A weekend conference titled
The Information Technology Revolution: Women, Work, and Social
Change at Mount Holyoke February 11-13 will examine the myths and
realities of information technologies and their impact on different
spheres of society. The panelists are nationally known MHC alumnae
and other experts. The conference is sponsored by the Weissman Center
for Leadership; Library, Information, and Technology Services; and
the Alumnae Association. According to one of the
conference's organizers, Eva Paus, economics professor and codirector
of the Weissman Center, "Rapid advances in information technology
have heightened uncertainty about how IT will transform our society.
IT is said to hold out the promise of increased emancipation for
women, minorities, and grassroots organizations and is projected to
lead to radical changes in workplace organization and the operation
of markets and production. Yet, the IT revolution also raises the
specter of cyber terrorism and emotionally deprived Internet junkies,
and it challenges current educational requirements and delivery. The
conference seeks to explore all of these issues." The conference begins Friday,
February 11, at 5 pm with registration and a welcome at 7:45 pm. At 8
pm, Robin Chemers Neustein '75, managing director of Goldman Sachs;
Mary Graham Davis '65, president of The Davis Consulting Group; and
Astrid E. Merget '67, associate dean of the Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, will discuss
"The Role of Information Technology in Our Professions and Lives." The sessions on February 12
will include panels on the impact of IT on the workplace, on the
threat of cyber terrorism, on how IT fundamentally changes the way
markets work, and on whether IT reduces discrimination. The keynote
address on "Technology, Democracy, and the Future" will be given by
Anita Borg, a researcher at the Xerox Research Center, CA, and
founding director of the Institute for Women and Technology, an
experimental research and development organization focusing on
increasing the impact of women on technology and studying the
positive impact of technology on the world's women. A dinner on February 12 will
honor Jean E. Sammet '48, a pioneer in computing and computer
languages. After dinner, several alumnae will discuss strategies for
success in the IT world. The conference continues February 13 with
sessions from 9:30 to noon and will close after lunch. The final day
will include sessions titled "Global Web Support; Networking in the
Arts;" "The Integration of IT into Education: Pitfalls and
Possibilities;" and "IT and Possibilities for Social Change." Attendance is FREE for Mount
Holyoke students, faculty, and staff; meals are at cost. To register,
contact Luisa Tavares at x2300 or ltavares@mtholyoke.edu.
For further information about the conference, call x 3071 or visit
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/programs/wcl.
![[Index]](../index3.gif){kind=small}