Caitlin Kelleher, a doctoral candidate in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, helps to run a program that uses interactive storytelling software to encourage girls to pursue computer programming.
But the equipment was boxy mainframe technology, probably from the 1960's, he guessed, and he did not pursue computer training beyond high school.
A couple of years ago, Robin Hauser Reynolds, a filmmaker and photographer in the Bay Area, learned that her daughter, who had been taking computer-science classes, had decided that she wasn't cut out to pursue computer science as a career.
Mr. Page's remarks ranged from the need to encourage children to pursue computer science to competition and negativity in the technology industry and people's resistance to technological change.
With sponsorship comes the money necessary to attract players to pursue computer gaming as a career, says Sean Plott (better known as "Day[9]"), an American player-turned-commentator. Intel recently sponsored a European tournament with a $15,000 prize pool.
The group's idea sprouted from a seven-week Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, a camp that aims to combat stereotypes about coders and to encourage high school girls to pursue computer science education.
But, while the number of women and minorities pursuing computer and information sciences degrees remains lower than that of white males, there has been significant improvement in recent years.
She says this could reflect the different educational paths men and women follow in high school and college: men, for a variety of reasons, are more likely to pursue computer science and engineering degrees and subsequently rise through start-up or management ranks.
Ultimately, Kimbwala sees herself pursuing computer engineering as a career.
