WITsend

Recently the United Nations (UN) said that women and girls are at risk of being left behind if countries don't start putting measures in place to change attitudes towards women studying in scientific and technological fields.

The UN pointed out that this gap is an obstacle to a nation's progress and stems from social attitudes - in both developed and non-developed countries - which generally encourage girls to take up careers in 'softer' subjects.

An UN official from the world body's International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Bureau for Workers' Activities, Claude Akpokavie, said: "Women tend to be overrepresented in the humanities and social sciences, and underrepresented in science and technology.

"Measures need to be put in place to redress this imbalance."

Even when girls are given the opportunity to follow a possible career path in technology, it's not made easy for them.

A recent report found that women science graduates in the US are discriminated against when applying for research posts.

In Iran the government recently chose to exclude women from several university studies, which included nuclear physics and electrical engineering.

Several universities in China require women to obtain higher entry grades then male students for entrance on to certain science courses.

Despite this type of discrimination fortunately not affecting the UK's education system, I have had several conversations with women surrounding the difficulties of women progressing within their careers.

It's one challenge getting girls interested in working in technology, but once they are in it is important to ensure that women are not left working at the lowest levels.

This is a guest blog from Naomi Chow, public relations at FDM.

Today is the birthday of Ada Lovelace, widely known as the world's first computer programmer. Lovelace wrote programmes for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine along with the very first description of a computer and software. This was no mean feat; Lovelace was born in 1815, a time when women rarely received the same education as men, let alone in science, technology and mathematics.

Fortunately a lot has changed since then and 2012 has seen some fantastic 'new-era' Ada Lovelaces, as highlighted by a number of initiatives and awards like Computer Weekly's inaugural Top 25 Most Influential Women in UK IT Awards and the FDM everywoman in Technology Awards.

Women in IT are a rarity in most cases; but instead of complaining about it, companies are looking at how to pop the bubble of ignorance and how they can change the future of women in IT and business.

Many companies have started gender diversity campaigns and the government is taking a keen interest in equality with its proposed motion to bring in a women on boards quota. But is legislation the answer? This is a debate which has split the masses; whilst some may argue that this quota shows a commitment to increasing women's representation in UK boardrooms, others would argue that women should be on boards based on merit not gender. The truth is that there is not a correct answer, but it does showcase nationwide support for the female gender: a far cry from Lovelace's era.

However despite these positive movements, the IT industry is still struggling with a deficit of women in IT. The proportion of females taking Computing A levels is 9%[1], only 15% of applicants to computing degrees are female[2] and a mere 14.4% of UK computing professionals are women[3]. Moreover, seven out of ten technology professionals agree that they are missing vital skills as a result of low representation of women[4] in their teams.  So what can companies do about it?

Companies need to demonstrate a commitment to making changes throughout the business. FDM started its women in IT campaign in 2011, an initiative dedicated to encouraging and supporting females to consider an IT career and creating a positive working environment where they can develop their careers. FDM has contributed time and resources to increasing its female workforce in the form of mentoring programmes and a number of events including Advantage Sessions to highlight the range of opportunities in the industry.

The results speak for themselves; 23% of the FDM workforce are women, up from 19% last year, FDM was voted into the Top Ten Employers for Women 2012 and Sheila Flavell, COO, won 'Corporate Leader of the Year' at Cisco everywoman in Technology Awards 2012. As a result, FDM has secured its place as a company known for its commitment in supporting women in IT.

"We want to make sure that everyone has the option to be a part of, and learn more about, technology despite their gender. And succeed," said Flavell.

FDM is hopeful that 2013 will see many more IT and technology firms introduce gender diversity campaigns so all companies can work together to see more women in IT and technology succeed. Flavell continues, "Whether it is your daughter, your sister, your mother, your aunt or your grandmother, we can create a new generation of Ada Lovelaces."

Is the industry succeeding? Definitely. Is the industry doing enough? Perhaps. It's a step in the right direction but there is a long way to go. With more passionate women who want to be part of the future of women in IT and technology, we're hopeful the industry will eventually succeed.

