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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Indiana's top young women in computing to be recognized Jan. 18 in Indianapolis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 17, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The National Center for Women & Information Technology, an Indiana University-led consortium of the state's universities and a group of local corporate sponsors called Indiana STARS have announced the winners of the second annual Indiana Aspirations in Computing Award competition.

Twenty-one winners and 19 runners-up from all over Indiana will be recognized Wednesday, Jan. 18, at an awards ceremony at OneAmerica corporate headquarters in Indianapolis. The competition is part of a nationwide effort spearheaded by NCWIT to introduce young women to leadership opportunities in the field of computing, to generate visibility for women's participation in the field and ultimately to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. Winners are being acknowledged for their outstanding aptitude and interest in technology and computing, leadership ability, academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.

The 2011 winners are:

• Kathrine Bauschka, Penn High School
• Hope Casey-Allen, Park Tudor
• Rebecca Chen, Park Tudor
• Katheryn Fillingsness, Hamilton Southeastern High School
• Alexis Fink, Park Tudor School
• Milaylah Gross, Westfield High School
• Victoria Humphreys, Penn High School
• Mary Kelsey, Adams High School
• Rachael Libby, Eastern Hancock High School
• Alexa Loncharich, Carmel High School
• Holly Markovich, Munster High School
• Katherine McAvoy, Columbus North High School
• Brooke Milan, Westfield High School
• Catherine Mytelka, Park Tudor
• Emily Peed, Ben Davis University High School
• Marlow Rumreich, Lawrence North High School
• Jessica Shade, Floyd Central High School
• Kinsey Small, University High School of Indiana
• Sophie Spartz, Park Tudor
• Catherine Spyr, Lawrence North High School
• Harini Suresh, West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School

This year's group of winners includes nine young women who participated in, and won, the Indiana competition in each of the past two years, and who also participated in the national competition this year. Alexis Fink, Milaylah Gross, Rachael Libby, Holly Markovich, Catherine Mytelka, Marlow Rumreich, Catherine Spyr and Harini Suresh were named runners-up in this year's national competition, and Emily Peed, a senior at Ben Davis University High School in Indianapolis, was named a winner in the national competition.

"This competition is a positive step toward increasing awareness of the need for dynamic, creative women in technology. We are proud to honor such an exemplary group of young women who will undoubtedly impact the workforce, and world, with their contributions to the field of computing and technology," said Maureen Biggers, assistant dean for diversity and education at the IU Bloomington School of Informatics and Computing and chair of the Indiana Aspirations in Computing Awards Committee.

Each winner in the Indiana competition will receive $250, scholarship opportunities from several computing departments from around the state, engraved plaques for themselves and their school, a T-shirt and a gift bag.

Indiana STARS is part of a National Science Foundation-funded grant led by Biggers and Dennis Groth, associate dean at the School of Informatics and Computing. Along with a group of IU and corporate sponsors, they are promoting computing-related majors and career opportunities as well as a broadening of participation of underrepresented Indiana talent (women and minorities) who know computing and IT.

About NCWIT

NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology, a nonprofit coalition of more than 200 prominent corporations, academic institutions, government agencies and nonprofits working to improve U.S. innovation, competitiveness and workforce sustainability by increasing women's participation in IT. NCWIT's work spans K-12 and higher education through industry and academic careers. Find out more at www.ncwit.org.

For more information, please contact Steve Chaplin, IU Communications, at 812-856-1896 or stjchap@iu.edu. Tweeting IU science: @IndianaScience

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