The 2009 Google Australia and New Zealand Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) 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 2009 Google Australia and New Zealand Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. 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 background and demonstrated leadership. A group of female undergraduate and graduate student finalists will be chosen from the applicant pool. Each scholar recipient will receive a $5,000 scholarship towards the 2010 academic year. In addition all finalists and scholarship recipients will be invited to an expenses-paid networking retreat to be held at Google’s Sydney Engineering centre in September.

Who can apply?

Applicants must satisfy all of the following criteria to be eligible:

• Be a female student at an Australian or New Zealand university who has completed one or more years of a Bachelors degree with at least one year of study remaining, whether as part of a Bachelors or postgraduate degree.
• Be enrolled in full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at an university or equivalent tertiary institution (please see FAQ for details) in Australia or New Zealand in 2010.
• Be studying Computer Science, Software Engineering, Informatics, or a closely related technical field.
• Maintain an excellent academic record (e.g. distinction average plus).

Citizens, permanent residents, and international students are eligible to apply. Past applicants and finalists are also encouraged to re-apply. If you have any questions, please emailanitaborgscholars.au@google.com.

How to apply

Please complete the online application and submit all required documents online by June 1st, 2009. First-time users will be required to register and create an account.

You will be asked to submit:

• your contact information, education and work history,
• answers to three short essay questions,
• a copy of your transcripts (Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD, if applicable),
• your resume – with leadership, work, education, and technical accomplishments included,
• 2 letters of recommendation.

Scholarship finalists and recipients will be notified in late August 2009.

Questions? Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page (FAQ) or email us at anitaborgscholars.au@google.com.

About the Finalists’ Retreat

Every year scholarship finalists and scholars are invited to an all-expenses paid retreat held in Sydney in early October. You can find out more about the 2008 retreat through the photos and from the official Google Australia blog.

In addition to free time for sightseeing and socializing, the formal part of the retreat typically spans a Thursday and Friday and includes:

• welcome lunch and tour of Google;
• informal ice breaker activities and introductions;
• introduction to the Anita Borg Institute and the scholarship program;
• personal insights and technical talks;
• workshops.

http://www.google.com.au/anitaborg/