Oracle has announced that its Saudi unit has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a website dedicated to women boosting their IT skills and gaining employment.

The website, called Glowork, plans to work with the technology giant in showcasing the skills of female graduates to major companies in Saudi Arabia.

Drawing on the Oracle Women's Leadership (OWL) programme, the duo plan to launch workshops and seminars to familiarise women with the skills needed to secure a job in IT and provide expertise in how to overcome obstacles that may arise for women when applying for positions.

"Women deserve the opportunity to showcase their talents, and this agreement will provide the platform for them," said Khalid Alkhudair the founder of Glowork.

Abdulrahman Al Thuhaiban, the vice president Oracle ME & Africa, said: "We're so proud to be part of this agreement which reflects Oracle's support policies in education, employment and social responsibilities in the kingdom." 

The initiative will be spearheaded by Step Ahead, the first annual conference for college graduates in Saudi Arabia.

The conference will feature workshops for graduates and speakers to allow them to discuss issues and difficulties women may face trying to both enter the professional world and progressing within it.

Entrepreneur First is encouraging more women to consider a career as a tech entrepreneur, through its new Code First: Girls programme.

The not-for-profit organisation aims to help UK graduates create their own high-growth tech start-ups. The Code First: Girls initiative will teach female graduates basic coding skills and support them to consider a career in technology.

The programme begins in the summer of 2013 as part of the wider Entrepreneur First programme and is being funded by Entrepreneur First sponsor the City of London Corporation.

The course will give up to 30 female graduates a solid foundation in coding, with an estimated four hours tuition a week. This includes in-person lectures and tutorials. The logic behind coding will be taught, in addition to learning the different languages and how they interact. Graduates will learn simple web applications and how to turn ideas into prototypes. Each participant will be assigned a female mentor from the industry.

Alice Bentinck, chief operating officer of Entrepreneur First, said: "It is no secret that there is a lack of female participation in the technology industry and, for many young women, a lack of basic programming expertise can put them off from entering the exciting world of tech start-ups."

"We know that many young women love technology and have great ideas for tech-based businesses. However, a lack of knowledge around how technology works can seem like an insurmountable barrier. At Entrepreneur First, we have seen this first hand with women making up just a quarter of applicants from last year's recruitment round."

Bentinck stressed how a degree in computer science or ten years of coding experience is not needed to build a technology business: "You just need to be smart, creative, hard-working and willing to learn."

"By giving ambitious, talented female graduates a strong grounding in the language of their technical peers we want to bring more women into the UK start-up scene," she added.

Entrepreneur First is encouraging females from non-technical backgrounds to apply.

Emily Brooke, a 2012 Entrepreneur First cohort member and founder of BLAZE, took part in a four week coding course earlier this year. She said: "Learning the basics of coding not only taught me a skill so highly valued - and increasingly so - in the tech world, it also allowed me to appreciate and understand this world far better.

"To get a handle on the language spoken there opened a window of understanding and opportunity. It was also incredibly fun! I got a real kick and sense of satisfaction from the problem solving elements."

The organisation is holding a networking event on 27 November at 6:30pm in the Basinghall Suite at the Guildhall. The evening aims to discuss issues around encouraging women to get involved in the UK tech start-up scene.

For more information on the evening and to apply to join Entrepreneur First 2013 find out more here.

FDM everywoman in Technology Awards has extended its deadline to 5.30pm 26 November 2012.

If you would like to nominate a talented female, that you admire, you can do so by entering here. You can also nominate yourself too.

The awards are free to enter and if you're struggling for inspiration you can find some top tips on how to write a great nomination here.

Read about last year's winners and why they won.

Computer Weekly readers are now entitled to a 20% discount on the annual cost of the everywomanNetwork!

With the discount code of CW20 an annual rate will cost £39.99 + VAT instead of the usual standard rate of £49.99 + VAT.

The online membership is being offered by everywoman, with the aim of supporting women in IT through furthering their careers or growing their business through personal development.

The everywomanNetwork provides members with online resources, real-life experiences and live webinars.

