W o m e n i n G e o g r a p h i c I n f o r m a t i o n S y s t e m s a r e i n H i g h D e m a n d !

San Diego Mesa College and the

CalWomenTech Project present

Program Information ............................................... 1

FAQs—Career and Academic ................................... 4

Role Models/Women’s Success Stories ................... 6

Women in GIS Websites ........................................ 10

WomenTechWorld.org ........................................... 11

CalWomenTech Project Summary ......................... 12

For more information visit www.womentechworld.org/sdmesa

Program: Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

"The first step to success is stepping out of your comfort zone. At first I was a little timid or scared of speaking out and sharing ideas, but once I finally did, it built my confidence. I think a lot of women go through this, but you’ve got to make that first step, and the first step is the scariest.”

Approx. Starting Salary: $10 - $16 per hour

Average Salary: $35,000 – $49,000

Average Wage at Placement: $22,000 - $29,000

Placement Rate:

Tremendous opportunities for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technicians have surfaced in the Southern California area. Students who do well in the GIS program will easily find a position as a GIS technician. Students are required to complete internships during the course of their studies, providing them with the experience needed, combined with their education, to gain employment as a GIS technician.

Labor Market:

Because the new technologies in GIS have such broad application, the labor market for workers trained in GIS is bustling. Most local governments, the military, and companies and consultants addressing environmental, transportation, water, and planning related issues collect and analyze data for GIS databases.

Career Information

Career Path: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technicians use computer hardware, software, and geographic data to collect, manage, analyze, and display location information. New graduates will find employment as GIS technicians, working in governments or private industry. With more experience, a graduate might be promoted to work as a GIS analyst in the same industry. After achieving an advanced skill level or a four-year degree, graduates would qualify for more advanced analyst positions, management level opportunities or consulting roles.

Nature of the Work: The nature of the work as a GIS technician varies significantly depending on the industry, company, and job title. However, much of the work in GIS is spent at a computer. Work for interns and new graduates often may also involve collecting data about locations in the field, typing that data into computer databases, and perhaps mapping and overlaying that data with other related information such as roads or other landmarks.

For example, a GIS technician working in city government might collect information to pinpoint the location of water lines, customer locations, or fire hydrants and enter them into a city map, or collect plant species and put them into a database also using a Global Positioning System (GPS).

Work Environment: Although the majority of the work is seated at a computer in an office environment, field data collection in a wide variety of settings, often outdoors, may also be required, especially for entry-level positions. Experienced GIS technicians may work from home as a consultant allowing them to balance work and family responsibilities.

Specific Jobs Available to Graduates: This major can be applied in many settings dealing with spatial reasoning problems, and mapping and display of location information.

The following list indicates fields which may be open to graduates of Mesa’s GIS program:

Geology, Geography & Oceanography

Physical and Life Sciences

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Economics and Market Research Analysis

City and Regional Planning

Engineering and Transportation Management

Property and Real Estate Management

Communications and Utility Operations

Surveying and Mapping Services

Landscape Architecture

Real Estate Broker Appraisal

Police, Fire & Ambulance Dispatch

Environmental Planning

Natural Resource Management

Industries Employing Graduates of this Program: Because GIS is such a rapidly growing field, most local governments and many industries require trained workers. Mesa College partners with local industries on the San Diego Regional GIS Council, which meets quarterly, and provides oversight and advice to the GIS program staff. In the San Diego area, city governments including Escondido, Encinitas, Carlsbad, National City, La Mesa and San Diego hire GIS technicians, as well as the county and federal government, Navy and Marine Corps, and police and sheriff’s departments. Private consulting firms in environmental, transportation, water, and other planning services also employ graduates.

Course Information

Course Description: The Geographic information Systems programs prepare students to use computer-based data management systems for gathering, storing, analyzing, and displaying spatial information. The program integrates the mapping sciences, geographic information systems technology, and spatial analysis with computer supported data storage, management and display functions. The course requires a work-study course in a public or private agency involving hands-on professional projects. San Diego Mesa College offers both a Certificate and an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program in GIS.

