The Anita Borg Institute Now Accepting Scholarship Applications for Annual Grace Hopper Celebration

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 2, 2013) - The Anita Borg Institute (ABI), a non-profit organization focused on the advancement of women in the high-tech industry, today opened scholarship applications for entry to the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing (GHC). The GHC Scholarship program seeks to broaden the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing by enabling a wide variety of students and faculty who otherwise may not have the means to attend and participate in the Grace Hopper Celebration.

The GHC Scholarships cover a combination of conference registration, meals, lodging, and a fixed amount of travel reimbursement funds. Undergraduate, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world are encouraged to apply. The deadline for application submissions and letters of recommendation is May 15 at 12pm Pacific Time.

Taking place October 2-5, 2013 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN, GHC is the largest gathering of technical women in the world. The annual conference attracts students, educators, researchers, and professionals in the high tech industry. This year's theme is "Think Big, Drive Forward," encouraging women in technical careers to look at the big picture and engage in leading change.

"By offering these scholarships, we are opening up the Grace Hopper Celebration to hundreds of women who would not be able to attend otherwise," said Barbara Gee, VP of Programs, Anita Borg Institute. "Our goal is to engage with and support the next generation of women computer scientists and engineers, encouraging them to pursue a life-long career in the technology field."

In 2013, the issue of promoting and encouraging women in their high technology careers has taken center stage. Last month, ABI announced its participation as a founding partner of Lean In, an organization founded by Sheryl Sandberg, which combines social networking, online learning, and small peer groups to give women the tools they need to realize their career goals.

GHC Scholarship Application Process

Each year, industry sponsors, grants, and individual donations make full and partial scholarships possible. Scholarship winners are chosen from a committee comprised of men and women from industry and academia who review and score each application. Academic achievement, potential in the field, thoughtfulness and quality of the essay, and financial need are taken into account. Scholarship recipients are from a diverse cross-section of backgrounds, schools, and regions.

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a program of the Anita Borg Institute. This year will mark the 13^th annual conference, featuring keynote speakers, plenary sessions, panels, poster session, and workshops led by successful researchers and professionals in the high tech industry. For more information about scholarships and the Grace Hopper Celebration, visit our website www.gracehopper.org.

About The Anita Borg Institute (ABI)
The Anita Borg Institute works to advance women in computer science and engineering roles globally. ABI provides resources and programs that help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and advance technical women to meet the growing global need for technology workers and to increase technological innovation. ABI programs inspire technical women, foster community and provide tools to help them develop their careers. The Institute works with industry partners to make the global technology workplace more welcoming to women. ABI partners include: Cisco, Google, HP, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, Amazon, CA Technologies, Dell, eBay, Facebook, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Lockheed Martin, Marvell, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, NetApp, SAP, Symantec, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Broadcom, EMC, Neustar, Raytheon, Salesforce.com, VentureLoop, Xerox and Yahoo! The Anita Borg Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org

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