Members will be able to access:

·         Workbooks

·         Webinars

·         Interviews

·         Case Studies

·         Expert advice

·         FAQs

·         Member discounts and offers

Members can promote themselves or their business with:

·         A Personal Profile

·         Discussions Boards

·         Articles

·         Blogs

·         Events

·         SME Marketplace

You can become a member at www.everywoman.com/network and as a Computer Weekly reader you can quote the coupon code CW20 to receive a 20% discount.

This is a guest blog from Sarah Burnett Research Director for Public Sector BPO at NelsonHall

Readers of Witsend might know from my last blog post "Help UK's Technology Industry Win Gold" that I am very keen to help the IT industry in the UK, particularly new technology companies with fresh ideas. This is why, in my capacity as vice chair of BCSWomen, I have organised an event for technology start-ups on November 20 entitled "From Idea to Reality - Practical Tips for Technology Start-Ups". The event is a joint collaboration between BCSWomen and BCS Entrepreneurs specialist groups.

The speakers, who include Emma Jones, founder of EnterpriseNation.com and Startup Britain, Cary Marsh, founder of Mydeo.com, and Tom Harris of HI-Consulting, will talk about how they started their businesses. They will also discuss the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, offer advice on finding grants and funding and even explain how to prepare a funding proposal.

I hope that this event will be the first of a series designed to help technology entrepreneurs by providing them with insight and tips from people who have succeeded in turning ideas into successful businesses. The events should also provide great networking opportunities.

It is highly important that we encourage and support entrepreneurs, both male and female. Innovation and entrepreneurship is where any future economic growth in the UK is going to come from. BCSWomen and BCS Entrepreneurs are keen to encourage new entrepreneurs address the challenges that they face when starting businesses, and in particular we are keen to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs.

Female undergraduates, thinking of a career in IT, will gather for a day of skills and discussions with females that work within the technology sector at the IT's not just for boys! event.

As part of TARGETjobs Events' STEMinism awareness campaign, 120 females have been chosen to attend the one day event which will be held at Bloomberg's London offices on 23 November. The students will spend the day taking part in skills sessions, discussions and networking with other ladies in technology from the event sponsors and computer scientist Dr Sue Black.

The event is sponsored by 14 companies including Bloomberg, Microsoft, Logica, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Sky and IBM.

Jenna Follett, recruitment marketing and events EMEA at Bloomberg, said Bloomberg scout for top level female graduates to join its development team within its R&D business.

"By working alongside TARGETjobs Events, Bloomberg are able to support the development of female IT grads while also connecting them with our business representatives and career opportunities," she added.  

There are only a few weeks left to enter the 2013 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards.

The awards are designed to recognise the achievements of women working within the technology sector, so if you feel you deserve recognition or you know a female that you think deserves a pat on the back, for all her hard work, then here's your chance.

Hosted by everywoman, in association with womenintechnology.co.uk and sponsored by FDM Group, the awards will be presented at a ceremony at The Savoy on 19 March 2013.

Entry for the awards is free and there are seven categories to choose from:

·     Rising Star of the Year - awarded to a woman under 26 who is excelling in her technology career and is the one to watch.

·     Team Leader of the Year in an SME (with under 500 employees) - awarded to a woman whose team leadership has greatly contributed to the organisation's success.

·     Leader of the Year in a corporate organisation (with over 500 employees) - sponsored by Cisco - awarded to a women operating in a senior technology position making a contribution to the strategic direction of the business.

·     Innovator of the Year - sponsored by IET - The Institution of Engineering and Technology - awarded to a woman designing, developing, researching or implementing technology in an unconventional and innovative way.

·     Entrepreneur of the Year - awarded to an owner/operator of a technology business whose vision and talent will inspire others.

·     Inspiration of the Year - awarded to an individual (male or female) for their active commitment to encouraging, advancing or championing the progress of women working in technology.

·     Woman of the Year - sponsored by FDM Group - awarded to an exceptional woman whose vision, innovation and success makes her an outstanding role model for future generations.

Entries close 19 November, so if you haven't entered yet, you need to get your skates on. Full details of the awards categories and entry requirements can be found at www.everywoman.com/techawards.

