Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Hill Robenalt, Hoopla Media & Communications
512.653.9656 or 512.382.0303
jennifer@hooplamedia.com
Pre-Teen Tech Titans and Science Superstars Compete to Become Austin's Idols:
Girlstart and Microsoft Present e˛ Summit
(AUSTIN) - While America looks for its next singing sensation, Austin’s tech community knows that tomorrow’s mega hit will be an ‘It’ Girl with an IT heart. This weekend, Girlstart and Microsoft are partnering to shake things up and let tech talent rise to the top at the annual e˛ summit.
On Saturday, April 29th, the Microsoft Technology Center meets middle school mayhem as seven teams represent their schools in a fierce competition to be number one on the charts at Girlstart. A year of intense learning and training has brought close to 100 girls to this moment: Girlstart’s annual Educate and Empower (e˛) Summit, a one day, edge-of-your-seat competition where learning comes to life and engineering ingenuity is crowned queen.
The e˛ Summit is open to all girls who have participated in Girlstart’s in-school program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, in the last year. Austin’s brightest girls will face challenges kept confidential until the commencement of the competition. Past challenges have included creating a web site, building a robot that can complete an obstacle course, and engineering a device that will keep an egg from breaking during a two-story drop. Winning teams from each grade level will return to their schools triumphant with trophy in hand.
In a time when reality shows are all the rage with the preteen crowd, this competition urges girls to set the stage for a new kind of reality – one in which all girls have the power to shoot for the stars!
“Innovation and competition are at the heart of the technology industry,“ says Microsoft's Scott Emigh, “and these young ladies are high tech’s well of untapped ideas. Watching them work is like watching our future unfold - a unique and inspiring glimpse of the great things to come.”
“Girlstart girls shatter stereotypes and push back perceived limits every day,” asserts Rachel Muir, Executive Director of Girlstart. “They are hit with a barrage of messages that tell them that girls don’t have a chance. And yet, they know, deep down, that they are stars on the rise. e˛ will be their day to shine!”
ABOUT GIRLSTART
Girlstart is a non-profit organization created to educate and empower girls in math, science and technology. Founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, Girlstart has an enviable record of engaging, educating, and motivating girls to enjoy and become more proficient in mathematics and science in elementary school, middle school, and beyond. Child Magazine named the organization one of the top five programs for girls across the country. Girlstart offers a variety of educational formats designed for girls ages 9-15 through after-school programs, Saturday camps, and summer day camps. Girlstart serves a population that includes at-risk and minority girls.
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