The GIS Specialist Certificate program requires 13-16 units in the following courses:

GISG 104 Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning GISG 110 Introduction to Mapping and GIS GISG 111 Intermediate Applications GISG 112 Spatial Analysis GISG 113 Advanced GIS Applications GISG 270 GIS Work-Field Experience

The GIS Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program includes the following courses, four units in a programming language, and other general education requirements to total 60 units.

GISG 110 Introduction to Mapping and GIS GISG 111 Intermediate Applications GISG 112 Spatial Analysis GISG 113 Advanced GIS Applications GISG 270 GIS Work-Field Experience

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Prerequisites: Because this course requires a general understanding of geography and map reading, some students select GEOG 101, Physical Geography as one of their early electives. Students should also have basic computer and desktop software skills.

Hours Offered: Courses at Mesa College are offered during weekday and evening hours. Some general education courses are available online.

Length of Program: GIS Certificate: Most students complete the 13-16 unit certificate program in a year or less, depending on scheduling of the courses. GIS A.S. Degree: The A.S. degree is a full-time, two-year program which requires 60 units of coursework. This includes both general education requirements and courses required for the GIS major.

Program Contact Information

Instructor Information:

Eileen Goff, Professor School of Business Studies, Computing and Technology 7250 Mesa College Drive San Diego, CA 92111 619.388.2277 egoff@sdccd.edu

Financial Aid Contact

I300 (1st floor) 7250 Mesa College Drive San Diego, CA 92111 619.388.2817 http://www.sdmesa.edu/financial-aid/index.cfm Hours: Monday - Thursday:8:00am - 6:00pm Friday:9:00am - 4:30pm

Tutoring Contact:

Erica Specht Tutoring Appointment Center Supervisor 7250 Mesa College Drive, K210B San Diego, CA 92111 619.388.2574 especht@sdccd.edu http://www.sdmesa.edu/appointment-center/index.cfm

Academic Counselor Contact:

Edie Richards, Academic and Career Counselor Counseling & Career Center 7250 Mesa College Drive, MB I-430 San Diego, CA 92111-4998 619.388.2663/2672 erichard@sdccd.edu http://www.sdmesa.edu/counseling/index.cfm

Job Placement Contact:

Edie Richards, Academic and Career Counselor 7250 Mesa College Drive, MB I-430 San Diego, CA 92111-4998 619.388.2663/2672 http://www.sdmesa.edu/7student-services/career-center/career-center.html Hours: Mon, Wed - Fri:8:00am - 5:00pm Tues:8:00am - 6:00pm

CalWomenTech Library Contact:

Jill Baker, AV Librarian Learning Resource Center 7250 Mesa College Drive San Diego, CA 92111-4998 619.388.2655 jibaker@sdccd.edu

Boosting Your Skills in the Technology Classroom A small amount of preparation can help make your days in the classroom go more smoothly. Visit the CalWomenTech Learning Library to find software and other tools to advance your math, spatial reasoning skills and much more. Learn about Mesa’s Tutoring Resources to find out how tutoring can help.

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Career FAQs Occupational outlook. Are employers hiring for jobs in this area? Yes! Tremendous opportunities for GIS technicians have surfaced in the Southern California area. Students who work hard and are motivated will have no problem finding employment into an entry level internship or technician position. Because the new technologies in GIS have such broad application, the labor market for workers trained in GIS is bustling. Most local governments, the military, and companies and consultants addressing environmental, transportation, water, and planning related issues collect and analyze data for GIS databases.

Technology background. Can I pursue a career in this field without a background in technology? Yes, definitely. However, it does help to have a basic understanding of geography and map reading, which you can take as a course elective (GEOG 101) if you don’t have these skills. Students should also have basic computer and desktop software skills. If you need practice or want to get a head start you can also:

Check out the CalWomenTech Learning Library, which offers software tools to enhance spatial reasoning and math skills, which you can use at the Tutoring Appointment Center.

Visit the Mesa College Tutoring Appointment Center, which has software programs available on multiple computers for learning and practice purposes, including a software tutorial for the program used by students for map production (using the industry standard GIS software package from ESRI).

