2008 Anita Borg Awards: Anita Borg Social Impact Award
About
The fourth Anita Borg Social Impact Award, an international prize, will honor an individual or team who has caused technology to have a positive impact on the lives of women and society or who has caused women to have a significant impact on the design and use of technology. The recipient of the 2008 Anita Borg Social Impact Award will receive a $10,000 award and will be honored at the 2008 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference Awards Banquet to be held in Keystone, Colorado, October 2, 2008.
The inaugural Social Impact Award was presented to Karen Banks, Global Coordinator, APC Women’s Networking Support Programme, located in London, England. Working with programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America for 15 years, she brought information and communication technologies (ICTs -eg. internet, radio, video, cell phones) to underserved women and communities as a vital tool for empowerment and positive social change. Their network numbers over 100 women from more than 35 countries. Their network includes individual women and women’s groups and organizations working in the field of gender and ICT and actively supporting women’s networking. Their members have formed themselves into regional networks in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and they are building an emerging network in Europe.
In 2006, the award was given to Dr. Carol Muller, the Founder and CEO of MentorNet, The E-Mentoring Network for Diversity in Engineering and Science. MentorNet is a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Jose, CA. Founded in 1997, its mission is to further the progress of women and others underrepresented in scientific and technical fields through the use of a dynamic, technology-supported mentoring program; and to advance individuals and society, and enhance engineering and related sciences, by promoting a diversified, expanded and talented global workforce. Mentornet began by matching 539 mentoring pairs representing students at 27 universities and 261 individuals at companies in 1999. In 2006 Mentornet matched over 2,500 pairs at 111 universities and 1045 companies. In 2006 students from 97 countries and mentors from 67 countries were represented in the program.
In 2007, the winner was Paula Goldman. Paula is the founder and director of the Imaging Ourselves project with the International Museum of Women. An anthropologist and social entrepreneur, she melds a professional background in public policy with impressive academic skills in order to understand – and improve—the lives of young women across the globe. Whether working on reconciliation projects in Bosnia, or initiating educational opportunities in India that forge professional paths for rural high school graduates, she finds satisfaction by instigating opportunities that result in increased opportunity for underserved populations. She has lived and worked in more than ten countries on four continents.
Selection Criteria
- Impact will be measured by 1) the degree and type of social change, 2) the amount of women’s increased empowerment through the technology or increased influence over technology and 3) its sustainability and scalability.
- The award recipient may have developed the technology, motivated social change and empowerment through that technology, or increased women’s influence over and decision-making about technology.
- The award recipient must be available to participate in the 2008 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference Awards Banquet on October 2, 2008 in Keystone, Colorado.
Your nomination may be for a colleague or you may nominate yourself. Only completed submissions will be considered by the jury.
Required Materials
- Title of nominated achievement
- Name(s) of nominee(s)
- 30 word (maximum) summary of the person and project, for the selection committee to use for identification purposes
- Expanded statement of merit with examples (2-3pages). This must include short bio(s) of the nominated person(s) and address the following issues: Describe the impact and how it was measured. Was the action taken with respect to a specific situation? What motivated the nominee(s) to take action? Did he/she/they encounter any significant challenges?
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Letters of reference (2-3)
- Nominator’s name, e-mail address, phone number and relationship to nominee
Questions?
Contact Deanna Kosaraju.
Schedule
| Nomination packages due | Extended - May 20, 2008 |
| Finalists selected | June 15, 2008 |
| Award recipient notified | July 31, 2008 |
| Awards ceremony in Keystone, CO | October 2, 2008 |
Selection Committee
Mari Kuraishi is the Chair of the Anita Borg Social Impact Award Committee. Mari is the President of the GlobalGiving Foundation.
