEM
occupations and experience a smaller wage gap relative to men, and increasing opportunities for
women in these fields is an important step towards realizing greater economic success and equality for
women across the board. <ROCGirlHacks> Powered by AT&T will help to create a future of smart,
innovative female applicants to help fill the job of the future.AT&Ts support for the regions first all-girl
youth hackathon is part of the companys legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM
disciplines in New York State through AT&T Aspire, the companys signature $400 million philanthropic
initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including
funding, technology, employee volunteerism and mentoring. Aspire is one of the nations largest
corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning
environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on
21st century careers. AT&T has given more than $103 million to support STEM initiatives since 1987.
Projects supported by AT&T contributions range from after-school programs and camps for students at
risk of dropping out to hands-on technology labs and elite robotics competitions.Interested persons can
also follow the challenge on Twitter using the hashtag #ROCGirlHacks.

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Digital Rochester

http://mailchi.mp/digitalrochester/prevent-organization-from-data-breach-303129?e=3996236977

10-17

Spotlight on: AT&T

Corporate Member AT&T has paired up with iCanCode and Women in Computing at RIT to bring
Rochester its first all-girl youth hackathon. This event was put together to encourage Rochester-area
girls to enter the field of technology, specifically coding. Learn more about ROCGirlHacks Powered by
AT&T in this weeks DR Spotlight.

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Messenger Post
AT&T challenging girls to use technology for social good

By Messenger Post Media

Posted Oct 17, 2017 at 5:07 PM

More than 80 girls as young as age 8 will bring their laptops, imagination and teamwork to the
first all-girl youth hackathon in the Greater Rochester region, known as Powered by AT&T, on
Oct. 28 in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences at Rochester
Institute of Technology.The hackathon is a collaboration among iCanCode, Women in
Computing at RIT and AT&T, and was born out of a desire to expand coding opportunities for
Rochester girls and encourage them to enter the field of technology and coding. Coding and
computer science skills are becoming desired job skills to possess in todays global economy.
Programs like Powered by AT&T will introduce youth to future career opportunities that are
available in the fields of information technology and coding.Computer programmers and other
professionals in software and hardware development will collaborate on projects to solve
challenges with technology. The event is geared toward a younger crowd, and focuses on
different types of issues within the digital world.Participants will build apps, games, websites,
animations and interactive stories related to cyberbullying and internet safety, while being
judged on their teamwork, code skills and design skills. The hackathon will feature mentors from
Women in Computing at RIT, tech companies and local developersRegistration is required for
the free event. Visit icancodeclub.com/events for informationWe want to make sure local kids
are prepared for the future, said Farah Sammour, founder of iCanCode. So many of our youth,
including girls, have the potential for high achievement in computer science, but have not had
the opportunity to develop skills in computer science. We want to find them, introduce them to
other coding enthusiasts, help them develop their minds and skills and show parents and
educators how to cultivate young talent in this area.This experience for local girls enhances
our commitment to providing resources for STEM-related educational programming throughout
the Rochester region, and builds upon our efforts to bridge the gender gap in the technology
industry, said Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T northeast region. Our economy continues
to transform at a robust pace, requiring a workforce with a focus on technological education and
literacy. Computer science programs like this one are vital to ensure that the students of today,
despite gender, are equipped to compete in the global innovation economy of tomorrow.
Exposing girls to computing at a young age is important, because they need to know its a
career option, said Lana Verschage, director of Women in Computing at RIT. Women in
Computing has an outreach committee dedicated to creating opportunities for young women to
learn about computing before high school in a fun and engaging environment. Its a win-win
situation when student leaders in Women in Computing interact with young girls as role models
to help encourage them to see computing as a field they can succeed in.Final projects will be
judged by local tech experts, community leaders, education experts and elected officials. Each
submission will be scored on its potential impact, the quality of execution and creativity or
novelty within the work. The hackathon will challenge participants to come up with
technological solutions and tools to address the growing problem of cyberbullying and internet
safety, while awarding for best design skills, code skills and teamwork.Coding is becoming the
new literacy. The appetite among students for coding is growing in popularity, as the discipline
is a main driver of innovation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, much of the growth
in the economy will come from science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related jobs.
While jobs overall are expected to grow by 10 percent in 2018, STEM jobs are predicted to grow
by 17 percent, with an estimated 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the U.S. by 2020. More than
half of this growth will include computer careers, underscoring the importance of providing
youth the tools and skills necessary to compete in this innovation economy. The urgency for
more STEM and computer science employees is accentuated by the low percentage of females
currently employed at major technology firms 29 percent and women pursuing bachelors
degrees for computer science at just 18 percent. Women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more
than those in non-STEM occupations, and experience a smaller wage gap relative to men.

http://www.monroecopost.com/news/20171017/att-challenging-girls-to-use-technology-for-
social-good

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Kids Out and About Rochester e-newsletter

http://warm1013.com/morningshow/kids-out-and-aout/ WARM radio Rochester

http://mailchi.mp/kidsoutandabout/rochester-family-newsletter-oct-19-2017?e=b15904f251

Kids out and about

Powered by AT&T Regions: First ever all-girl youth hackathon is Saturday, Oct 28 at RIT!On
Saturday October 28, girls as young as eight years old can bring their imagination and
teamwork to the first all-girl youth hackathon in the greater Rochester region! The hackathon will
take place at RIT in the B.Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.
The Hackathon is a collaboration between iCanCode Club, Women in Computing at RIT and
AT&T, and was born out of a desire to encourage girls to enter the field of technology,
specifically coding, an industry that is alarmingly male-dominant. The event is free but is limited
to 80 female students. To register, visit www.icancodeclub.com/events.