past events
PALANTIR COMPANY TOUR 2014
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Tue, Jan 17, 2014 4:00PM - 5:30PM Palantir HQ 
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Where do computer science, disaster relief and design thinking come together? 12 Bay Area high school girls found out when they visited Palantir Technologies at their headquarters in Palo Alto. The girls were accompanied by 6 GTC mentors and got the chance to learn about Palantir's disaster reporting technology. The girls saw a demonstration of a cellphone application which allows those in disaster-struck areas to report destruction and call for relief. The application was launched during Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. The girls got to try it out, and see how real users were able to get to safety using it!
After the demo, the girls and mentors were split into small groups with Palantir engineers, where they went on intimate tours of the campus, visiting office space and design labs. The girls also got a chance to interact closely with engineers and ask any questions they had. Everyone had a blast talking to Palantir's engineers and loved the delicious cookies and hot chocolate! |
CODE CAMP 2014
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Sat, Apr 19, 2014 9:30AM - 5:00PM Stanford University |
At our second annual Code Camp, we brought together over 200 high school girls and 40 Stanford mentors for whirlwind day of programming and fun!
In the morning "Programming Basics" section, students used CodeHS, an online learning platform that is designed to help beginners learn to code in a fun and visual way, focusing on problem solving and big concepts rather than on syntax. Mentors helped students through the exercises, and by lunch time, everyone had written their own small programs! During the morning Interactive Activity, students participated in a fast-paced Easter-themed challenge, using their newly acquired Computer Science chops to solve puzzles. It was a highlight of the day! At lunch, the girls were given the opportunity to get to know their mentors and ask questions about their experiences in CS at Stanford. In the afternoon, students broke up into separate “Special Interest Tracks,” which are classes designed to highlight how programming can be applied in different ways. Students got to choose two topics, including Web Design, Hands-On Tinkering, Code Breaking, App Development, Computational Biology, Graphics, CS Puzzle Solving, and Music & Tech. To close the day, a career panel with five professional women in the work force shared their experiences. They represented a variety of industries and job titles and expertise (Senior Engineering Product Manager, Interaction Designer, Founder, Software Engineer, Senior Director of Engineering). Students had the opportunity to ask about working life and all the possibilities that are open to women with Computer Science and Engineering backgrounds. Many girls noted that this was their favorite part of the whole day! |
GOOGLE I/O YOUTH 2014
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Thu, Jun 26, 2014 8:30AM - 12:20PM Moscone West, SF 
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12 high school girls attended Google I/O, a notable developer conference that typically sells out in minutes.
The Google I/O Youth staff had organized a whirlwind morning of activities. Under the guidance of Google employees from a variety of teams, girls programmed LEGO Mindstorms robots, and created music and art using Google’s brand-new coding environment. Students then got a tour of the conference, trying out Google Cardboard, playing with Chrome’s new Lego project, learning about new languages, and much, much more amidst thousands of professional developers. At the end of the morning, students went home with a taste of computer science in the real world, a couple new projects, and the experience of attending Google I/O! |
3D PRINTING WORKSHOP 2014
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Sun, Jun 29, 2014 11:00AM - 1:00PM Microsoft Store, Stanford Shopping Center |
Dreamforge and GTC teamed up to teach 19 high school girls about graphics and 3D printing. Students learned how real-world objects are represented behind-the-scenes in code, and even built a cube out of pipe cleaners before encoding its faces and vertices.
Girls enjoyed lunch with mentors to chat about their experiences and internships. Finally, girls watched the Microsoft Store’s MakerBot 3D printer heat up and print several pieces of jewelry. Each girl left with either a 3D printed iPhone case, or a piece of jewelry that they designed themselves. |
FACEBOOK COMPANY TOUR 2014
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Thu, Oct 30, 2014 4:00PM - 5:15PM Facebook HQ |
GTC took 22 girls and 3 mentors to visit Facebook’s Menlo Park campus. The afternoon started with a tour of the campus, giving the girls a chance to experience the work environment of Facebook employees. The girls got to go inside the Instagram office and learned about Facebook’s mission to “give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”
Next, the girls got to meet with six female engineers who shared their stories of how they became involved in computer science and how they started working for Facebook. The girls asked questions and learned about what it is like to be a women in tech as well as what it is like to work for Facebook. The day ended at the sweet shop where the girls enjoyed delicious ice cream while chatting with the Facebook engineers! |
BRAIN BUSTERS 2014
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Sat, Nov 14, 2014 12:00PM - 4:00PM Stanford University |
48 girls split into 12 teams to compete and solve challenging puzzles! They got to use lots of CS-related thinking without ever looking at a screen or typing a key on a keyboard. One of the favorite puzzles of the day was "All Sorts of Sorts," where the girls, holding name tags with numbers, had to sort themselves step by step using various types of sorting. They could quickly see how some sorts were much more efficient than others! At the end of the day, the girls reconvened with the mentors to reflect on what they learned and the teams with the most points won cool prizes.
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LINKEDIN COMPANY TOUR 2014
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Tue, Dec 9, 2014 4:00PM - 5:30PM LinkedIn HQ |
4 GTC mentors accompanied 20 girls on a tour of the LinkedIn campus in Mountain View. The girls started their day with custom LinkedIn pie pops and swag bags before enjoying a mixer with LinkedIn engineers. Participants asked plenty of questions, chatted with women in the tech industry, and found out what it’s like to work at LinkedIn. Finally, the girls went on an awesome tour of campus, exploring band rehearsals, arcade games, LinkedIn bikes, and tech accessory vending machines.
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