Lessons learned in promoting new technologies and engineering in girls through a girls hackathon and mentoring

Abstract

The under-representation of women in engineering is becoming a matter of concern as it has implications both for the women themselves and for the development of the digital economy sector. To address this issue, a girls hackathon and a mentorship program have been held at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain) with the aim of bringing more women into computing. Questionnaires deployed after the event indicate that it was a powerful initiative to encourage girls to study engineering degrees and to increase the visibility of women in ICT.