Here come the IT girls!

Around 200 teenage girls from across the area converged on the University this week for a conference.

The Girls and Gadgets Computer Conference aimed to engage girls with all aspects of computer science and raise their awareness of the opportunities it can offer.

It involved a range of practical sessions and guest speakers. Activities included an e-journalism session, with girls interviewing guest speakers and creating a website from the stories they compiled. The girls also took part in sessions on computer games, digital music, multimedia and animation.

The annual event, now in its second year, is organised by Alison Brown, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing.

Alison said: 'We aim to offer the girls an understanding of the vast range of opportunities available to them in the field of computing. The plan is to run this conference annually, inviting girls back each year. The conference can help to encourage them to consider computer science as a serious career choice.'

Father and daughter team Gary and Noola Griffiths ran multimedia sessions during the day. Gary is a Principal Lecturer in the School of Computing, while Noola, 26, also recently joined the School of Computing as a part-time lecturer.

Cover girl The girls also explored image manipulation in a session called Cover Girl, which involved them taking photographs of themselves to electronically manipulate.

Beth Purvis, 13, and Cienna Singleton, 14, are both pupils at Ormesby School, Middlesbrough. Beth said: 'I like the activities with photographs as you can get rid of all the bad parts! I want to be a photographer when I’m older and take pictures of celebrities.'

Cienna said: 'It’s quiet with no boys here and very different to school. I’d like to work with computers when I’m older.'

Marie Affleck, the girls’ ICT teacher at Ormesby School, said: 'The girls definitely behave differently on their own. It’s good for them to be outside the classroom and try something different and it inspires them to think about university when they’re older. Beth and Cienna both said as we walked around the campus that they both want to go to university, and they prompted the conversation.'

Keynote speaker Eileen Brown works for Microsoft UK and is keen to promote the advancement of women in IT. Eileen manages Microsoft’s IT Professional technical evangelist team.

Award winning animator Siobhan Fenton, Senior Lecturer in Animation in the University’s School of Computing, also spoke to the girls. Siobhan won the prestigious Royal Television Society Award in 2006 and has produced many successful animations.

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