Accessibility for women. Isn’t Geographic Information Systems a tough field for women to break into? Many women have built highly successful careers in Geographic Information Systems. Female students who apply themselves and do well in school should have no problem finding employment, since this field is growing rapidly. The GIS program offers multiple opportunities for hands-on internship experiences with employers while you are in school through GIS Work-Field Experience classes (GISG 270). These on-site learning experiences sometimes result in employment offers and look great on your resume! There are also Women in GIS Associations.

Receptivity to hiring women. Will employers hire women into male-dominated technology areas? Absolutely! Women are successfully employed as GIS professionals in government, academia, not-for-profit, and the private sector. Read more about women in GIS on our Women’s Success Stories page, or check out our Women in GIS Associations page to see how you can meet other successful women in this field.

Jobs available. What kinds of jobs can I get with a certificate and with an A.S. degree? Graduates of the A.S. degree program in GIS can expect to qualify for entry level permanent positions as GIS interns (both paid and unpaid) and GIS technicians. To move beyond the GIS technician level, a bachelor’s degree may be required eventually since this is a professional level job.

Graduates with GIS certificates can qualify for internship positions and may also qualify for a GIS technician role.

Salaries. What kind of salary can I expect? You can expect a starting salary of $10 to $16 per hour, and the average wage at placement is $22,000 to $29.000 per year. Workers with experience in GIS earn an average salary of $35,000 to $49,000 per year. Further advancement in this field may require a bachelor’s degree.

More information. Where can I learn more about technology careers and what they’re like for women? Read articles about women in GIS careers on the Home page of our website for starters, and check out our Women in GIS Associations and Women in Technology links for more information. You can also find a female mentor at E-Mentoring, join our e-mail list for women students at San Diego Mesa College, network with other women at a Women in Technology International meeting, and read our Women’s Success Stories about other women in this and related fields.

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Academic FAQs Math skills. How much math do I really need? Each new student at Mesa College takes a placement tests to determine her level of math skill. In the orientation which follows the placement tests, you’ll receive counseling and advice about the best math course to start out with. Some basic math skills courses are available online. GISG 104, the Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning course does have a math prerequisite or advisory recommending the level of math required – consult with your course catalog for details and discuss this with your counselor.

If you would like to enhance your math skills, Mesa College offers a two-hour readiness workshop on spatial relationships (the ability to see things in three dimensions) which helps students with the math and spatial relationship skills required for the GIS program. Check with your counselor or the Tutoring Appointment Center for more information. Mesa College also offers math tutoring through the Math and Science Center.

Technology skills. How can I prepare for the program if I don’t have a background in technology? Some students select GEOG 101, Physical Geography as one of their early electives to build a basic understanding of geography and skills in map reading. Students should also have basic computer and desktop software skills. The Mesa College Tutoring Appointment Center has software programs available on multiple computers for learning and practice purposes, including a software tutorial for the program used by students for map production (using the industry standard GIS software package from ESRI, a company originally known as Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.).

The CalWomenTech Learning Library offers tools to enhance spatial reasoning (your ability to see things in three dimensions) which is critical to GIS and math skills, which can then be used at the Tutoring Center. Instructors can also recommend online learning resources.

Once you’re enrolled in the program, there are also GIS Work-Field Experience classes (GISG 270) available which provide hands-on learning experiences through the course of your studies. You can also seek an internship through the Career Center for additional hands-on experience.

Course required. How can I find out what courses I need to take for the GIS program? Visit the GIS program website for details about both the degree and certificate programs and the courses required. You can also view Mesa College’s course catalog for additional detail.

Placement tests. Are placement tests required for this program? Yes. Students entering an associate degree or certificate program must take placement tests to determine their math and English level. Call (619) 388-2718 or visit the testing center at Room I425 (2nd Floor) to schedule your tests, or view complete details about placement testing on the Mesa College website, including a link to sample questions. Testing helps you and your counselor determine which math and English courses you are prepared to take.

