AUA Celebrates International Girls Day in ICT

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On April 28th, the American University of Armenia (AUA) College of Science & Engineering in collaboration with the Women and Information Society NGO organized a public forum “Internet of Everything,” aimed to encourage young women to choose a career in the emerging field of information and communication technologies (ICT). The international ‘Girls in ICT Day’ is an annual event, where girls from grade schools and colleges are invited to participate. A series of lectures were presented to the girls, providing an introduction to ICT and the great potential for women in the emerging field.

After the forum, the undergraduate program in Computational Sciences at AUA, the admissions criteria, and ways of financing education at AUA were introduced. The girls also toured the AUA campus, with a special focus on the cutting edge classrooms.

International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative backed the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. They allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide. The public forum at AUA is part of the international celebration of ‘Girls in ICT Day 2016’, based at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Women and Information Society NGO was established in September of 2011, with the mission to contribute to the integration of women and girls in the information society of Armenia. The organization is based on the partnership of many stakeholders, including the private sector, the government, the academia and the non-profit sector with the goal to leverage resources and research, build awareness, and promote programs which will remove the barriers that restrict girls and women to use information and communication technologies (ICT).

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides US-style education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.