The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: Asia-Pacific

“Her capacity to mix technical expertise and a relentless vision inspired, motivated and moved women to embrace technology instead of avoiding or ignoring it.”

Dr. Anita Borg (1949–2003)

Anita Borg believed that technology affects all aspects of our economic, political, social and personal lives. A technology rebel with a cause, in her life she fought tirelessly to ensure that technology’s impact would be a positive one. It was this vision that inspired Anita in 1997 to found the Institute for Women and Technology. Today this organization continues on her legacy and bears her name, The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (www.anitaborg.org).

Dr. Anita Borg

Her capacity to mix technical expertise and a relentless vision inspired, motivated and moved women to embrace technology instead of avoiding or ignoring it. She has touched and changed the lives of countless women in the computing fields and beyond. She is responsible for including women in the technological revolution – not as bystanders, but as active participants and leaders. In 1987, prior to founding the Institute, Anita began an email online community called Systers which today has 3,000 members from all over the world. In 1994, Anita co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference. The Grace Hopper Celebration has grown to become the largest gathering of women in computing in the world. The Anita Borg Institute is the umbrella organization for both of these ongoing programs as well as the Virtual Development Center, TechLeaders and a host of other dynamic partnerships and collaborations that embrace Anita’s ongoing vision.

During her life, Anita’s commitment to her vision and expertise in the field gained her significant recognition. In 1999 President Clinton appointed her to the Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology. In 2002, she received the Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy, and Employment.

Born Anita Borg Naffz on January 17th, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, she grew up in Palatine, Illinois, Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Mukilteo, Washington. Anita found her way to a computer keyboard in her mid-20s. She received a Ph.D. in computer science from the Courant Institute at New York University in 1981. She then embarked on a brilliant research career for some of industry’s commercial giants including, Nixdorf, Digital/Compaq’s Western Research Lab and Xerox PARC.

The Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: Asia-Pacific for 2013 is now open. The closing deadline will be May 31, 2013.

The Scholarship

Dr. Anita Borg devoted her adult life to revolutionising the way we think about technology and dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. Her combination of technical expertise and fearless vision continues to inspire and motivate countless women to become active participants and leaders in creating technology.

As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to furthering Anita’s vision, we are pleased to announce The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: Asia-Pacific (APAC). Through the scholarship, we aim to encourage women to excel in computing and technology, and become active role models and leaders.

Scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic performance, leadership experience and demonstrated passion for computer science. A group of female Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students will be chosen from the applicant pool across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and India. Each scholarship recipient will receive a scholarship amount specific to their local region in respect to tuition.

All scholarship recipients will be invited to visit a Google office in Sydney, Australia for a networking retreat. It will include workshops with a series of speakers, panels, breakout sessions and social activities, and will provide an opportunity to meet and share experiences.

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must:

Be a female student enrolled in full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Be enrolled at a University in any of the following countries: Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India. Citizens, permanent residents, and international students are eligible to apply.
Be studying Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
Maintain an excellent academic record.

How to apply

Please complete the online application and submit all required documents online by May 31, 2013. First-time users will be required to register and create an account. You will be asked to submit electronic versions of the following:

Resume – with education, work and technical accomplishments included

Transcripts
- Bachelor’s: A copy of your current academic record
- Master’s and PhD: A copy of your previous and current academic records

Two letters of recommendation
- The letters should be written by individuals who are qualified to evaluate your academic and leadership accomplishments, e.g. from a professor, adviser or supervisor. You will be asked for the name and contact information for each of your references when you complete the online application. Each contact you enter will receive an email generated by the online application including instructions on how to submit their letter electronically. The deadline for your references to complete the letter of recommendation is June 10, 2013.

Answers to three short essay questions (suggested word count is 400-600 words per question)
1. Describe a significant computer science project you have worked on. (If you have worked on a major independent research project, such as research for a graduate program, please describe that work here). Give an overview of the problem and your approaches to the key technical challenges. If this was a group effort, be sure to specify your individual role and contributions.
2. Give an example(s) of a situation(s) where you significantly demonstrated your leadership abilities. Explain what you set out to achieve and how you went about it. What was the outcome of your efforts? These need not be demonstrated through formal or traditional leadership roles. Feel free to think broadly and examine the many ways you impact members of your technical community.
3. Have you thought of the next big product/technology to revolutionize the market as we know it? Write out a business proposal to a Venture Capitalist, including a description of the product/technology, your planned methodology to develop it to bring it to the consumer market and the expected positive impact on people's lives.

For specific questions not answered on this page or in the FAQ section, please e-mail anitaborg-apac@google.com. The subject field of your email must include “Anita Borg Question”.

About the Scholars’ Retreat

All scholarship recipients will be invited to an expenses paid retreat held in Sydney, Australia in September. In addition to free time for sightseeing and socializing, the formal part of the retreat typically includes:

Welcome meal and tour of Google;
Informal ice breaker activities and introductions;
Introduction to the Anita Borg Institute and the scholarship program;
Personal insights, technical talks, and workshops.

You can read the scholars' interview about the 2012 Asia Anita Borg Memorial Scholars' Retreat in Singapore on Google Student Blog. Also you can watch the video of the 2012 Australia & New Zealand Anita Borg Memorial Scholars' Retreat in Sydney on YouTube.

We look forward to receiving your application!