Today is Ada Lovelace - a day to celebrate the first computer programmer (who just so happened to be a female, by the way!) - and it is also a day for FDM to celebrate a one year anniversary for its Women in IT Campaign.

Ada Lovelace (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since launching the campaign FDM claims to have seen an increase in female staff. For example female office-based staff has risen from 37% in January to 49% in October.

The number of female consultants out in the field has gone up to 18% in October from 13% in January. As a whole FDM has 23% of employees that are female. The industry average currently stands at 14.4%.

Part of the campaign includes FDM's Female Champion initiative, which enables women at the company to have a mentor, if they wish.  FDM now has 17 Female Champions based in the UK, Frankfurt, US and Hong Kong.

You can find more information about the campaign here.

Finalists for the 2012 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards have been announced, by The Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET).

 

The awards are broken into three prizes and are aimed at honouring outstanding female engineers under the age of 30, working in the UK.

Gabby Logan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The IET's Selection Panel, ranging from 18-28 year olds, selected five professional engineers and apprentices based on their achievements and comment to advancing women in technology.

 

The 2012 finalists are:

 

Roma Agrawal (WSP Group) 

Yewande Akinola (ARUP)

Jessica Jones (LGS Ltd) 

Philippa Riddoch (BAE Systems)

Charlotte Tingley (BAE Systems)

 

Winners will be presented with their awards and cash prizes on 6 December at the London Savoy Place.

 

The ceremony will be hosted by TV presenter and ex-gymnast Gabby Logan who commented: "I'm honoured and really excited to be asked to present this year's event.

 

"I fully support efforts that encourage young women to take jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries, such as engineering and technology, and to show them support early in their careers."

 

The ceremony is free to attend. If you would like to attend you can find out more information here.

 

 

 

As company secretary of Capgemini UK, my days are full, structured and fulfilling but I make sure I still have time to mentor 3-4 women, and do it carefully and with total confidentiality - even writing this makes me feels like I am breaking a secret code!

I decided recently that I enjoy mentoring colleagues and particularly women, as it's not coaching, managing or reviewing, but it's purely relational and involves listening and guiding. I have mentored women in the workplace for many years and often hear them say things like, "I'd be unstoppable if only I could get started with...".  They sometimes need a gentle nudge or sometimes a hard shove before the "ah ha" moment comes, and that's where I come in.  

I listen and advise, sometimes providing totally obvious tips, and soon they are out of the traps like the proverbial greyhound.

I tend not to publicise my mentoring as I want others to comment on the difference, or notice the change, without my prompting.  Seeing my mentee's confidence and impact grow fills me with pride. Sometimes, given we're in a male dominated work space, my mentoring helps women find their voice and gives them the "oomph" to do whatever they wish to achieve.

Am I flying the flag for diversity; doing it to promote workplace equality; or just responding to a simple request to guide and assist someone in a moment of professional angst? I believe it's all of those and that more women in IT would benefit from taking time out with a mentor, me included!

Mentoring women has been rewarding as I have seen "wish lists" turned into action and positive decisions to stop something, which can be just as enabling. I like the "work friendship" angle that mentoring has given me.  I meet women who I wouldn't usually come across, in diverse roles and with very different backgrounds, but their issues are universal and fixable.

It's really a pleasure to mentor women, as we have SO much wisdom and experience to share. I do give honest and sometimes unpalatable advice knowing that the mentee will benefit at some point. What I have noticed is that all my mentees, irrespective of gender, want to make their wishbone their backbone and what pure joy it is to see that happen.

This is a guest blog from Louise Strong, Senior Test Consultant at FDM, who discusses the company's event last night. The Women in IT event attracted 60 attendees.

Last night we held another successful Women in IT event in London. We were lucky enough to have three wonderful speakers in addition to our own COO Sheila Flavell, and got a chance to view our latest Women in IT video on the big screen!

The purpose of these events is to inspire younger generations to take the leap into IT. It is widely known that IT is severely male dominated, with only 14.4% of women taking on IT roles in today's industry. It is therefore the aim of FDM's women in IT campaign to encourage more women to consider an IT career and to create a supportive environment for them.

