It’s hard to recap all the incredible projects ‘Softies dedicate their time to over a year in addition to their work commitments (though we do try!), but I wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to all the folks that spend time mentoring young women through our DigiGirlz program.

2011 was an remarkable year for this program with over 5,100 participating students in locations around the US and the world – Spain, Ecuador, Singapore, Denmark and Jamaica – to name just a few.

DigiGirlz, if you aren’t familiar, is a program run by Microsoft that gives high school girls the chance to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and get hands on with computers and technology through one day workshops and High Tech Camps.

 

It may come as no surprise, but women are still extremely underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). An August 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that although women fill close to half of all jobs, they hold less than 25% of STEM jobs. 

As Catherine Ashcraft, a senior research scientist at the National Center for Women & IT, said in an article about the Charlotte, N.C. DigiGirlz camp written for Diverse Magazine, “There are messages that girls get either subtly or not so subtly about who are the kinds of people who do technology. In popular culture it’s often not girls who do the inventing.” And, when they do develop an interest in technology, Ashcraft also talked about the lack of role models. “They find they are often the only girl in the class. It’s intimidating and difficult for them.”

That is where Microsoft’s commitment to DigiGirlz comes in as an early effort to change perceptions of women in STEM related careers.

This amazing lineup of guest speakers and dedicated Microsoft volunteers – all serving as role models, all making valuable contributions in the world through technology – are opening young women’s eyes to the variety of opportunities available in the high-tech industry and to all the things they can accomplish.

As one girl commented on her evaluation form after listening to a workshop session, “It really inspired me to do something extraordinary with my life.”

The geek in question: Ann Beebe

The job title: User Education Manager for Visual Studio

So, "User Education Manager" -- what does that mean exactly?
I manage the documentation team that creates all the help and user documentation for the Visual Studio products.

What are your passions outside of work -- what do you do when you're not wrastling documentation?
I raise puppies (like Grace here) to help people that have a variety of disabilities other than blindness. Some go on to be hearing dogs, but many of them become wheelchair assistance dogs. They’ll do things like open doors, push elevator buttons, carry things, pick up anything their partner has dropped, help a person transfer out of a wheelchair…they can even help do the laundry!

I've been training dogs for 15 years, and it's actually one of the reasons I came to Microsoft. There was a group here called Active Accessibility that was focused on software that makes it easier to build applications that work with accessibility devices. So if somebody uses a mouth-stick as a pointer or they use a Braille reader, or a one-handed keyboard -- Microsoft builds extensibility into Windows to allow other companies to create software that works with those devices.

Raising service dogs, I had so many friends with disabilities who would have benefitted from that software. In some cases, it would have allowed them to go back to work when their disability was keeping them away. For me, the exciting thing about technology is that it can open doors for people -- especially those who have disabilities. It's the same with a dog, really. Having a service dog opens doors for people with disabilities, and software can do the same thing.

How does Microsoft support you in the work that you do with the dogs?
Microsoft makes a donation to the service dog organization for every volunteer hour I put in when I take my dogs to training activities, but maybe more importantly, they allow me to bring service dogs in training onto campus.

When I first started working here in 1997, security had just published their "No pets in the workplace" policy. My third week here, I emailed the VP of HR at the time, and asked him if he would support me in my effort to be able to bring my service dogs-in-training onto campus. He immediately started helping me, sending emails out and getting policies set that have been around ever since.

The requirements are fair: the dogs have to be six months old, must have basic manners, be house broken. We have to check with the people who sit around us to make sure that none of them have an allergy or an aversion to dogs. We have to make sure the dogs are not being disruptive, and they have to be bathed once a week and groomed daily…

— Which is more than you can say for some people! —
…As long as we adhere to these policies, things work great. It means that the dogs learn how to ride on elevators and be quiet in meetings. They learn how to work around noises like the telephone and the copier, so they're ready to go to work with whoever may become their human partner. Plus, there are so many great people here! My dogs get a ton of socialization and even learn to ride in the shuttle buses.

Do you apply any of your puppy-training skills to your office work?
I do! There's actually a book I'm writing on the side called "Everything I Know About Management I Learned From My Dog." To me it's all about behavioral psychology and motivation.