Length of program. How long will it take to complete the GIS program? The A.S. degree in GIS is a full-time, two-year program which requires 60 units of coursework. This includes general education requirements and courses required for the GIS major. Some students spread their coursework over a longer period due to family and work commitments.

The GIS certificate program is completed by most students in a year or less, depending on how the courses are scheduled.

High school preparation. Can I prepare myself for a technology program at San Diego Mesa College while I’m still in high school? Mesa College has developed online GIS learning modules that students can take while in high school to learn more about GIS. Although your teacher must supply a password for the advanced modules, some areas of the GIS Career & Education Awareness website are accessible to the public. Visit the website to learn more about GIS, and ask your teacher or counselor if the program is available at your school. Mesa College offers certificates of completion to students who complete the modules.

Mesa College has also developed a fast track program with several high schools, which arranges for students to take courses at Mesa College while they are still in high school. Ask a teacher or the counseling department if your high school has a fast track program with Mesa College, or contact the GIS department or the Counseling Center at Mesa College for details.

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Women's Success Stories MICHELLE BOIVIN Age 31, Caucasian Senior Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst Employed by Technology Associates International Corporation (TAIC)

“The first step to success is stepping out of your comfort zone. At first I was a little timid or scared of speaking out and sharing ideas, but once I finally did, it built my confidence. I think a lot of women go through this, but you’ve got to make that first step, and the first step is the scariest.”

Career Quick Look Salary: $36K - $100K + Education: Years in Field: 10 years B.A. Degree, Cal State Universtiy Long Beach City/State: Chula Vista, CA

Getting Started: In high school, Michelle Boivin was drawn toward more technical subjects, and she was especially interested in math and science. When she graduated, she enrolled at Cal State University, Long Beach, initially studying business, then later switching her major to computer science. She had taken a few geography courses as part of her basic requirements, and one day one of her teachers told her about a new field, GIS, which seemed to touch on several of Michelle’s interests: regional geography, creativity, math, science, and computers. She took an introductory course in GIS and “I absolutely fell in love with it the first time I laid my hands on it,” says Michelle. She then switched to her third and final major, geography. Through her college program, she got an internship at the City of Huntington Beach, which later turned into a full-time job. “When you first start out, you do a lot of data manipulation; you’re scrubbing data, performing quality control, you’re really cleaning it up so it gives you the best possible geographic representation.” She also produced maps, collected data about municipal features such as parcels, fire hydrants, learned ESRI software (the standard software tool used in GIS), and got exposed to basic business practices.

She then moved on to an analyst position with the city of Charlotte, North Carolina Department of Transportation. In this job, she aided transportation modelers to determine where to build future roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks. There was a fine balance to maintain between demographic growth and existing elements such as landscaping and land use, along with Charlotte’s pedestrian and bike friendliness initiatives. She also had her first experience in Charlotte of working on an “enterprise” initiative, which attempted to bring data and projects from multiple municipal departments together. In this role, she learned the basics of project management and business processes. While she was there, she was able to apply and build upon a multitude of skills such as analysis, programming, and cartography, to help manage citizen requests.

The GIS manager for the city of Charlotte became a wonderful role model and mentor. She took Michelle under her wing, encouraged her to volunteer for special projects, helped her break out of her shell, and taught her the business side of GIS. They have since become friends. Michelle next moved back west and worked with the Orange County Fire Authority, where she provided support for two regional fire mapping projects. These projects brought together multiple fire departments to develop common maps, symbology, and labeling so departments with mutual aid agreements would all be working from the same information. From there, Michelle moved to private industry. She has worked for the past year as a consultant for Technology Associates International Corporation (TAIC). She supports a U.S. Marine Corps regional geospatial data center which provides GIS services for the ten western Marine Corps installations. Her role in the GEOFidelis West program involves a wide range of GIS support activities, including troubleshooting via the help desk, maintaining the help desk website, training personnel on ESRI software, providing technical leadership for special projects, and offering specialized support for two of the installations.

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Education: Michelle attended Cal State University, Long Beach, where she was awarded a B.A. degree in geography. She found the school environment and her teachers and fellow students quite supportive. The internships offered by her program prepared her well for the technical aspects of her career, but less so for business issues such as budget and project management. Dealing with more mature, experienced co-workers was also a challenge. She has since learned these skills on the job.

