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Oregon & SW Washington Region
Affiliate Award Celebration Sunday, March 6, 2011
Lewis and Clark College Templeton Center
"It is important that companies, especially those that count on
technological innovation to prosper, support the advancement of
information technology and computing. Vernier is honored to
acknowledge these young women’s achievements and to help them
reach the goals to which they aspire."
David Vernier, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology.
Guest Speakers
Welcome
Ruthe Farmer NCWIT National
Keynote
Women in Technology
What I Wish I’d Known Coming out of High School
Two Views
Amethyst O’Brien Google
Tamsen Galloway Via West
Arushi Raghuvanshi
Jesuit High School
Class of 2011
Portland, Or
I have to thank my dad for my interest in computer
engineering, because he was the one who first
encouraged me to join Lego Robotics. As a 9 year old, I
was a little nervous about being one of the only girls on
my team, but I soon realized how much I enjoyed
robotics and continued to follow my interests. I also have
to thank my teachers Prof. Marek Perkowski and Dr.
Gorman for everything that they have taught me. Without
Prof. Perkowski, I wouldn't have had the opportunities
that I have had to learn and work with robotics.
I am proud that I have written various papers that have
been published in journals and that I have presented at
various international conferences. Although I am proud of
these accomplishments, what I truly enjoy is the
challenge and the experience of research. I like playing
around with robots and quantum logic and the sense that
my work might make a difference in the world.
Future: Majoring in Computer Engineering or Biomedical
Engineering. I see myself continuing to pursue my
interests in engineering, research, cross country, service,
and dance.
I enjoy the fact that engineering, computers, and
technology can be used for very practical applications.
Some of the work that I have done, including developing
humanoid robots and using Image Processing and
Machine Learning for the diagnosis of melanoma cancer,
had very practical applications, and I enjoy the sense that
my work can make a difference in the world.
Interesting Facts: I have
traveled to 15 countries, and I
enjoy outdoor activities such as
rock climbing, scuba diving, and
backpacking
Ask me about: triathlons, Indian
dance, or Quantum robots.
2011 NCWIT National Award Winner for Oregon
Oregon & SW Washington Regional
Affiliate Award Celebration
2011 Oregon and SW Washington Winners
Penelope Biggs
Benson Polytechnic High
Class of 2012
Portland, Oregon
Karthy Chandra
Westview High School
Class of 2011
Portland, Oregon
The most influential people were my mother who urged me
to get into robotics and pursue what I am interested in. My
High School Benson has also been very influential in getting
me interested in technology. My robotics mentors,
specifically John Delacy, have been very helpful in
developing my skills in computing.
I am very proud of the shooting program that i wrote for
my sophomore year robot. I learned how to program that
year because all the programmers on the team had left.
Future: I intend to go to college and pursue a degree in
Engineering. I enjoy the design and analysis process as
much as the actual building of a robot or project.
Interesting Fact: I realized that my initials were the
atomic symbol for Lead before I made the connection
between "Pb" and "peanut butter".
Ask me about: My school or robots
My robotics coach, Venkatesh Chaya, has been extremely influential in recruiting me onto his robotics team and encouraging me to explore new aspects of computer science and engineering.
My greatest technical accomplishment is not one that I can claim to be my very own, but it is the robot that my team and I built for this year's FTC tournament. It took hours and hours of work to construct, but we are very proud of it and excited for it to compete in an upcoming tournament.
Future: In the future, I see myself pursuing a major in biomedical engineering and I eventually hope to work in the field of Healthcare Information Technology.
Interesting Fact: I was born in India, am a Canadian citizen, and live in the U.S
What I enjoy/ admire most about computers and technology is their widespread utility. It seems they have crawled into every niche and corner of our lives and life without them seems impossible!
Ask me about: women’s rights
Kimberly Goertzen
West Salem High School
Class of 2012
Salem, Oregon
Megan Goossens
Cottage Grove High
Class of 2011
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Kim has Greg Smith to thank for encouraging her in computer
science.
