Understanding how people use technology across cultures around the world gives us valuable insights. Genevieve Bell, Anthropologist and Distinguished professor at The Australian National University, talked about her work in anthropology and technology. Genevieve has been working in technology since the 1990s. We talked about her time working in silicon valley, particularly at Intel, where she was studying how different groups of people were using technology. Later on, we talked about how...

Advancements in technology have enabled us to share information much faster. We can start a blog, share information on social media, or create a podcast. Yasmin Alameddine, Founder and Host of the Witty Podcast explained why and how she started the show. We talked about the challenges and the things she learned from this. We also talked about data journalism and the intersection between technology and journalism. Yasmin studied Communication at Cornell University and is currently pursuing a...

Throughout the decades we’ve seen numerous advances in artificial intelligence. In the late 1990s, Catherine Havasi invented crowdsourcing for artificial intelligence. This made it possible for a vast amount of data to be collected and used for the Open Mind Common Sense project at MIT. A project with a goal of teaching computers what we consider as common sense. Catherine Havasi is a Research Scientist that specializes in artificial intelligence. We talked about her work in this area. She...

A workplace can become a safe space for employees in many different ways. One of them is by enabling conversations around mental wellness. Beth Anne Katz, Program Manager at Microsoft talked about her struggle with depression and the importance of an accepting work environment. We talked about mental wellness and things that a workplace can do to be more welcoming. Beth Anne also talked about her initiatives to raise awareness around mental health, one of them is the podcast Katzbe Fights...

Providing opportunities to migrants can help them integrate to society and add value. In 2017 Marcela Torres founded HolaCode, a startup with a goal to integrate migrants in Mexico by teaching them software engineering skills. With these skills, they’ll have access to more jobs and opportunities. Marcela explained the challenges that migrants face and how they tackled them. We also talked about the tech scene in Mexico and in other parts of Latin America.

Designing technology with accessibility in mind is about making sure that your product can be used by a wide range of individuals. This includes people that have disabilities such as visual, speech, motor, among others. Jhillika Kumar, creator of Mentra talked about why she and her team built a hiring platform for people with autism. Jhillika explained the challenges people with autism face when looking for a job and how technology can help solve them. We also talked about her experience...

Startups can get funding in different ways. Susan Preston, Managing Partner at SeaChange Fund explained how startups can get funding from angel investors and venture capital. We talked about what the differences are and to evaluate companies before deciding to invest in them. Susan also talked about her first investments in the 90s and what she has learned throughout the years.

There are many ways in which organizations share their message and build a brand. One of them is through social media and social networking. Lauran Driver, Senior Client Partner at Twitter, explained the difference between Social Media and Social Networking. We talked about how digital media strategies are built by leveraging these tools. Lauran also explained her workflow for working with clients and partners in this space.

People that work in tech adapt to new technologies, learn new skills, and can work in different roles throughout their career. Asya Kamsky, Principal Developer Advocate at MongoDB, started her career in the late 80s. We talked about her experience working in software development, systems architect, product management, and most recently in developer advocacy. Asya gave advice about navigating a career in technology. We also talked about her work at MongoDB in measuring the performance of...

Behavioral science and artificial intelligence can enable recruiters and candidates to find a job that matches their skills and potential. Frida Polli, CEO and Founder of Pymetrics explained how behavioral science can be used to get insights from a candidate that we would not get from a resume. We talked about how games based on neuroscience can help candidates find a job. Frida also explained ways in which a recruiting can function like a recommendation engine.

Natural language processing is used across many different systems that people interact with. It can help us extract information and get insights from data. Thamar Solorio, Associate Professor at the University of Houston explained what Natural Language Processing or NLP consists of. We talked about how systems use it and different approaches of implementing it. Thamar explained how NLP is used to determine the author of a text and some applications for this system.

Cybersecurity is about protecting systems, networks and programs. Jen Easterly, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley explained the core ideas behind cybersecurity. We talked about understanding and assessing threats and about the importance of understanding the adversary. Jen also explained what cybersecurity in financial services consists of and different roles in this domain.

