WiTT News

WiTT Announces First Winners of Groundbreaking Partnership Scholarship Program 

CTS, Tractor Supply Company, MTSU and Women in Technology Tennessee Team up to Offer Ground Breaking Scholarship 

 

Nashville, Tenn. Monday February 13, 2017: Women in Technology Tennessee (WiTT) recently announced the winners of a new, first of its kind, scholarship benefiting women in Computer Information System (CIS) majors at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Partnering with CTS and Tractor Supply Company, WiTT has coordinated a $2,500 scholarship from each organization to help a qualifying female CIS major at MTSU who will also benefit from an internship at the company that selects her. Additionally, WiTT will match each scholarship with an additional $1,000, resulting in a $3,500 total scholarship for each candidate along with mentorship by professional women in technology. 

Itasca Liddell was named by Tractor Supply as the first winner of the new scholarship to help promote women in the computer sciences.  Liddell is in the accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s program in the Information Systems group at MTSU.  She will be graduating with her Bachelor’s in May 2017, and continuing in the fall of 2017 to finish her Master of Science in Information Systems with a concentration in Business Analytics. 

CTS named Stephanie Henry as their inaugural recipient of the scholarship.  Henry is a CIS major at MTSU. Henry started college as a pre-med biology major, but switched to CIS after she “fell in love” with her web development course.  Henry was accepted into MTSU’s accelerated Master’s program and will earn her Bachelors and Masters in CIS in May 2018.  

WiTT’s continued mission to empower women and girls in technology through education, outreach, mentoring and networking aligns with all of the other efforts in Middle Tennessee to promote both the interest in STEM programs and the development of a competitive workforce that will entice future companies’ growth. Rita Rediker, President of WiTT stated, “We are so happy that these two accomplished women are able to represent WiTT, MTSU, and our corporate sponsors CTS and Tractor Supply in such a graceful way.  Both women are dedicated to a career in computer science, and they have already shown that they are serious about their studies and becoming a contributor to a future employer.” 

Companies interested in partnering with WiTT and MTSU should submit interest via email at membership@wittn.org. Students interested in being considered for a scholarship can apply using this link to the application: WiTTScholarshipApplication.docx  

MTSU: With an enrollment of about 23,000 students, MTSU is the largest university in the Tennessee Board of Regents system. We are also the number-one choice for our state's transfer students and the number-one provider of graduates to the Greater Nashville economy. We also lead the TBR system in total bachelor's degree graduates each year, and are tops among all state universities for adult graduates. Computer Information Systems (CIS) was established in 1972 as a department within the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Since that time, it has continued to grow and is recognized throughout Middle Tennessee and the southeastern region of the United States as a progressive and competent program. Learn more atwww.mtsu.edu. 

CTS:CTS is a software consulting firm specializing in solving complex business problems with custom IT solutions. Since 1993, we have delivered Software Development, Business Intelligence, Quality Assurance, and Application Support solutions to enterprise clients across the Southeast. We deliver all engagements using only our full time staff of 350+ and our reliable, quality-driven approach. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, CTS has offices in Nashville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Mobile, AL. Learn more atwww.askcts.com. 

Tractor Supply Company: Tractor Supply Company is the largest operator of rural lifestyle retail stores in the United States. The company operates over 1,500 retail stores in 49 states, employs more than 23,000 team members and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol "TSCO". We live by our mission, “To work hard, have fun and make money by providing legendary service and great products at everyday low prices.” Our culture—driven by our core Mission and Values—empowers each employee to use what they learn and pursue their goals in a collaborative, open environment. Lean more atwww.tractorsupply.com. 

Women in Technology Tennessee: Women in Technology Tennessee (WiTT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating new possibilities for women to advance and succeed in technology careers. WiTT provides a forum to empower women in technology through education, outreach, mentoring and networking. WiTT continues to evolve to meet the needs of professionals in a rapidly changing industry. Learn more at www.wittn.org.  

Women in Technology of Tennessee and

The Adventure Science Center

2017 TWISTER Scholarship

OFFICIAL RULES

PURPOSE:

To enable the recipient to continue her education and pursue her ambition, in a science, technology, engineering or research focused career.

 

THE AWARD:

Two scholarships will be awarded to students graduating from public or private high schools located in Tennessee. The winning award will be for $5,000 with the runner-up receiving $1,000.  Scholarship recipients will be introduced and awards presented at TWISTER event on February 11, 2017 by representatives of Women in Technology of Tennessee. 

