News Article

Microsoft, Google, the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC), and Inland Northwest business and education leaders are collaborating to sponsor the “Future Potential in Computing” seminar that begins at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the Riverpoint Phase 1 Auditorium in Spokane, between Hamilton and Division Streets.

The event is free. Registration begins at 6 p.m. For registration and complete details. The seminar series is a national program designed to encourage high-school students and college freshmen and sophomores to consider majoring in information technology. More than a dozen Northwest college and university computer-science departments, including those at Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, University of Idaho, Washington State University and Whitworth College are involved. Similar events are being hosted in cities throughout the Northwest, including Seattle, Portland and Salem, Ore. Participants will have the opportunity to win various prizes, including a Microsoft Xbox and software, at the end of the evening.

Adam Jansen, from Washington State Digital Archives, will give an opening presentation. Wanda Miles, director of marketing communications-engineering excellence at Microsoft, will deliver the keynote address, titled: “Debunking the Five Myths of IT,” in which she aims to dispel myths that information technology careers and jobs are diminishing in the United States.

Peter Tucker, assistant professor of computer science at Whitworth and a former Microsoft software engineer, will follow with a presentation on “A Day in the Life/My Road to IT.” The seminar will conclude with a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session with students. The panelists include GU 2006 alumna Jordanna Chord, who now works for Google; Whitworth alumnus Jeff Lundin, Cyan; EWU alumna Kris Rudin, Ascentium; Susan Mabry, Whitworth computer-science faculty; Rebecca Long, computer-science major at EWU.

“In the coming decades, the magic of software will change our world in ways we haven’t even dreamed of yet, but for some reason there’s a perception that opportunities within the IT field are declining,” says Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, as part of a recorded opening message for the event. “The truth is the power and potential of the IT industry have barely been tapped. Today there are more opportunities than ever before and companies like Microsoft continue to be challenged by a shortage of skilled IT workers. Working with some great partners, Microsoft has helped create this program as part of our ongoing efforts to attract the best and brightest minds to the IT industry.”

Rob Bryant, professor of computer science at Gonzaga, said organizers are thrilled to offer area students the opportunity to learn about careers in computer science. “Computing is a dynamic field that is critical to most any profession today. A challenge we face in higher education is to make students aware of the exciting multidisciplinary opportunities available to those who study computer science.”

CCSC  is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting quality computer-oriented curricula as well as effective use of computing in smaller institutions of higher learning, which are not typically research-oriented. The CCSC supports activities that assist faculty in making appropriate judgments concerning computing resources and educational applications of computer technology. The consortium is concerned with the advancement of major programs in both computer science and computer-information systems, and with the use of computers in the liberal arts and sciences. CCSC includes nine regions nationwide.

For more information, visit the following Web site or contact Bryant at (509) 323-3906 or via e-mail.