To maintain her technical proficiency, Michelle also takes online courses offered by ESRI which add to her basic understanding. She also studied to become an authorized instructor for ESRI, and received certification as a Certified GIS Professional (GISP) based on her experience, education, volunteer work, and published articles. She has taught herself the value of “getting out there” to gain knowledge and experience. “I have kind of a go-getter mentality,” she says.

Greatest Professional Achievement: “My biggest accomplishment is probably the fact that I feel satisfied in my career. It is very fulfilling,” says Michelle. “The job in itself is rewarding because I am helping to better our surroundings; whether it is through infrastructure support, environmental management, safety, or educating people.” She loves learning new things through volunteering for special projects, and she really enjoys teaching people to use ESRI software as well. “If they can go back to their office and use the software, that’s a real accomplishment for me.” Michelle also reports that the time she spent volunteering with the GIS Corps after Katrina was very rewarding, and led to new career opportunities and an interview with the New York Times.

Barriers: When Michelle entered the work world, she found it difficult at times to work with people who were very set in their ways and didn’t want to listen to new ideas. “It’s a male-dominated profession,” says Michelle. “You have to earn their respect. It’s not given to you. You have to prove yourself.”

Michelle overcame these obstacles by responding to requests on the job to volunteer for special projects, which helped her come out of her shell and learn about things she wouldn’t otherwise see on a daily basis. For example, her work on a GIS enterprise team in Charlotte taught her about the work of many other departments, including the emergency operations team. She was later able to apply that knowledge to her work with the Orange County Fire Authority and to her current projects at Camp Pendleton.

Working with Men: In Michelle’s current office, there are about 20 men and six women. “Don’t back down, we all have good ideas,” Michelle advises. “Don’t back down because you might feel a little timid or scared. I was like that at first, but once I finally put my foot down and broke out of my shell, which I think a lot of women need to do, it built my confidence. But you’ve got to make that first step, and the first step is the scariest.” Michelle reports her first step was presenting a paper in front of 70 people. “I don’t like public speaking, I can do it now, but I did not like it at all.” Giving this presentation helped her feel more comfortable around people, and she continued to build her confidence from there.

Career Ladder: Michelle has found that GIS offers many more opportunities than she expected. Some GIS professionals go into analysis, software programming, or systems or database administration, others teach. Although some people choose to remain technical, Michelle finds herself moving in another direction. “I never thought of myself as becoming a larger project manager, or a program manager, or a GIS manager for a city, but that’s where my career is heading now.” She finds that she uses her technical knowledge less as she calls upon her project management skills. Michelle recommends that women new to the field get grounded doing data manipulation, cartography, and improve their technical skills for a few years before branching into a specialized area. Management and consulting positions also offer career advancement potential.

Michelle has found that salaries in a municipality start from about $36K and advance for management roles to about $80K+. With several years of experience, consulting positions like Michelle’s may offer up to $80K to over $100K. She recommends the URISA salary survey at www.urisa.org to women who would like more information. Benefit packages cover the basics of health, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401K and/or retirement account.

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Women's Success Stories

AMY STOREY Age 32, Caucasian Associate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) AnalystEmployed by Nolte Associates

“Take the reins and do it. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

Career Quick Look Salary: $58K - $68K Education:

Years in Field: 5 years Mesa College, GIS Certificate Program Ohio State, 2 years

City/State: San Diego, CA

Education: Amy attended Ohio State right out of high school for two years, but did not complete her degree. When she accidentally discovered GIS, she had no official education in the field. Once she was promoted into her first official GIS role, she attended a two-week Introduction to GIS program offered by ESRI, the software used widely in GIS. As she began to settle into the GIS field, she enrolled in Mesa College’s GIS certificate program. She has now completed the course work for that program. The GIS certificate program at Mesa was a great fit for Amy, who sometimes works 50 to 60 hours a week. She was able to take one class at a time during her off hours.

