Microsoft Research Announces Female Academic All-StarsMicrosoft Research Announces Female Academic All-Stars

Microsoft Research has announced that it is seeking to sponsor 10 female students majoring in computer science, with a possible interest in serious game development and research, to attend the Serious Games Summit 2005 to learn more about this emerging industry and its market potential. The selected All-Stars will be invited to convene during a luncheon at SGS, which is held from October 31st to November 1st, 2005, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, to meet with an industry luminary to hear first-hand and discuss the issues surrounding female game developers and career opportunities in this field. In addition, students will be able to attend more than 40 sessions, lectures, and roundtable discussions to learn about key issues affecting the marketplace, get a sneak-peak at upcoming serious games, and the opportunity to network with peers and leading players in the serious games space. The goal for the company is to gain knowledge on how Microsoft Research can attract more women into the critical fields necessary to move computer science, and fields such as serious game development, forward - those interested in applying should go to the official All-Stars website - the deadline for entries is August 31st. Microsoft Research has previously been supportive of the game industry, recently announcing its second set of game development education grants to help fund game development courses, won by individuals such as Dr. Flavio Soares at the University of Sao Paulo, Randy Pausch and Jesse Schell at Carnegie Mellon, and Ian Parberry at the University of North Texas. [The Serious Games Summit is produced by CMP Game Group, which also runs Game Developers Conference, as well as GDC Europe, Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra.com.]