Women in IT 2022 - April 22

2022 Women in Information Technology Conference

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is excited bring back its annual Women in IT Conference this spring, with a great line-up of speakers and presentations.

Hosted by the EICC Information Technology programs, this event is for women working in technology related fields, current students or those who may be considering a technology career. This year’s conference theme is "Welcome Back" and will take place in-person Friday, April 22 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Scott Community College Urban Campus, 101 W. Third. St., Davenport, Iowa. 

This year's Keynote Speaker, Somchai Rice Ph.D, will kick off the event. A product of the public school education system in Iowa, Rice spent her formative years growing up in north central Iowa and received her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Master of Science in Toxicology, and Doctor of Philosophy in Toxicology from Iowa State University. She serves as faculty for Docent Institute and is the Chief Science Officer and co-founder of MedBlox, a decentralized electronic health information exchange. The platform enables collaboration between providers, health systems/groups, affiliates, researchers and patients. In addition, Rice was appointed to the advisory board for the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council by Governor Kim Reynolds and serves as an advisor for MassCyberCorp.

In her presentation,"Why it's Okay to Lie (to the Machine)," Rice will explain why the moral principle of not lying falls flat when your honesty can be used against you on the internet. The session will cover: 

• Risks to honesty
• Threat from Doxxing, criminals, Facebook and Google
• Lying about your identity and thoughts 
• Understanding the machine and its weaknesses 
• How lying can be your defensive weapon 
  
  

In addition to the keynote speaker, attendees will take part in a number of great breakout sessions featuring leaders in the industry. 

Conference Sessions

Keynote: Why it's Okay to Lie (to the Machine)

Breakout Sessions: 

• How a Global Pandemic Shaped IT in Healthcare
  Dr. Jordan Brautigam
  
  The COVID 19 global pandemic shifted and re-shaped industries of all shapes and sizes, including the healthcare systems in our own backyard. This case study will take a look back at the last two years on how information technology changed in how we deliver care in the Quad Cities. From Zoom meetings, to telehealth, to predictive modeling, come hear on how these technologies emerged during this turbulent time.
  
  
• Drone Technology and Geographic Information Systems
  Ray Weiser and Darrell Inskeep
  
  Learn how Scott County GIS is integrating drone technology to enhance services provided to Scott County.
  
  
• Presenting Your Brand
  Samantha Koehn and LeAnn Weber
  
  Using the Power of Being You and frameworks discussed in the session we will develop our personal brand statement to differentiate ourselves from the rest.
  
  
• Cyber Security – Good vs. Evil
  Katie Spain and Ben Potaracke
  
  Session Description: There are many bad actors out there attempting to gain access to your information. In our presentation we will share ways to protect the external forces and also how to be proactive from the inside. Sometimes our greatest threat is the unknown. We want to share best practices in personal responsibility for information security.
   
• Work Reboot: Strategies to Work Health & Fit from Anywhere
  Dr. Traci Nelson-Johnson
  
  This session will provide practical tools to help you be feel more energetic with less pain at the end of the work day.
   
• Panel Discussion - IT at the center: Disruptive change and the COVID-19 pandemic
  Cheryl Welsch
  
  Panelists: Danielle Dagama, Stephanie Macuga, Michelle Rasmussen, Jordan Brautigam, and Michelle Baumann
  
  The COVID 19 pandemic has changed how we all work. Information technology, often considered operational, transactional, or worse yet, a “cost center” of an organization, was suddenly at the forefront of the Great Pivot of 2020. In the mad rush for online everything, IT was suddenly seen by leadership as the Strategic, Transformative and Indispensable heart of an organization, in the way that we always knew it was. Join us for this panel discussion, where we talk to IT professionals from a variety of industries to discuss their experiences, both good and bad, between 2019 and no. You can expect to leave this session with some tips for maintaining the image of “Strategic IT” within your organization.
  
  

Please contact Roberta Osmers at 563-336-3455 or by email rfosmers@eicc.edu if you have any questions.