As the semester winds to a close, so does the Changing Face of Technology series sponsored by the University's Women's Center.
The series originally developed from the Task Force on the Status of Women, which studied gender issues at the University. University President John T. Casteen III commissioned the task force in 1999.
The technology element of the series stemmed from recommendations included in the Virginia 2020 reports, which lay out plans for where the University wants to be in 20 years.
Planning stages for the series started in 1999, said Sarah Whitney, head of programming at the Women's Center.
"It was loosely grouped under the rubric of 'Women and New Media'," Whitney said. Then, "a more target series evolved, one that looked at how the new technologies are reshaping traditional media, and also examined the changes in power relations along the lines of gender, class and race."
Speakers and panelists in the series came from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from both within the University and beyond.
Kate Neuhausen, a third-year College student and events assistant for the Women's Center, said the program educates the community about the capabilities of technology in the future.
"We want to make people aware of technology and to use it as a force for social change," Newhausen said. "We want to bring those people who are using technology in those innovative ways to the University."
Many other organizations on Grounds recognize the importance of technology and are working to integrate it into their own programs. According to Kimberly Roberts, director of the University's Young Women Leaders Program, even mentoring programs incorporate technology into their agendas.
"As a mentoring program that matches U.Va. undergraduate women with diverse middle school girls from the community, YWLP is this year developing a component, with our partners in the Curry School, that could serve as a national model to help low-income girls excel in technology and leadership," Roberts said.
Alan Howard, associate professor of English and director of the American Studies program, integrates technology into his interdisciplinary program.
His classes use Web sites and computer learning programs to study history and literature exploring American political and popular life.
"With technology, it helps my students to become active participants in an ongoing discussion on America," Howard said. "Their doing work in technology gives them a wider audience and gives them the chance to be a part of it."
The Changing Face in Technology Series hosts Laura Groppe next week, an award-winning entertainment producer who now runs a company that encourages young women to explore technology more. Groppe is the first of the last three speakers of the series and will be followed by Darden alumna Jan Swartz, who once worked as the chief executive officer of MXG media.
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