Her greatest technical achievement would be her selection as
co-webmaster of her school.
Future: She sees herself going to OSU and focusing on
science as a career.
An interesting fact: She lead a Toshiba ExploraVision team
to first place in nationals for the 2009 competition.
What she enjoys most about computers and technology is the
huge range of opportunity for advancement.
Ask me about: being on an MIT InvenTeam
The people who have influenced me the most in technology
have been my engineering technology teachers. Mr. Kaiser got
me started in engineering, and Mr. Medina kept me going, as
well as letting me use robots.
One technological achievement that I am proud of is installing
a new radio and speakers into my 1980 pickup truck.
Future: I plan on going to Oregon State University for
computer science, then hopefully getting a job programming
and working with robots.
An interesting fact: That I have almost every Star Wars
book written, and that the droids in Star Wars is what inspired
me to go into robotics.
What I most enjoy about computers and technology is the
things you can make them do. They can be useful, or just fun.
Ask Me About: Star Wars
Erica Hose
Centennial High School
Class of 2011
Gresham, Oregon
Houmin Huang
Oregon Episcopal School
Class of 2011
Portland, Oregon
My parents are the most influential people in my life because
they have supported me in my pursuit of robotics and
immersed me in the geeky culture of engineers.
My greatest technological accomplishment would be when I
taught myself how to program in StarLogo during an internship
with Dr. Christof Teuscher at Portland State. No one else in the
internship knew how to use it so I persevered and managed to
learn how to make a pretty good simulation.
Future: I plan to go on to study electrical engineering and
computer science with a specialization in robotics.
The thing that I enjoy most about computers and technology is
how everything evolves so fast that it is hard to predict what
people are going to come up with next and new ideas are
being born every day.
Ask me about: the diverse uses for robotics
The person I really appreciate is my Computer Science and
Engineering teacher Steve Decker. His method of teaching was
unlike any I had previously experienced. He emphasized
pragmatism and creativity through hands-on projects and
project challenges. From him, I realize that there will not
always be a teacher to swoop down like a guardian angel with
all answers.
My achievement is no matter what kind of difficulty I am
facing, I could always keep a positive attitude.
Future: I see myself work with people who have the same
passion as me, and turn our ideas into real-world businesses.
Preventing me from distracting by computer, our house didn’t
have a computer during my middle school and freshman year.
Ask me about: ANYTHING
Jessica King
Sweet Home High School
Class of 2011
Sweet Home, Oregon
Emma Knight
Sherwood High School
Class of 2011
Sherwood, Oregon
Emma has her engineering teacher Mr. Niebergall to thank for encouraging her in computer technology. From freshman year through senior year, he has always supported her and given her amazing opportunities for greatness.
She is most proud of being a part of her school’s first robotics team her junior year and then growing it into three teams by her senior year.
Future: Emma sees herself attending OSU to become a aeronautical engineer.
An interesting fact: Emma helped create a girls only engineering class at her high school. She loves being creative and seeing her ideas come to life.
Ask me about: golf or robotics.
Jessica has her technology teacher Michael Morrell to thank
for encouraging her in computer technology.
She really likes working in 3d graphics and is excited to see
her creations come to life on the screen.
She is proud of her contribution to the school game
development team for OGPC 3.0 and also her regular
contribution to the care and maintenance of computers in
her community.
She is currently working to redesign the school’s website.
Future: Jessica plans to study computer graphics and game
design and development and then work in the game
development industry.
Ask me about: gaming!
