Pittsburgh, PA, March 17, 2017 – Upper School computer science students at The Ellis School were visited by three female employees from Uber Advanced Technologies Group to discuss the women’s roles in developing Uber’s self-driving cars. Technical Program Manager, Lisa Weitekamp; Product Manager, Emily Duff Bartel; and Senior Software Engineer, Julie Derence shared their experiences and expertise as women in the tech industry. From the vehicle operator, to the software within the car, to the social implications of having a “robot” car on the road, the women discussed their responsibilities in developing new technologies and innovations.

Bartel, Weitekamp, and Derence are important role models for students to interact with as they consider college majors or future careers in the tech industry. Their visit not only shined a light on potential professions and opportunities for students, but showed them that they could end up in their very position in the near future. With the computer science job market set to grow 15 to 20 percent by 2022—which is roughly the same time these Upper School students will be entering the workforce—the experience proved that the demand is there, students just have to seize the opportunity.

The women’s advice and insider perspective resonated with the students as they think about their own futures. “At Ellis, we make it a priority for students to see women leaders in engineering and management positions because it means they can see themselves as leaders,” says Computer Science Teacher, Michele Lombardi. Following a roundtable discussion, students headed outside to get an up close look and tour of the self-driving Uber. Students talked to the vehicle operators about the software, sensors, and technology in the car.

Ms. Lombardi invited the women from Uber to visit Ellis’ all-girl campus in Pittsburgh’s East End to provide mentorship, support, and positive modeling for the next generation of tech geniuses. By celebrating women in tech and facilitating connections between positive female role models and her students, Ms. Lombardi strives to inspire Ellis girls to become future product developers, engineers, and tech leaders. She adds, “as a teacher, I appreciate that the women spoke to their varied backgrounds—art, business, and computer science—it is important for us to illustrate to students that it takes all different types of skill sets to create such a complex product and there is no singular path toward a specific career.”