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This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.
Women make up nearly 60 percent of the professional workforce, yet they hold 25 percent of jobs in the area of computer science. That gender gap one reason why West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media hosted a Hackathon that focused on women, media and wearable technology.
Over 40 students signed on to participate in the “Women’s Hackathon on Wearables.” Few came with technical backgrounds. The event was co-produced by PBS Media Shift, an online publication that looks at changes in the media industry. Events Coordinator Beth Laing said the all-female environment created a more comfortable atmosphere for the participants.
“They don’t feel like they’re going to put themselves in a bad position by asking a question, be thought less of,” Laing said.
Hackathon Features:
Web-panel discussion with Google in California
Inspirational talks from female leaders in technology
Small-group innovation sessions where participants worked to develop a technology (a device or an app) that relates to wearables* and media.
Idea pitch
*Wearables: mini-computers that can be found in watches, glasses or bracelets. They can perform tasks like taking video or monitoring fitness.
Credit David Smith / WVU
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WVU
One of the Hackathon teams hard at work, developing their idea. Judges selected this group’s idea for the “BioBit” as the winning idea.
Innovation: BIOBIT
The Hackathon ended with eight teams pitching ideas. One team came up with what was applauded as the best idea: an accessory to the popular FitBit (a wireless, wearable device that tracks activity).
They call their innovation the BioBit. It would connect to the FitBit bracelet and could measure certain nutrient levels and notify the wearer if they’re deficient. Judges told the creators to try to patent their idea immediately. There was no monetary award, but Media Shift will publish an article on BioBit.
The take away for all was about process: the process of innovation.
Universities Represented:
West Virginia University
Carnegie Melon University
Penn State University
Howard University
Syracuse University
Georgetown University
Some thoughts going into the Hackathon:
Hilary Godin (WVU): “I think it will be a learning experience. Yeah. I think it will also help me decide if I want to major in something with technology.”
Maggie Kong (WVU): “I know that traditionally there is a gender gap in media and technology fields, so I really want to improve my skills in this event, yeah.”
Katherine Dye (Health Sciences and Technology Academy at WVU): “I’ve read all the collateral that was sent out prior and hoped that that would give me an idea, but I think part of what this weekend entails is not having those boundaries.”
Some thoughts coming out of the Hackathon:
Katie Heller (WVU): “I think that when women get in an uninhibited environment, then we do amazing things, and this really showcases our ability.”
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Twenty-five years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., a hijacked plane hit one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, ending for this nation a certain innocence, and the belief that such an attack would never happen on American soil. Maria Young caught up an economics professor from WVU who was on site when the planes hit – and gave an exclusive interview to then-West Virginia Public Broadcasting News Director Beth Vorhees.
Armstrong Telecommunication announced Thursday plans to deploy more than 500 miles of high-speed fiber infrastructure across 10 West Virginia counties thanks to a $100 million federal and state investment.
They love West Virginia. They want to make their future here, but jobs, housing and opportunity can make that choice harder than it sounds. In the first of two Us & Them episodes, Trey Kay talks with young West Virginians trying to decide whether they can put down their own roots in a place they call home.
Economic growth in West Virginia ranks close to the bottom in national rankings. It’s not just losing jobs, it’s also losing young people. In the first of two new Us & Them episodes, host Trey Kay talks with several young adults from the Mountain State asking whether they will stay put or find their future elsewhere.