Our first speaker was Charlotte Keens, who has spent the last two years working as an FDM Consultant placed with UBS. Charlotte gave us an insight into her world as a young female Project Manager in a heavily male dominated environment, and how she has made a success of her career to date.

Next up we had Louise Weale who is currently the Release Manager at Business Link, but has held numerous technical positions in IT over the years. Louise gave us a great insight into how the world of programming and software development has changed over the years, along with changing attitudes; not only towards women in the industry but also to the idea of the 'typical geek'.

Last but by no means least, we had the incredibly motivated Dr Sue Black. Sue has recently won the PepsiCo's Women's Inspiration Network Award, was acknowledged as the 7^th most influential woman in UK IT by Computer Weekly and was responsible for saving Bletchley Park and keeping it open for future generations to visit and enjoy. Sue gave us a great talk about how she has achieved so much and got to where she is today, and I'm sure every woman that attended will agree what an inspiration she was and will continue to be for future generations of Women in IT.

The evening was concluded in style with a little champagne and cupcake based networking, where members of FDM's internal staff were on hand to talk to women looking to start their career in IT, and chat to our guest speakers.

Overall, speaking as a self confessed techie, there is nothing better than nerding out with a few like-minded women over a good cupcake or two, and I can't wait for our next event.

Oh and did I mention there was cake?

This is a guest blog from Elena Shishkina, chief financial officer at SAP UKI, who discusses the much debated EU boardroom quotas, and what else needs to be done to achieve gender equality

During the last week, I've been trying to keep up with the saga surrounding the European Commission's plans to force mandatory quotas for women in the boardroom.  

The proposals, delivered this month to force listed companies across Europe to ensure that 40% of non-executive board seats are occupied by women, were certainly a bold move. And clearly, given the British response, they were a step too far.  Britain spearheaded the opposition, assembling a blocking minority with eight other countries who strongly criticised plans for the legislation. 

The whole issue got me thinking about the wider topic of gender equality in the boardroom, and in the technology industry specifically.  According to the EU proposals, at present, women make up a mere 14% of board seats - something which must be rectified.  There is agreement across the UK that such a disparity between men and women in business must be combated, but we're yet to find one clear strategy to get there.

Clearly, gender legislation is vitally important to equal opportunities, creating cracks in the glass ceiling preventing women from reaching the top.  However, in this instance, I found myself asking: should businesses really be forced to choose a woman over a man for the board, just so they fulfil a quota?

Surely, the whole basis of equal rights is that reward and progress should be a result of merit, and finding the right man - or woman - for the job.

Legislation is undoubtedly crucial, but I feel that there is a much wider challenge which needs to be addressed.  We need to start at the root of the problem, which means engaging women at a young age in historically 'male' careers, such as technology and finance.

There are so many opportunities in these industries, something which I've had the pleasure of experiencing firsthand, and I feel strongly that the battle should be focussed on changing perceptions and dispelling myths around women in business (as well as legislative efforts).

Fortunately, there are already some great initiatives out there which aim to do just this.  The UKRC and WISE, offer services to help businesses and organisations ensure gender equality and diversity in science, engineering and technology, whilst STEMNET holds events tailored to encouraging young women to pursue careers in these industries. 

However, there is still work to be done.  According to recent research conducted by the UKRC men in the UK are six times more likely than women to work in science, technology, engineering or maths. With such great prospects out there for both men and women in these areas, I really hope to see an improvement on the statistics in the coming years.  We need to see more women going into these careers, and I truly believe heightened engagement and raised awareness are vital in making this happen. 

Belinda Parmar, better known as Lady Geek, has released a new book which will be launched at the Apple Store on Regent Street next Wednesday.

The book Little Miss Geek outlines practical steps for bridging the gap between women and technology.  Through her book Parmar aims to inspire girls everywhere to be tech pioneers.

The event will include lively discussions from industry figures, about women being part of the next technological revolution.  