“I really enjoyed it,” says Amy of the Mesa GIS certificate program. She gained exposure to many new parts of GIS, learned about new tools, and delivered complex presentations with other students. “I grew my skill set, and I now have more to offer.” She especially enjoyed a project related to traffic flow in the city of San Francisco that she completed in partnership with another student who was a traffic engineer. She also has brought back what she learned in a spatial analysis course to the survey department at Nolte.

Greatest Professional Achievement: The FEMA project Amy now manages, known as the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) project, digitizes flood and levee data for 20 counties throughout the state of California. She serves as the main point of contact for contractors, FEMA, engineers, the Department of Water Resources, and the Army Corps of Engineers. “I’ve been managing the program and keeping it going since the end of 2005. I take a lot of pride in continuing to provide good deliverables, and I’ve gotten some certificates of appreciation from FEMA and have been rewarded here at work for the good feedback we’ve gotten from the client. For me, it’s a pretty major project, so being able to manage a $2 million project and keep it going and under control is the biggest accomplishment I’ve had,” she says.

Working with Men: Amy’s current environment is a pretty even mix of men and women, even in the management ranks. She has found the men to be quite supportive; two of her male managers became mentors, supported her learning curve, and offered her training opportunities to help her build skills.

Advice for Women: Amy recommends that women try not to postpone their education. She wishes now that she had started back to school earlier, so she could have devoted more time to it before she became responsible for so many things on the job, and had such long work hours. She’s grateful that she finished her certificate and looks forward to getting her degree.

Amy recalls the time when her manager resigned and they asked her to take on his position. “I didn’t know if I could do this. I still think I underestimate myself a lot, when other people say ‘we know you can do it.’” She suggests that women who are interested in GIS and are presented with a challenge “take the reins and do it, don’t underestimate yourself.” 8

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Women's Success Stories Eman Ramos Age 42, Caucasian Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Intern Employed by Sweetwater Authority

“Picture yourself doing something that you love to do, and put yourself in that picture, and tack that picture up on the inner wall of your mind and keep it there. Picture yourself being a happy, professional person. Otherwise, it’s easy for that image to get brushed aside when you’re washing dishes at 1:00 in the morning. Let your mind enjoy the picture.”

Career Quick Look Salary: $10 - $15 per hour Education:

Years in Field: 1.5 years

A.S. Degree, GIS, Mesa College, 2007 Currently fulfilling requirements to transfer to San Diego State.Multiple courses, Mesa College and San Diego City College. University of New Mexico, 1 year

City/State: San Diego, CA

Education: Eman attended the University of New Mexico for one year in 1985, but had no particular goals at the time, and when her family moved to California the next year she found a job there as a shipping clerk. Over the years she took many community college courses in the evening to feed her mind, and eventually she found her way to the GIS program, where she completed the remaining requirements for her A.S. degree in one year. While doing her internship, she decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in geology as well, so she is currently taking the preliminary math and science requirements at Mesa and San Diego City College. She hopes to transfer to San Diego State for her bachelor’s program.

Eman found several mentors and supporters during her schooling. Eileen Goff, one of the GIS teachers at Mesa, was the person “I went to for advice, technical advice and advice about how to get a job, etc.” She also cites Donald Barrie, a geology teacher who helped her out with a combined GIS/geology project and inspired her to pursue geology further. “They have outstanding teachers at Mesa. I’ve been going to City and Mesa for almost nine years off and on and I just can’t say enough about what good schools they both are.” Eman also notes that the small class size results in more attention for students.

Greatest Professional Achievement: Eman considers her first project as an intern for the Sweetwater Authority as her greatest achievement to date. This project involved comparing reservoir levels from current and past studies, bringing together data from multiple sources, and writing a comprehensive report with illustrations. “That was the first time I worked on such a long term project, and I worked on it very independently with little supervision. It was really satisfying to get that done and get it right.” She has received a lot of compliments on her report.

Advice for Women: “Picture yourself doing something that you love to do, and put yourself in that picture, and tack that picture up on the inner wall of your mind and keep it there. Picture yourself being a happy, professional person. Otherwise, it’s easy for that image to get brushed aside when you’re washing dishes at 1:00 in the morning.” Eman has put a poster of one of the maps she did of the reservoir in front of her desk to remind herself of what she did and what she can do. “Let your mind enjoy the picture,” says Eman.