Savannah Loberger
Hillsboro High School
Class of 2013
Hillsboro, Oregon
Metrah Mohammad Nadar
David Douglas High
Class of 2011
Portland, Oregon
Savannah’s greatest influences for pursuing engineering are her parents and her tech teacher Mr. Domes. Savannah’s parents have been very supportive, especially her mom. Her mom has always told her that she can do anything. Savannah knows that her dad is proud of her no matter what and he will always be there for her. She would like to thank Mr. Domes for opening the field of engineering; without his classes she probably would not still be in robotics today. Her greatest technology achievement was in 7th grade when her FLL team won the Rookie award that allowed her team to go to state even though it was difficult being the only girl. She knew after that experience that robotics was what she wanted to do. Future: Savannah would like to attend MIT after high school. She is unsure of what field of study, possibly biomedical engineering. She wants to make a difference in the world and she knows that she can in engineering. Interesting fact: Savannah is the only girl on the robotics teams at her high school.
Ask me about... country music
I thank destiny for my interest in computer science. If I had
stayed in Afghanistan I would not have had the access to
computers, and as a girl my interest in computers would not have
been accepted in Afghan society. However, my parents’
perseverance and encouragement gave me inspiration to work
hard and get the most out of my life.
One of my greatest technical achievements has been repairing
Mac and PC computers of friends and neighbors. I enjoy working
on Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc. and designing different
websites. I have volunteered over 40 hours at Free Geek, a
nonprofit organization that provides free computers, repairs and
rebuilds them. Through Saturday Academy, apprenticeship in
Science and Engineering program, I worked as a software test
developer for CafeGive allowing me to discover and learn about
technologies.
Future: I see myself becoming a doctor with great computer
skills.
Iinteresting fact: I speak Farsi, Russian, Uzbek and English.
Ask me about: Digital Media/Graphic Design
Preksha Naik
Corvallis High School
Class of 2013
Corvallis, Oregon
Manali Paralkar
Tigard High School
Class of 2011
Tigard, Oregon
My father was probably the most influential in my interest in
computers as he himself is a computer programmer. In addition, I
have my school homework assignments to thank as well because
without them, I wouldn’t have had the chance to waste time and
spend as much time as I do not doing my assignments and
exploring various features and such.
I am proud of my accomplishments during a summer at Oregon
State University assisting in a research project dealing with
computer graphics.
Future: I see myself making the world a better place.
Interesting Fact: English is my third language.
I enjoy how useful computers and technology have become.
There are innumerable resources on the internet including
communication, education, entertainment, etc. and best of all, it is
accessible to almost anyone.
Ask me about: my love for tennis.
I have my parents to thank for encouraging me in my interest in
computer science. They have always been supportive no matter
what I choose to do. They introduced me to FIRST Lego League
(FLL) when I was in elementary school, and since then I have
been really interested in robotics and programming.
My greatest technical accomplishment is when I converted the
Mindstorm G programs into LabVIEW for my internship at Vernier
Software & Technology.
Future: A Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering and then
getting my Master’s Degree.
Interesting fact: I created my first website in seventh grade.
I really enjoy learning about all different aspects of robotics.
Ask me about: Rubik’s Cubes
Roslyn Patrick-Sunnes
Hood River Valley High
Class of 2013
Hood River, Oregon
Lilly Paul
Hood River Valley High
Class of 2013
Hood River, Oregon
Roslyn has her teacher Mr. Blackman to thank for getting her so
involved in engineering and robotics. He taught her a lot about
engineering and more importantly made her enjoy it.
Some of Roslyn's greatest accomplishments were getting
involved in her robotics team and club this year. She learned a
ton about building robots and was one of the main
programmers for her team. Even though they were a rookie
team they came in first place in their qualifying competition and
the team is going on to state.
Future: Roslyn would like to pursue a career in engineering,
science or mathematics.
Interesting Facts: She was the winner of the American Math
Contest at her school. Roslyn loves is the swim team and LEOS
club.
Ask me about: Robots, Swimming, Music, and Awesomeness
The two people who were the most influential and encouraging
in my computing and technology interest would be my dad,
Barry Paul, and my engineering teacher, Jeff Blackman.
My greatest technical achievement occurred recently when I
competed as rookie team captain in F.T.C . My team and I
learned so much about building and programming robots. It
was a challenging and fun experience. We not only competed
but we won our qualifiers and are going to the state
championship! I am super excited. We won the tournament
and also an award for the best robot design.