 

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:

Be a female graduating senior of any Tennessee public, or approved private high school, or home school with a passion for technology.

This scholarship requires that the applicant has at least a 3.0 weighted GPA on 4.0 scale; if another grading scale is utilized, applicants should work with their respective guidance counselor to calculate the GPA to a 4.0 scale.  

 

Winners will be announced at the closing ceremony of the TWISTER event on February 11, 2017.

Application and more info can be found in this link:

2017 TWISTERscholarshipApplication.pdf

The Nashville Technology Council hosted "Hour of Code", a partnership with schools and local technology professionals during the official Computer Science Week (December 5-11th, 2016). The goal of the program is to engage students and teachers in order to spark an interest in technology and coding, while also educating students and teachers about the variety and availability of technology careers in Middle Tennessee.

Joumana Rahime represented WiTT as one of the technology resources. Joumana thought that it was a great experience for our outreach efforts. "WiTT had taken the step this year to support the Computer Science Education Week and joined the global movement: Hour of Code. With a room full of excitement and inspiration, seventeen 8th grade girls at Two River Middle School learned how to code using HTML and CSS.  As a result to their exposure to coding, the girls asked us to come back for more sessions and the sponsoring teacher also expressed an interest in learning coding so that she can provide more opportunities to her students!" 

Nora Moser, Library Media Specialist at Two River Middle School, stated "We had the pleasure of hosting Joumana at Two Rivers Middle School. We had a class of seventeen 8th grade girls that lasted two hours. The girls were SO excited the entire time. All of them were on the edge of their seats creating their websites, and several have already asked me if we can do it again. These girls were exposed to a potential future that they didn't even know existed before today. Joumana also showed these girls what they can do to further their interests in the world of coding and technology. I am so glad that we decided to do this class with them. It has put such a big smile on my face seeing how excited these young girls got about coding!"

Jasmin Abraham, a participant of the class, said "It was fun and I learned a lot of cool things. I enjoyed this a lot even though I knew little things about coding. Thanks to Ms. Rahime for coming to my school and taking the time to teach us all this awesome coding information. I would love it if I could learn more codes to make better websites."  Meirola Endraws said "I loved today's session!! It was amazing, I am very interested in this. Hopefully, I can experience it later in life." And finally, Hudah Nur stated "This was fun and inspiring. I also want to learn how to animate or make a game in coding."

STEM Conference for Girls in 9th to 12th Grade
Saturday, February 11, 2017 | 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

TWISTER (Tennessee Women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Research) is a daylong professional conference for high school girls, presented by women working in Science, Technology, Engineering, Research, and Mathematics – related professions. TWISTER is seeking female role models currently working in a STEM-related field who would like the opportunity to positively impact high school girls interested in pursuing STEM higher education and careers. Presenters are asked to prepare and present a 55-minute session for 20-25 participants that includes details about their careers, educational pathways, and a hands-on activity relevant to their career or session topic.
Interested in being a TWISTER Presenter?

Visit www.adventuresci.org/TWISTER to submit an online application.
Contact TWISTER@adventuresci.org with any questions.

Is your organization interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Tim Sears at (615) 401-5055 or tsears@adventuresci.org for more information.

Women in Technology Tennessee (WiTT) recently announced a new, first of its kind, scholarship to benefit women in Computer Information System (CIS) majors at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Partnering with CTS of Nashville and Tractor Supply Company, WiTT has coordinated a $2500 scholarship from each organization to help a qualifying female CIS major at MTSU who will also benefit from an internship at the company that selects her. Additionally, WiTT will match each scholarship with an additional $1,000, resulting in a $3,500 total scholarship for each candidate along with mentorship by professional women in technology.

Nashville’s former Mayor, Karl Dean, stated that “In Nashville, education and learning must always come first.”[1] Nashville’s new Mayor, Megan Barry has continued the push for more programs in STEM benefiting both the students of Nashville, as well as the future job market to keep Nashville competitive with regional cities vying for the same business growth.

WiTT’s continued mission to empower women and girls in technology through education, outreach, mentoring and networking aligns with all of the other efforts in Middle Tennessee to promote both the interest in STEM programs and the development of a competitive workforce that will entice future companies growth. Beth Hoeg, President of WiTT stated, “I am so excited to team up with MTSU and area companies to provide this combined offering of scholarship, mentorship and an internship, in accordance with a future job to a female CIS candidate from MTSU. This brings together the mission of WiTT and also helps us support the greater efforts of our city’s leadership.”

