IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 76, 2007
CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine:

Office: 724.738.4854

Cell: 724.991.8302

gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

Joseph earns Grace Hopper Scholar award at conference

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University computer science faculty member Patricia Joseph was named a Grace Hopper Scholar when she and Stephanie Kasenter, a senior computer science major from New Castle, presented their peer-reviewed posters at the international 2007 Grace Hopper Celebration of Computing Conference in Orlando, Fla.

            The conference, the seventh in a series of conferences designed to bring research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront, is the largest technical conference in the United States for women in computing.  More than 1,400 women from 22 countries attended.

            Joseph’s poster, one of the results of her yearlong study conducted with the approval of the SRU Institutional Review Board, was titled “Recruitment and Retention of Women Who Major in Computing in Pennsylvania.” 

            Kasenter’s poster, “Programming on Personal Assistants with Java,” was the result of research she conducted under the supervision of Deborah Whitfield, SRU professor of computer science, in her Java programming course.

            Whitfield and one of Joseph's “Challenges of Computer Technology” students – Spring Barrett, a senior information systems major from Sharon, also participated.

            The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing was presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Association for Computing Machinery.  

             Slippery Rock University is Pennsylvania’s premier public residential university. Slippery Rock University provides students with a comprehensive learning experience that intentionally combines academic instruction with enhanced educational and learning opportunities that make a positive difference in their lives.