Two U.Va. Engineering Students Receive 2007 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships

University of Virginia computer science graduate students Isabelle Stanton and Wei Le are among the 20 students nationwide who were honored by Google this April with 2007 Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships.

Established to honor the legacy of Anita Borg and her efforts to encourage women to pursue careers in computer science and technology, Google’s 2007 Anita Borg Scholarship was sought by more than 250 applicants from 115 different universities across the country. After four rounds of review, 20 women were selected to receive the $10,000 scholarship.

“The fact that two out of only 20 recipients nationwide were from the Computer Science Department at the U.Va. School of Engineering and Applied Science speaks volumes about the quality of our students, our CS department, our school and our commitment to supporting women in engineering and technology,” said James H. Aylor, dean of the U.Va. Engineering School.

The Anita Borg Scholarship is designed to fund a variety of educational expenses.

“I am extremely thankful for this award and honor,” said Le, who will use her award to fund her doctoral research.

Stanton, who discovered the opportunity when a fellow CS graduate student and past award recipient alerted her to the scholarship,  plans to use her award to travel to conferences and purchase equipment that will aid in her research. “I was really excited when I found out I was among the 2007 recipients,” said Stanton. “I’m very appreciative that out of all the women that applied, the judges thought that I deserved this honor.”

U.Va. Today, 04/19/07