Katy Dickinson

MAGIC at Girls' Middle School

Three of us from the new MAGIC program presented at The Girls' Middle School (GMS) in Mountain View, CA today. GMS is partnering with MAGIC on our first pilot program. MAGIC (More Active Girls In Computing) is a mentorship program between very senior technical women at Sun Microsystems, Google, NASA and other organizations and middle school girls. MAGIC was kicked off at the October 2007 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. (MAGIC has just been accepted to present again at Hopper 2008.) We want to foster in these girls a positive attitude towards computing and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

Hosted by Michelle Friend Hutton (GMS Technology Director), Ira Pramanick, Meenakshi Kaul-Basu, and I presented at a GMS school assembly this afternoon to tell the girls all about it. We passed out MAGIC pencils imprinted with our web address. There was much trading of pencils until all the girls got the colors they preferred.

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:13PM May 21, 2008 by katysblog in Hopper - Anita Borg Institute  | 

Caboose Passes Inspection

WP668, our backyard caboose, passed its first electrical inspection by the City of San Jose today! John worked from home to be there for the inspector. He said the inspector knew all about our project and was excited to be the one from his department who got to sign off. The inspector said if John wanted work as an electrician, he could get him a job. WP668 only has one more inspection: once the stair handrail is installed, it and the final electrical are all that need to be checked.

The original bunkbed and its wall have been reinstalled already. John put up the last of the ceiling trim and baseboards. Both ladders have been painted and installed. The stained glass and bookcases arrive on Saturday (we ended up buying bookcases but we still hope to build in a window seat). John is almost done filling in the bolt holes on the bay windows (once that is done, I can paint the big WP 668 on the front). I have almost all of the stones in place in the arroyito of the new cactus garden. We will be ready for the caboose brunch on Sunday, 25 May.

Work in progress on WP668:

• 24 May - Install stained glass bay window
• 24 May - Install bookcases
• 24 May - Finish painting exterior markings
• 24 May - Fill in trench for electrical conduit
• Install stair handrail (being made now)
• Final stairway and electrical inspection and sign off
• Install roof walk
• Install bay window seat
• Install phone and internet service
• Move in furniture and books

Ladder installed

WP668 side view

View out bay window

Aloe in Cactus Garden

Cactus Garden

John installing bunk

Katy sweeping up

WP668 interior view from the front door

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

Posted at 10:36PM May 21, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  |