Women in Tech Night at the MILL

On a gray drizzly afternoon at LBCC, Forrest Johnson opens the door to room T-229, otherwise known as the MILL. The Maker and Innovation Learning Lab is still under construction, though Johnson assures the space will be looking much more hospitable by the time the guests arrive for the space’s first event, “Women in Tech Night” on Thursday, Jan. 19.  

The free event, which starts at 5:30 p.m., will include fun, quick tech activities, host a panel discussion with local women working in various tech fields, facilitate student and professional networking, and the opportunity to win prizes. The Women in Tech panel will go from 6:15 to 7 p.m.; and then from 7 to 8 panel speakers will be networking with participants who want to chat. 

Johnson said women remain severely under-represented in STEM fields. While moving equipment and organizing boxes, Johnson continues, “We want to show young people women working in the tech industry, recognize them, and give them credit.” 

Director of Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub, the organization behind the MILL, Sarah Whiteside, doubles down on Johnson's claim about supporting more representation. "Women and gender minorities hold only about a quarter of all tech-related jobs - and even fewer for women of color - and that number has actually decreased in the past two years."

You can register for the event by following this link.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-in-steam-night-computer-science-tickets-495131129537

Panelist Erin Hyde, a programmer for the Linn Benton Lincoln Education Service District, said the enthusiastic energy from the people organizing the event is contagious. 

“The MILL is a makerspace that offers tools and resources to the residents of Linn and Benton counties,” Johnson said while sweeping the floor. “This is a space to foster connections through inclusion while building a sense of community.”  

Once in the space, visitors can find woodworking equipment, 3-D printers, sewing machines, and an audio/visual lab, to name just a few of the MILL’s offerings.

To find this event – where you can hear LBCC’s own Sisi Virasak and Agility Robotics professional Corey Crowley speak – go to the second floor of Takena Hall on the college’s Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW. The door to get in is facing the courtyard. You’ll see signs that read “Maker and Innovation Learning Lab” in the windows at a size that is hard to miss. 

What to learn more about this event? Contact Forrest Johnson at Mill@linnbenton.edu.