According to their flyer only 17% of technology jobs are held by women, with that number continuing to shrink.

The event takes place Oct 3^rd from 7pm. For more information you can visit www.ladygeek.com

FDM will be holding a women in IT event, in celebration of Ada Lovelace and the achievements of women in technology.

Ada Lovelace, 19th century British mathematician (1836). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Taking place Thursday 11^th October, 17:45-20:00, at FDM's London Bridge office, the event is designed to inspire, inform and build valuable professional relationships.

Speakers will include Louise Weale, release manager at Business Link, Dr Sue Black, senior research associate in the computer science department at University College London, and Charlotte Keens, FDM PMO consultant placed at UBS.

Cake included.

To find out more and secure a place visit http://assets.fdmgroup.com/Women-in-IT-11th%20October.html

Members of the IEEE and the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) have announced a three step plan, which can be used as a solution to close the gender gap in STEM careers.

The steps are designed to inspire, encourage and empower women worldwide, into pursuing a career in engineering.

According to WIE, and therefore reflected in the three-step plan, females need early and constant exposures to engineering and the sciences. This should commence when a child starts school and follow her through until university. WIE also believe that existing social obstacles need to be broken down, within the business world, and more role models are needed to inspire females into engineering.

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Expose girls to STEM fields at a young age

Ensuring that parents and teachers are playing a bigger role in motivating girls to consider engineering, as they're growing up. Introducing young girls to the various field available to them and teaching them what impact engineers have on society.

Maura Schreier-Fleming, IEEE senior member and member of WIE, said: "Children are surrounded by engineering innovations every day and it rarely occurs to them to think that engineers were responsible for any of them.

"Girls need constant exposure from parents and teachers to the more technical side of the world around us and how they can grow up to be a part of creating things that positively impact our daily lives."

Step 2: Focus on engineering careers

In most parts of the world fewer women enrol onto undergraduate engineering programmes than men. Chemical and biological sciences are the most popular STEM subjects with women, however electrical and mechanical engineering is lagging behind.

"The disparity between men and women enrolled at universities as engineering majors globally underscores the importance of a targeted recruitment program, especially towards the less popular fields of electrical and mechanical engineering," said Dr. Karen Panetta, IEEE fellow, past Worldwide director of the IEEE WIE and U.S. presidential awardee for engineering education and mentoring.

Step 3: Break down social barriers

Attracting and retaining women into engineering jobs by breaking down the barrios upon entering. This means making sure women are on track for management and have the necessary methods in place to preserve a work-life balance.

 "Women who graduate with engineering degrees are typically stereotyped and moved into 'girly' jobs, like sales, consulting and marketing," said Teresa Schofield, IEEE member and member of WIE in the UK.

"We need more women, like Diane Greene, Ursula Burns, Marissa Mayer and Virginia Rometty, to generate excitement for our young women to pursue STEM careers," she added.

Live community chats all this month

In a bid to introduce mote women into the field of engineering, IEEE members will be hosting live global chats over the next four weeks. These WIE Live Community Chats will consist of one hour long, interactive video discussions hosted by female IEEE experts.

You can find out dates and times of the chats here.

Zambia's Women in Technology organisation Asikana Network has created a map of the continent's Women in Tech organisations, projects and initiatives.

To strengthen the network of Women in Tech groups, in Africa, the project identifies sister organisations across the continent including the likes of Akira Chix in Kenya and WITU in Uganda. The Asikana Network is housed at Bongohive, Zambia's Technology & Innovation Hub.

Satellite image of Africa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

"It's extremely difficult for females in ICT to land their dream ICT jobs because it is still considered a male dominated field," said Ella Mbewe, co-founder of the Asikana Network.

According to Mbewe to be successful, in technology, women have to work twice as hard and be extremely resilient: "We formed the Asikana Network for women facing these challenges to come together to support one another.

"We aim to change perceptions and behavior towards women in ICT and to level the playing field for those young women who come behind us. Hopefully they will not have to face the same obstacles and we will help them to succeed."

The Network was founded last year by three Zambian women working in the ICT sector in Lasaka: Ella Mbewe, Regina Mtonga and Chisenga Muyoya.

