Hampton University News July 23, 2012 HU to Host Conference to Increase Interest in Computing Among Women and Minorities The Hampton University Department of Computer Science will host the 7th Annual 2012 STARS Alliance Celebration on August 11-13 at the Embassy Suites Hampton Roads - Hotel, Spa & Convention Center in Hampton, Va. The celebration is an annual conference for faculty and students in the Students & Technology in Academia, Research & Service (STARS) Alliance. The mission of the alliance is to increase participation of women, under-represented minorities, and persons with disabilities in computing disciplines through multi-faceted interventions. The alliance focuses on students in middle school through graduate school, encouraging students to find careers in computing. The conference will focus on best practices among STARS Alliance colleagues and within the industry while introducing fresh ideas to participants. STARS Alliance recruiting, retaining and engagement efforts are emphasized on building a more diverse computing workforce for the future. "We are excited to host the conference in Hampton this year," stated Dr. Jean Muhammad, chair of the HU Department of Computer Science and vice general chair of the conference. "The conference is a great opportunity to continue to expose our students to the various aspects of the computing world and encourage more engagement in the industry." The conference will hold breakout sessions that cover a number of topics including programming on Android phones, web development, college prep, game maker and a special session on women in IT and much more. There are currently 31 schools involved in the STARS alliance including HU. The conference is expecting more than 350 faculty and students this year. For additional information or to register for the STARS Celebration visit http://www.starsalliance.org/celebration. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.