Parties interested in the scholarship should connect with the CIS program at MTSU. Here is a link to the application: WiTTScholarshipApplication.docx

MTSU: With an enrollment of about 23,000 students, MTSU is the largest university in the Tennessee Board of Regents system. We are also the number-one choice for our state's transfer students and the number-one provider of graduates to the Greater Nashville economy. We also lead the TBR system in total bachelor's degree graduates each year, and are tops among all state universities for adult graduates. Computer Information Systems (CIS) was established in 1972 as a department within the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Since that time, it has continued to grow and is recognized throughout Middle Tennessee and the southeastern region of the United States as a progressive and competent program. Learn more at www.mtsu.edu.

CTS: CTS is a software consulting firm specializing in solving complex business problems with custom IT solutions. Since 1993, we have delivered Software Development, Business Intelligence, Quality Assurance, and Application Support solutions to enterprise clients across the Southeast. We deliver all engagements using only our full time staff of 300+ and our reliable, quality-driven approach. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, CTS has offices in Nashville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Mobile, AL.  Learn more at www.askcts.com.

Tractor Supply Company: Tractor Supply Company is the largest operator of rural lifestyle retail stores in the United States. The company operates over 1,500 retail stores in 49 states, employs more than 23,000 team members and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol "TSCO". We live by our mission, “To work hard, have fun and make money by providing legendary service and great products at everyday low prices.” Our culture—driven by our core Mission and Values—empowers each employee to use what they learn and pursue their goals in a collaborative, open environment. Lean more at www.tractorsupply.com.

Women in Technology Tennessee:  Women in Technology Tennessee (WiTT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating new possibilities for women to advance and succeed in technology careers. WiTT provides a forum to empower women in technology through education, outreach, mentoring and networking. WiTT continues to evolve to meet the needs of professionals in a rapidly changing industry. Learn more at www.wittn.org.

Do you have 1 hour of time to engage students in learning a new technology?

Nashville Technology Council is looking for volunteers.  The NTC is partnering with our local K-12 schools and local technology professionals to join the global movement: Hour of Code.

Please volunteer to spend one hour during Computer Science Week, December 5-11^th, 2016 in a Middle Tennessee classroom.  No coding experience is necessary, just a willingness to work with students to promote computer education.  For those interested, on November 29^th, the NTC will be hosting an event for both teachers and volunteers to meet, share best practices, and demystify the Hour of Code.  Click here if you can participate.  We hope you can join us! 

When: October 19th, 1:30-3:00pm

Where: Omni Nashville Hotel

Coffee, tea and dessert served during session

Speaker: Annette Blum, Director of Sales Strategy & Planning at Cisco
Topic: Evolution of Technology and its Impact on Business

Everyone is welcome to attend the entire Connect IT conference – for FREE!

Attendees are welcome to stay for the after-party that evening
Visit www.ConnectITtn.com for all event details

Make sure to register so we can have a badge printed for you!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connect-it-2016-women-in-technology-breakout-session-tickets-27733334149
 

If you're looking to begin a career with endless opportunities, please join us on Sept. 26 and discover what VUMC has to offer.
 
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) was recently chosen by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be the Data and Research Support Center for the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program, a landmark study of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors affecting the health of a million or more people.
 
To fulfil this promise of discovery, VUMC is looking for PHP and big data developers with experience using modern frameworks to join their team during this groundbreaking project and its pilot phase.
 
You are invited to an exclusive career event and catered lunch with the director of the Office of Research Informatics within the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) on Sept. 26 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to learn more about this opportunity.
 
RSVP and learn more about this exclusive opportunity on the event website.
 

We had a great after hours event hosted by Asurion.  Visit this link to see your smiling face...or see what you missed!

                        

May 26, 2016 - Join my1stCode for a FREE 3-hours workshop and learn how to create a Digital Portfolio Web Page using #HTML and #CSS.

Digital Portfolios are going to be a powerful tool for admission to colleges and we are excited to help you start a journey into digital portfolio creation.

Registration Info:  http://www.eventbrite.com/o/my1stcode-10724979989

More info about my1stCode:  https://www.facebook.com/my1stCode/