The second Tuesday of October is Ada Lovelace Day.  Lovelace  is known as the first computer programmer when, in 1842, she translated an article which detailed “what is believed to be the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine” (2016, October 10 LNP). Founded in 2009, International Ada Lovelace Day celebrates the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. Organizers of Ada Lovelace Day hope that “young girls will see that it’s not just OK to love science, tech, engineering and maths, but that there are real opportunities for them at school, at university, and at work” (2016, October 10, Charman-Anderson, Quoted in Forbes). A group of Penn Manor staff and community members are working to provide more information to students about Computer Science Careers. In honor of Ada Lovelace day, below are a few opportunities for girls in STEM and Computer Science. Check back on the blog in the future for a more extensive list of opportunities (a webpage of resources is in development). If you have other events and opportunities you would like included in a resources list for girls interested in Computer Science, please contact Ms. Wile or Ms. Miller.

Upcoming Events for Women in STEM for Penn Manor High School Girls:

• Detail Coming: Field Trip to Thaddeus Stevens for TWIST with TSCT.   This TWIST event (Targeting Women in Science & Technology) will be Tuesday, November 8th from 9-2:30.  Female Penn Manor Students grades 9-12th will be able to take advantage of this field trip. Invitations, details and sign-up information will be available on the blog and announcements in the coming weeks. Seniors who attend will get a free application to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

Opportunities for through out Lancaster County in STEM and Computer Science:

• Lancaster CoderDojo. Learn to code, develop websites, apps, programs, and games run by volunteers in the community. Meetings are hosted at Public Librarys in Lancaster County. http://codelancaster.org
• STEM Sisters through the North Museum. Registration being accepted for events in October and November. Mre events in Feburary and June.
• For Middle School: Lancaster Science Factory Girls Code Club

Penn Manor High School Course offered:

• AP Computer Science Principles (Prerequisite- Algebra 1 proficiency)
• Open Campus Video Game Design
• Elective Applied Engineering & Technology courses on pages 27-35 of the Course Selection Guide.
• Millersville University Dual Enrollment: Intro to Computer Programming, Computer Science 161 (Prerequisite- proficiency on Millersville Math Placement test or AP Calc Exam). Dual Enrollment Interest meetings are each each semester for the following semester, to sign up to learn about Spring Dual Enrollment Meeting in October click here.

Read More about Ada Lovelace Day 2016:

Kundu, S. (2016, October 10). Ada Lovelace Day 2016- A celebration of women in science and technology. Forbes. Link

Negley, E. (2016, October 10) In time for Ada Lovelace Day, here’s advice from 4 lancaster county women in tech. LNP, pp B1, B4. Link

Penn Manor Teachers: Consider participating in Hour of Code during  Computer Science Education week, December 5th-11th  https://csedweek.org/.  Sign-up now to receive posters and promotional materials by December.