Computing Research Policy Blog

Interesting Notables

We’ve talked in the past about Microsoft’s efforts to support programs that aim to increase the participation of women and minorities in computing. One effort we haven’t covered, but is worth noting, is their “Channel 9” series on “wm_in – Women in Technology ”. Wm_in introduces women of all ranks in Microsoft, giving a glimpse into what they do and providing some not so subtle encouragements for women to enter into computer science. Women are interviewed about what they do, from a ‘lowly’ intern to a Vice President, giving all aspects and perspectives of working within a huge global company.

Check it out! Unfortunately, (and maybe not surprisingly) it doesn’t seem to work on a Mac.

They also have a posting area populated by folks who seem to work at Microsoft, which makes for interesting reading. It can also show just how much may never change. All kidding aside, this seems to be an interesting and fun way to learn about the behind the scenes action that we rarely see.

Now, I highlight this because this is a medium the web has seen take off, with MySpace.com and video blogs, such as youtube.com, becoming phenomenally popular. This seems to be the sort of format today's high school (and these days, even younger) girls would be willing to check out and maybe learn something. This is awesome! Oh and I’m sure guys could learn something from it as well, although probably not what Microsoft intended them to learn (guys just don’t work that way).