One of the things I've learned about my puppies is that, if I'm giving them a command and they aren't doing it, my first thought has to be, "Do they really understand what I'm asking them for?" And if I realize they don't, then it's back to basics and reintroduce everything. And with employees, if you have something that you've asked them to do, and they're struggling, my dogs have taught me to always go back and think, "Maybe they don't have the information they need. Let's go back to basics."

If an employee does something really well, and you don't reward it ... you're setting up a situation where that great behavior is going to go away. Same with dogs, right? If my puppy is sitting quietly by my side and I don't praise her for it, that behavior is going to go away. Then she's going to start doing something to get my attention, which might not be as positive a behavior. I have to reward her. As a manager, I try to reward people a lot or at least acknowledge the things they’re doing that are great.

What's surprised you about working at Microsoft?
I thought Microsoft was going to be a really big corporate environment. But it's really like working for a smaller company within a big company. You have a sense of community within your product. You don't feel like there's this big corporate arm hanging over you all the time. You have the freedom to innovate. The freedom to make suggestions and have ideas and see those realized. Relevant Links

Woof woof, links please!

• Visual Studio Documentation
• Hawaii Canines for Independence
• Canine Companions for Independence

After a personal tragedy, Security Program Manager Brian Harden began to volunteer his time to King County’s Search and Rescue team.
By Jake Siegel

October 13, 2008

As a volunteer with King County Search and Rescue, Brian Harden is often at the mercy of the elements. But the cold, the rain, and the snow are all temporary discomforts. The reason he goes out there is simple and summed up by the Search and Rescue motto: So that others may live.  

“When I’m standing around freezing, I remind myself the person out there is in a lot more pain,” said Harden, a security program manager. “Why am I complaining? I’ve got work to do.”  

For the past four years, Harden has volunteered his time for King County Search and Rescue in the 4x4 unit, which provides transport, communications, security, and vehicle search support during rescue missions. A personal tragedy led to his involvement with Search and Rescue. A close friend, Josh Cohen, was flying his plane when he crashed off the Oregon coast. When the plane washed ashore, Josh’s passenger was found, but there was no sign of Harden’s friend. For weeks, two Search and Rescue units from two states looked for Josh, and Harden was impressed by their commitment day in and day out. Sadly, Josh’s body was discovered, but his friends and family had a sense of closure.  

Harden also came away from the tragedy with respect for the Search and Rescue volunteers and their mission. “I thought, ‘I love the outdoors. I should do this,’” he recalled. “It’s something that needs doing. If I was in the same situation out there, I’d want to know people were coming to get me.”  

And that’s what Harden does, on his own time and at his own expense. Friends and coworkers are often surprised that Search and Rescue is an entirely volunteer organization. “A lot of people just assume we get our funding from the sheriff’s department,” he said. “Actually, we don’t. Everything is entirely funded by donations.”  

Considering the cost of getting a helicopter in the air just for an hour can quickly run into thousands of dollars, those donations become critical to Search and Rescue’s operations. Harden hopes to highlight Search and Rescue’s mission as well as its reliance on donations during the Giving Campaign. “I got involved with the Giving Campaign for the same reason I joined Search and Rescue,” Harden said. “I’ve always been impressed with the support Microsoft gives to nonprofits as well as employees who donate their own time.”  

As part of the Campaign, Harden helped organize the Redwest nonprofit fair, which will bring about a dozen local organizations to the Redwest café on October 23. The current economic situation is really hurting nonprofits, Harden said, and he hopes the fair will bring attention and donations to the groups that don't have the recognition national groups such as the United Way and the Red Cross have.  

In the meantime, Harden is always ready to head out at a moment’s notice to join his unit. While some missions have a happy ending, some sadly do not. To deal mentally, Harden and his fellow volunteers talk. "You have to work through it," he said. "Even though you don’t know these people directly, in a way you become involved with their lives." Once, a week before Christmas, Harden assisted with a Search and Rescue mission after a helicopter crash. Over the course of the operation, he got to know the people who had been on board through their friends. When it turned out all three passengers had died, Harden was haunted by nightmares.  

Still, Harden and his fellow volunteers get back out there whenever they’re called. He knows his friend Josh, who had volunteered with California Air Patrol, would be proud of the work he’s doing. “You remind yourself you’re fighting the good fight, doing good work,” Harden said. “Even if you just find the body, you’re providing closure. We’re all out there for the same reason: to help those in need.”

Learn more about King County Search and Rescue and about Harden’s unit.