Future: Going to college and becoming an engineer.
I love learning new things, like programming and building
robots, then actually having them work. It is so cool when I’m
driving the robot to think, “I made this!”
Interesting Fact: love being in the water, being on the swim
team, surfing, sailing, and especially windsurfing. During the
summer I work as a windsurfing instructor.
Ask me About: Robotics, swim team, windsurfing, movie
making
Rashele Raber
North Salem High School
Class of 2011
Salem, Oregon
Natalie Suderman
West Salem High School
Class of 2013
Salem, Oregon
That person would definitely have to be my computer science
teacher Mr. Kirkwood. If it wasn’t for him I never have gotten
into this amazing and field.
We had our first ever completely student run Tech Conference
last year. I was the person in charge of everything. It turned out
greater than I expected to with my limited experience. This year
I hope to have an even bigger turnout.
Future: Going to college and getting my degree in computer
software engineering. From there I hope to find a job doing
what I love.
Interesting Fact: I am a good writer and am currently writing
4 books. Two are my own. My best friend and I are writing one
and a group of my friends and I are writing another.
I enjoy the mind set and thinking process that comes along with
computer science. I have found that in my other classes I use
this to help me excel.
Ask me about: ANYTHING, I love to talk
My dad would probably be the most influential person in my computer/technical career, he started up a robotics team for me when I was little, and from then on I've never stopped loving programming or building robots
When I was in my first year of FLL robotics, at regional’s, the program that I had been having problems with worked perfectly, my arm/device worked smoothly and it was the best thing I have ever made/programmed since.
Future: I would love to keep doing what I'm doing; go to college, and get involved in some sort of robotics. However, my ideal career would be dealing with more of the programming side of robotics or, maybe video game design or programming. It sounds like fun.
Interesting Fact: I know 1600 digits of PI
I love the access modern technology gives us along with the opportunity to improve it and make something better. The people that I meet and the friends I make, like all the people in my Java class, are really close and so open with each other. I love walking into a room of friends, not just classmates.
Ask me about: robotics
Nicole Usselman
Cascade Senior High
Class of 2013
Turner, Oregon
Amy Wiegand
Riverdale High School
Class of 2012
Portland, Oregon
Nicole has her fourth and fifth grade teacher, Kathy Soderstrom, to
thank for getting her involved in Technology. She has her technology
teacher, Susan Lehner, and the technology director, Johan
Bloemhard and the other technology staff, Ray Charles and Michael
King to thank for facilitating her experiences and for teaching her
new things about computers.
Her greatest technical achievement is her ASE internship last
summer at Oregon State University under the guidance of Dr.
Margaret Burnett.
Future: Nicole sees herself employing her technology skills in her
job as a wildlife biologist.
Interesting Fact: Nicole was the first girl to take the Computer
Tech. class in her high school.
The part that she enjoys the most about technology is that there is
always something new to learn.
Ask me about: FFA or sports
Amy finds that encouragement from the many great people that she
has met through robotics deserve much of the credit for getting her
interested in technology.
Her first big accomplishment is going to the world finals in Atlanta,
Georgia with the FRC robotics team. Her second accomplishment is
sharing all that she has learned about robotics and programming with
others by teaching classes and mentoring .
Future: going to college to study either robotics, computer science,
artificial intelligence, or some sort of engineering. She also sees
herself continuing to teach classes and mentor my peers in robotics
and programming.
Interesting Facts: Amy fences at Northwest Fencing Center,
studies ASL (American Sign Language) at the local community
college, participates as a member of the Riverdale Science Club, and
volunteer at the local library.
She enjoys the mere challenge of solving new problems, learning
new facts, and the feeling of accomplishment when you share that
with others.
Ask her about: Robotics, ASL, and Fencing
Shannon Williams
Corvallis High School
Class of 2011
Corvallis, Oregon
Danning Yao
Crescent Valley High
Class of 2011
Corvallis, Oregon
My older sister Jamie has had the greatest influence on me, and it
was she who first encouraged me to enroll in the school’s computer
science class.