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Women in GIS Websites Society of Women in GIS http://www.swigis.org/ A national organization funded in 1999 for women employed or studying geographic information systems.

GIS Lounge: Women in GIS http://gislounge.com/link-library/women-in-gis/ A list of web sites with information regarding women in GIS, including interviews about women in this field and GIS related support groups.

Supporting Women in Geography (SWIG) http://www.geography.wisc.edu/swig/ An informal network of groups that promote the participation and empowerment of women in the field of Geography, and through lectures, study groups, social, panels and more.

Women in GIS ListServs Women in GIS http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/GIS_women/ An e-mail forum for women in GIS (and those interested in GIS) to ask questions, float ideas and discuss the field.

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Welcome to the Women’s Technician Club

The national online home for women technicians to connect with each other

WomenTechWorld.og: You’re not alone any more. Check out all of the great resources that WomenTechWorld has to offer female technicians, whether you are a network administrator, an air conditioning and refrigeration technician or a female student in a tech major. WomenTechTalk: Join the exciting WomenTech e-mail discussion group today! There's finally a great way to meet other women just like you through conversations that take place right in your email. WomenTech Talk serves as a source of support and inspiration for over 500 women and has been in existence since 2000.

E-Jobs: Find employers eager to hire women in traditionally male occupations. E-Jobs offers you an Auto Notify feature which gives you email notices when new jobs meeting your criteria have been posted. It also provides the My Checklist feature to save your favorite job opportunities for easy reference.

E-Mentoring: It's hard to be a newbie, but it just became a little bit easier. E-Mentors connects female students in technology/trades with women successfully working in male-dominated fields. E-mentors is for you if you are 18 years of age or older, female, and working in a male-dominated job or career. Role Model Biographies: Read about women who have succeeded in occupations ranging from auto technician to computer network engineer to detective and more. They are all races and ethnic backgrounds, young and old, and are from urban, rural and suburban communities throughout the United States. These women are just like you!

Institute for Women in Trades, Technology & Science

www.womentechworld.org11

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CalWomenTech Summary

WomenTech Educators >

CalWomenTech Project Background:

IWITTS was awarded a $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Award to fund the CalWomenTech Project in April of 2006. Through this five-year grant, California community colleges receive expert support and technical assistance to help recruit and retain women into technology programs where they are under-represented.

Eight California community colleges were selected in a competitive process to receive free intensive CalWomenTech training and assistance on recruiting and retaining women in technology programs in which they are under-represented, for approximately 3 years. Our focus is terminal associate degrees or certificates in programs for newly emerging industries with jobs that are high skill and high wage, and have a strong connection to employers and local labor market demand. CalWomenTech Core Strategies:

Tried and true strategies to increase the number of women in CalWomenTech Community College Sites' technology programs and retain them, based on "proven" methods. Our strategies are surefire, easy-to-implement and sites can start to see results the very next semester. See our WomenTech Digital Library to view the research our work is based on, in addition to our successful track record with community colleges in our national WomenTech Project.

Recruitment Assistance: We develop recruitment posters and flyers (see example on the right) featuring female role models from the site's college as well as a CalWomenTech section of each college's website - both the website content and design (see example on the right).

We provide "free" WomenTech training on "how to" recruit and retain women and the sites develop a detailed plan with a timeline as part of the workshop. We have been providing this training on a fee basis for over 10 years throughout the US and we've worked in 42 of the 50 states.

Sites receive $2,000 worth of software from our CalWomenTech Learning Library that enables them to assist students in developing technology building block skills in areas such as spatial relations and math that will increase their retention in the classroom.

