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What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Discover Thriving Computer Science Careers at the Dare 2B Digital Conference Feb. 12th

Silicon Valley Tech Leaders and Educators Close the Career Gender Gap in Computing Technologies by Inspiring 7th to 10th Grade Students to Dream Big

Join the next generation of Bay Area entrepreneurs and technologists on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at the second-annual Dare 2B Digital Conference, the premier hands-on learning event for middle and high school girls ages 13 - 16, their parents and mentors. The program combines inspirational keynote sessions, workshops, demonstrations and discussion panels with computing experts that showcase exciting careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Dare 2B Digital will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. Register at http://www.dare2bdigitalconference.com.

Dare 2B Digital is presented by Invent Your Future Enterprises in partnership with Microsoft, Oracle, Brocade Communications, Cisco, Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Mozilla, SAP Labs, Symantec, WestEd, eBay, Citizen Schools, the Computer Science Teachers Association and the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Keynotes:

• 18 year-old Microsoft Student Partner Genevieve L'Esperance, founder of GenINC, a web-based channel that engages young women to think about technology, its global social impact and their future career in the industry. On YouTube, Facebook and her blog, L'Esperance is known as a techonomist and an up-and-rising IT channel role model. She became a Microsoft Certified Professional at age 15, added her MCTS SharePoint (Technical Specialist) at 16 and is working towards her MCITP (Technical Professional).
• Susan Zwinger, vice president, Global Systems Technical Support Center, Oracle Corporation. Zwinger leads Oracle's Global Systems Technical Support Center and oversees remote support to Oracle's Server, Storage, and Solaris customers worldwide. She joined Oracle with the acquisition of the Sun Microsystems, Inc and is now part of Oracle's Customer Support Services organization.

Highlights:

• Creative workshops led by industry experts: Robotics, Learning to Program, Interactive Human Networking Game, Digital Communication Skills, Designing Android Apps.
• Hands-on computer labs about movies, music and photos. Students will leave with a copy of their work to take home and share their projects.
• Power-packed parents workshops on financing college education, Facebook for parents, online safety and handling teen stress.

Plus:

• Meet-a-Technologist lunch.
• Connect with representatives from undergraduate programs.
• Computer History Museum activity scavenger hunt based on the new exhibit "Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing" -- a vivid modern exhibition designed for technical and non-technical audiences.

"We see an enormous opportunity for women to foster innovation and competitive advantage worldwide by contributing in greater numbers across technology occupations," said Ruth Stergiou, founder and CEO, Invent Your Future. "It's exciting to collaborate with top Bay Area companies and inspire young girls to learn and achieve their dreams at an event that celebrates the Silicon Valley's spirit of innovation."

For more information visit www.dare2bdigitalConference.com. Follow us on Twitter @Dare2BDigital and join the discussion using #D2BD11.

Register

The conference is designed for young women in 7th to 10th grades from Bay area schools, accompanied by their parents and mentors.

Lunch, museum admission and door prizes included. Space is limited. Register at www.dare2bdigitalConference.com or call 408-554-4249.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Visit www.dare2bdigitalConference.com or call 650-592-9227.

PR services for Dare 2B Digital are sponsored by Rustin Communications.

About Invent Your Future

Invent Your Future Enterprises is a professional development company that specializes in the retention, development and acceleration of women leaders. Based on extensive research on the training needs of corporate managers and high potential leaders, the company offers talent development programs, skill-building events and organizational consulting. For more information, visit www.inventyourfuture.com.