Through the use of Ushahidi CrowdMap, an online mapping platform, created by Kenyans, finds and references African Women in Tech groups through social media and crowdsourcing.

Regina Mtonga, co-Founder, Asikana Network, said: "This is a very positive story about Africa that directly contrasts the negative stereo-typing of Africa as a continent dominated by poverty, corruption and hopelessness. The technology sector is booming in Africa and we want women's participation to be recognised and valued."

On why they chose to use a mapping initiative Chisenga Muyoya, co-founder said: "We think that crowd-mapping is the perfect way to make visible the wealth of women's talent and enterprise springing up all across Africa.

"We want Women in Tech organisations out there to put themselves on the map, make themselves visible and help us to build a supportive and strong community of African Women in Technology."

To see the map you can visit the Africa Women in Technology website here: https://womentechafrica.crowdmap.com

Ada Lovelace continues to inspire women 160 years after her death, as musician Emily Howard has created three compositions entitled The Lovelace Trilogy based on her life's works. For those who don't know, Lovelace was a mathematician and the only legitimate daughter of poet Lord Byron.

Watercolor portrait of Ada Lovelace (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dubbed the world's first computer programmer, one of Lovelace's projects aimed to create a mathematical model for how the brain gives rise to thoughts and nerves to feelings called 'A calculus of the nervous system.' One of Howard's pieces is called 'A calculus of the nervous system' and is based on a sequence of memories with each memory being associated with a line from Sir Geoffrey Hill's Clavics.

Last year the piece was commissioned by the music festival Wien Modern for the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, conducted by James MacMillan. It premiered in the Wiener Konzerthaus last November.

After studying mathematics and computation at Oxford University, Howard started composing professionally. Her first orchestral piece was played by the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra when she was seven.

About her work Howard says: "Music that is important to me moves me emotionally and intellectually. My work is often informed by ideas from psychology, philosophy, poetry, science and the history and myths associated with scientific phenomena. 

"Frequently I use techniques and processes derived from mathematical principles to create musical structures on which to base compositions and increasingly, questions about memory processes play an important role in my music."

Howard currently teaches composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, in Manchester where she lives.

Michelle Perkins, director schools Outreach Programme at Capgemini writes a guest blog on how Paralympian Oscar Pistorius got her thinking. 'Blade runner' Pistorius' outburst made news after he took silver and claimed his Brazilian rival used longer carbon fibre prosthesis than should be allowed.

Oscar Pistorius during 2011 World championships Athletics in Daegu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oscar Pistorius' outburst after taking silver divided the sporting fraternity.  However, Oscar's untimely comments, got me thinking. It's debated often in this forum that not enough women are joining the IT industry.  Are we missing a trick?  Is this the time for us to showcase the role that science, technology, engineering and maths played in hosting such a great games and generating champion performances from Victoria Pendleton, Ellie Simmonds and friends?

From the Velodrome to Eton Dorney, technology has supported the Olympians and Paralympians to glory, whilst on the courts of Wimbledon the crowds held their breath waiting for the results of challenges.  Technology has actually dictated the direction of the pole vault and javelin - making one higher and curtailing the other.  One could even say that without the precision of the timing equipment Clare Balding and Chad's dad would still be strangers!

What about Danny Boyle's creative vision?  Without technology he may be suffering from unfulfilled nightmares and not be in line for a knighthood!

And now, we know the engineering and technology that go into those incredible blades - seriously if you had the ability who wouldn't want to make Oscar Pistorius go faster?

The Olympics and Paralympics are of course all about elite athletics.  But the mantra of "inspire the next generation" should fuel interest in both participating in and watching live sport - a hotbed for using technology.  From pedometer and nutrition apps, to ticketing databases and supporter updates and diagnostic equipment (for those injuries!) this is a time for technology to shine too.

So, let's make sure young girls take to the judo mat, their bikes, the pool and the track but let's remember that for those who won't be Jess Ennis or Sarah Storey - maybe a career supporting the next generation of elite athletes is just as valuable!