Sites develop a CalwomenTech Leadership team of ten key

More Information Community College Sites

Description Training and Technical

Assistance Project expertise & project

partners

Our Total Quality Management approach

Goals and outcomes/Timeline

Click here to enlarge sample poster

Click here to enlarge sample CalWomenTech website draft

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CalWomenTech Summary

players that enables them to showcase their technology program throughout the College. Leadership team members receive a stipend of $500 yearly. Leadership Team members travel to come to one two-day meeting in the Bay Area annually to meet jointly with the other community colleges in the Project, to share strategies and receive joint training.

We provide on-site WomenTech training and technical assistance and on-line webinars, podcasts, and phone trainings on specialty topic areas such as "how to" develop curriculum examples that appeal to female learning style and interests or how spatial reasoning software has increased retention of female engineering students. Each CalWomenTech site will receive stipends for adjunct faculty to participate as an incentive.

Female students have access to our online community of womentechworld.org and we focus on each site's program career areas. WomenTechWorld.Org includes e-mentoring, e-jobs job board and WomenTechTalk email listserv with over 500 members. IWITTS Brings National Expertise To Your Tech Program:

The CalWomenTech Project is IWITTS's second grant working with community colleges to increase the number of women in technology, and our third National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Other successful projects have included The Cisco Gender Initiative and we have worked extensively nationally with NSF Advanced Technology Education Centers in Community Colleges. We have been conducting WomenTech Training nationally on a fee basis for over ten years. Click Here for More Information on Project Expertise Project Timeline:

This is a 5-year Project that will end in April 2011. Current CalWomenTech Sites: The first four CalWomenTech community colleges that were brought on board in June 2006 are: ● City College of San Francisco Computer Networking and

Information Technology Program, with a focus on the new Digital Home Integration Technology certification

● San Diego Mesa College's Geographic Information Systems program

● Cañada College's new 3-D Animation and Video Game Art Program

● El Camino College's Air Conditioning Refrigeration program The second set of colleges, brought on board in November 2007 are: ● Evergreen Valley College's new Hybrid-Alternative Fuel Program ● Irvine Valley College's Electronic Technology Program ● Las Positas College's Welding and Automotive Programs ● San Jose City College's Facilities Maintenance Technology

Program Read More about Each College's Program

Click here to see a sample flyer (pdf) Endorsements: "The CalWomenTech Project brings excellent resources to assist us in recruiting and retaining women in our technology programs. An excellent model that other community colleges would benefit from." Thomas C. Mohr President, Cañada College CalWomenTech Site, Year 1

"The CalWomenTech Project provided us with research-based strategies for recruiting and retaining women that were new to us and will greatly enhance our ability to attract and retain women and assist us with improving our program overall." Dr. Pierre S. Thiry, P.E., C.C.A.I. Principal Investigator, NSF sponsored project iCONS Instructor, Computer Networking and Information Technology Community College of San Francisco CalWomenTech Site, Year 1

"The CalWomenTech Project applies research-based, tried and true strategies that provide a road map to recruiting and retaining women in technology. I highly recommend that community colleges apply to be a CalWomenTech Site." Dr. Edward J. Leach Vice President, Services and Programs Director, Conference on Information Technology League for Innovation in the Community College

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CalWomenTech Summary

CalWomenTech Project Goals Ensuring an Effective Project:

The primary goal of the CalWomenTech Project is to increase the number of women enrolled and retained in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education in the 8 selected CalWomenTech community colleges. Read more about our goals

Ensuring an Effective Project: our Total Quality Management Model

We've built a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach directly into this project. Throughout the project, we ask for, and incorporate, feedback about our services from our community college team members to make sure we're on track. Read more

Funded by The Program on Research in Science Engineering from The National Science Foundation - Grant no. 0533564

"The CalWomenTech Project is solutions oriented: our College has a very doable recruitment and retention success plan along with support on its implementation. We're confident that we'll increase the number of women in our technology programs." Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez Dean, Industry & Technology El Camino College CalWomenTech Site, Year 1 "The CalWomenTech Project assists community colleges with both the nuts and bolts of recruiting and retaining women in technology and bigger picture strategies that will be implemented over time. We highly recommend the CalWomenTech Project to other community colleges." Otto Lee Dean, School of Business, Computer Studies, and Technologies San Diego Mesa College CalWomenTech Site, Year 1

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