The technological accomplishment that I take the most pride in is
when I programmed the winning robot for the 2010 FIRST Oregon
Regional Competition, especially the reliable autonomous mode.
Future: BS in Computer Science with an emphasis in mathematics
and artificial intelligence. Then on to graduate school to research
advances in these areas.
Interesting fact: I play Unicycle Hockey every Monday on one of
about five teams in the United States.
What I enjoy about computers and technology is their potential to
create anything, even whole virtual worlds.
Ask her about: Unicycle Hockey
My robotics programming captain during freshman year inspired my
interest in computer science with his creative and challenging
coding projects.
My proudest technical achievement was coding a Geneva drive
scoring barrel for my FIRST robotics team.
Future: I see myself going to college and majoring in mathematics
or computer science.
Interesting fact: I am left handed but write with my right hand.
The thing I love the most about technology and computers is the
capability they have for changing the world.
Ask her about: epistemology, tautology, googlology
Jeff Blackman
Hood River Valley High School
Hood River, Oregon
NCWIT 2011 National Educator Awards
Jeff Blackman has focused his teaching on increasing student’s participation in technology and
engineering since 1999. As a teacher of mathematics and engineering Jeff believes that the best
education is a hands on approach to learning.
In his Engineering One class, students design, build and test projects from bridges to stirling
engines. Students explore different types of engineering including civil, mechanical and
electrical. The engineering process is reinforced throughout the year, and students learn from
both their failures and their successes.
Students proceed to Engineering Two, where they compete in the Electrathon America or First
Robotics FTC competition. Students’ learn the necessary skills to complete their projects such as
welding, fabricating, computer programming and design process. Students are required to
research colleges and universities for engineering, math or science.
Jeff also enjoys being a father and husband, Boy Scout leader, windsurfer, kite-boarder, skier,
and bicycler. He lives in Hood River, nature’s playground for kids and adults.
John Niebergall’s accomplishments on behalf of his students are many. Over the course of John’s 26-year
career in public education he has taught Engineering, Architecture, CAD/CAM, and Woodworking. In all of
these classes, John has focused on providing his students with hands-on, contextual, real-world learning
experiences.
In this context he has coached his students in robotics and taken them to the National competition where
they were national champions. He has made contacts in the community and raised over $100,000 through
grants and in-kind contributions, and with this money he has provided his students with a Fab-lab with
industry-standard software and state of the art prototyping equipment. Subsequently, this has led to a
student-run, school-based enterprise, thereby providing students with the experience of designing,
developing, manufacturing, and marketing a series of products used within the community of Sherwood.
Even this partial list of John’s accomplishments would seem to be enough to rest on, yet John became
aware of the underrepresentation of non-traditional students in the Career and Technical Education classes
at SHS and decided to address this. John developed a program in 2009-2010 and proposed it to the
administration in his building. The program would be a co-taught class in which girls would design,
develop, and produce a product following the template he had created in his other classes. The response
was overwhelming when the class was launched this year. Two sections were offered and both were
immediately filled and a waiting list was created.
Because of John’s efforts 60 girls are now studying Engineering and Construction with 60 more waiting to
take the course next trimester. After 26 years of highly successful teaching, John still asks questions of
himself and his program: What are the barriers keeping young women from taking STEM classes and what
can I do to address this? The results speak for themselves!
John Niebergall
Sherwood High School
Sherwood, Oregon
Thanks to our Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate Sponsors
Additional Support from:
Oregon Robotics & Tournament Outreach Program (ORTOP)
Saturday Academy Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE)
Math Engineering Science Achievement at PSU
Oregon 4-H
Science & Math Investigative Learning Experiences at OSU
The Award for Aspirations in Computing is the product of
National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)
NCWIT is supported by the National Science Foundation, industry
and academic partners.
Regional Affiliate Planning Committee Organizations
Special Thanks to our community partners
who help get the word out and whose programs build interest