Many applications we use are distributed systems. Some examples are ATM systems, social media and currency trading. Depending on the type of application, we might need to process system events in a logical order also known as causal order. Aly Cabral, Lead Product Manager at MongoDB, explained how causal order is implemented in a database system. We talked about several design implementations that she and her team at MongoDB considered. Aly explained concepts like distributed systems, clock...

Nimmi Ramanujam is developing technology to improve women’s health and well-being. While in graduate school, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Her experience with this diagnosis led her to develop a portable cervical cancer screening device. Nimmi explained how the device works and the process of designing it. We also talked about existing structural, emotional and cultural barriers present in women’s healthcare.

Design is a fundamental component for building technology. Heather Winkle, started her career in design in tech in the 90s. We talked about the panorama of the tech industry when she was first starting out and about some of the areas that she worked on. We also talked about leadership roles in design, designing financial products and the impact of design in an organization. Heather is Head of Design at Capital One.

Since 1994 hundreds and now thousands of women in technology gather for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. Just this last year, 2019 it attracted 25,000 attendees from all over the world. The Grace Hopper Celebration, also known as GHC is organized by AnitaB.org, a global non-profit helping women in tech succeed. Kety Esquivel Vice President Head of Marketing and Communications at AnitaB.org explained the different goals they have to help reach gender equity in the tech...

Space exploration allows us to understand our place in the universe. Natalya Bailey, CEO and Founder at Accion Systems, is on a mission to accelerate the exploration of space. We talked about satellite propulsion and advancements to make it more accessible. Natalya explained the different types of propulsion technologies: chemical propulsion and electric propulsion. We also talked about the process of developing a hardware product for space.

Virtual Reality allows us to experience simulated environments. Mar Gonzalez Franco, Researcher at Microsoft Research explained what Virtual Reality is. We talked about the role of human perception and how sensors create and enhance simulated environments. Mar also explained various brain mechanisms that enable users to believe that a computer generated world is effectively real.

As technology continues to be an important driving force in many industries, we still see a lack of representation from various minority groups. Having diverse teams building technologies that impact all of us is important to account for different perspectives or things that we otherwise wouldn’t have thought of. Robin Máxkii, a Native American technology activist and software engineer, talked about growing up in an Indian Reservation in the United States and her path to a career in...

Enabling people from various backgrounds to build technology can help us create better products and include different perspectives. Mehul Smriti Raje, Software Engineer at Google, talked about her involvement in getting more women into the tech industry. We talked about her time as an undergraduate student and her experience in participating in programming contests. Mehul explained how she saw a gender gap and why it was important to address it. We also talked about her trajectory in tech and...

Cryptography is fundamental to providing privacy and security over the internet. Tal Rabin, Head of Research of the Algorand Foundation, explained what cryptography is and the main ideas behind it. We talked about the building blocks of cryptography and how these can be used to build protocols and systems that provide privacy and security.

Mastercard is an American multinational financial services corporation founded in 1979. Dana Lorberg, Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology at Mastercard, joined the company in 1987 and was part of a team that programmed and designed some of the early systems at Mastercard. We talked about how software was developed throughout her career and about examples of technical constraints that influenced how software was designed and implemented with performance and availability in...

Advancements in hardware allow us to get better measurements and insights about our body movement. Nan-Wei Gong, CEO at Figur8 explained how we can obtain useful measurements about our body movements and how these can help us improve our health. We talked about the concept of movement intelligence and the technical components that are used for it. Nan-Wei also explained how she and her team are building a digital health platform and how they collaborate with people across many disciplines. At...

Technology is used across many different industries. This is one of the reasons why there are many opportunities for people working in tech. One of these areas is sales. Merrie Williamson, Vice President of Azure Apps and Infrastructure at Microsoft gives an overview of careers in sales within the tech industry. We talked about the advantage of having a technical background when working in technical sales. Merrie also explained what a transition path looks like from engineering to sales. At...

Design in tech is a collaborative process. Angela Guzman, Designer and Entrepreneur based out of Silicon Valley, explained how designers can work together to create unified designs. We talked about her work designing the first set of Apple emoji in 2008. Back then emoji were still in the early days and there were challenges in designing small icons. Angela also explained what diversity and inclusion in design means. At the end we talked about different areas of design that people in tech can...