Join Us for the 13th Annual WITI Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony @ WITI's 2008 National Conference in the Silicon Valley!

WITI Hall of Fame 2008 Press Release  |  WITI Hall of Fame Alumni Videos

WITI's Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to recognize, honor, and promote the outstanding contributions women make to the scientific and technological communities that improve and evolve our society.

This year's WITI Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn of Tech Nation, will be held on Monday October 13, 2008 @ 6:30pm.


2008 WITI Hall of Fame Inductees

Deborah Estrin
Director, Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, Professor, UCLA

Deborah Estrin is a Professor of Computer Science with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering at UCLA, holds the Jon Postel Chair in Computer Networks, and is Founding Director of the NSF-funded Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS). Estrin received her Ph.D. (1985) in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her B.S. (1980) from U.C. Berkeley. Before joining UCLA she was a member of the University of Southern California, Computer Science Department.

In 1987, Professor Estrin received the National Science Foundation, Presidential Young Investigator Award for her research in network interconnection and security. During the subsequent 10 years much of her research focused on the design of network and routing protocols for very large, global, networks, such as: scalable multicast routing and transport protocols, self-configuring protocol mechanisms for scalability and robustness, and tools and methods for designing and studying large scale networks. Since the late 90's Professor Estrin has focused on embedded networked sensing systems, with a particular focus on applications to environmental monitoring. Most recently this work includes participatory-sensing systems, based on automated, programmable, and adaptive collection of environmental, physiological, and social parameters at the personal and community level. These systems will leverage the installed base of image and acoustic sensors that we all carry around in our pockets or on our belts-cell phones.

Estrin has been a co-PI on many NSF and DARPA funded projects. She chaired a 1997-98 ISAT study on sensor networks and the 2001 NRC study on Networked Embedded Computing which produced the report Embedded Everywhere. She chaired the Sensors and Sensor Networks subcommittee of the NEON Network Design Committee (http://neoninc.org). Estrin also served on the Advisory Committees for the NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Environmental Research and Education (ERE) Directorates, and is currently a member of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of The National Academies.

In 2007 Professor Estrin was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also a fellow of the ACM, AAAS and the IEEE. She has served on numerous panels for the NSF, National Academy of Sciences/NRC, and DARPA. She has also served as an editor for the ACM/IEEE Transactions on Networks, and as a program committee member for many networking related conferences, including Sigcomm and Infocom. She was Steering Group Chair and General Co-Chair for the first ACM Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems, Sensys 2003, and served as one of the first Associate Editors for the new ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks.

Professor Estrin was selected as the first ACM-W Athena Lecturer in 2006. The Athena Lectures celebrate women researchers who have made fundamental contributions to Computer Science. She was awarded the Anita Borg Institute's Women of Vision Award for Innovation in 2007. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.

Susan P. Fisher-Hoch
M.D., Professor of Epidemiology, The University of Texas School of Public Health

Sue Fisher-Hoch was born in England in 1940. After completing High School she attended the Sorbonne in Paris, then continued linguistic and cultural studies in Rome. She gained admission to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1970 at a time when women, particularly married women as she was, were not offered places. At the Royal Free she was awarded the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson fellowship, in memory of the first English woman doctor. She graduated First Class in 1975 with seven prizes for excellence. After internship with Dr. Sheila Sherlock at the Royal Free Hospital, she joined the Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford to train in virology. Between 1978 and 1982 she taught medical students, ran virology laboratories and conducted research, publishing several papers. By 1981 she had membership of the Royal College of Pathology in Virology, a Master's degree in Microbiology with distinction and a doctoral degree in epidemiology (MD) from London University. Her doctoral thesis findings were published in the Lancet and were the first identification of hot water systems as the source of outbreaks of Legionnaire's disease, as opposed to air conditioning. She was also central to the discovery that the parvovirus B19 was responsible for Fifth's Disease (Slapped Cheek Syndrome), and in the first identification of E.coli O157 as the cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome. In 1982 she obtained a Wellcome Trust Fellowship to study the pathophysiology of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in primates in the Porton Down BSL4 facilities using biological respirators. (BSL4 is the highest level of containment that exists, used for the most dangerous viruses such as Ebola and Lassa.) This allowed her to begin to understand the processes involved in shock and death in Ebola. In 1984 she was invited to the CDC, Atlanta space suit BSL4 laboratory and published her findings on Lassa fever virus in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, providing key information on the pathophysiology of Ebola and Lassa viruses. In 1986 she moved permanently to CDC where she remained for eight years, becoming Deputy Branch Chief, Special Pathogens Laboratory, Division of Viral Diseases, and serving as Acting Branch Chief. Her responsibilities included primate studies of pathophysiology, vaccine evaluation, clinical and epidemiological advice for the United States and other countries, and supervision of the Sierra Leone Lassa Fever Research Unit. She published several major papers, notably efficacy of a Lassa Virus vaccine, comparative pathophysiology of Ebola isolates, and longitudinal studies of Ebola virus infections in monkeys.

Dr. Fisher-Hoch traveled widely and gained extensive experience working in China, Thailand, Indonesia and several countries in Africa, conducting studies and publishing reports. While with the CDC, she investigated outbreaks of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in South Africa, Senegal and Saudi Arabia, where she gave an invited lecture in Mecca. She investigated devastating outbreaks of Lassa fever in Nigeria. She contributed to the investigation of the Reston, Virginia, outbreak in monkeys imported from the Philippines, visiting Indonesia and the Netherlands to try to track the source of the virus, and then returning to the laboratory to perform primate studies.

In 1992 she married Dr. Joseph McCormick, Chief, Special Pathogens Laboratory at CDC, and in 1993 they moved to the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, with the object of returning to the field. Dr. Fisher-Hoch supervised the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, the largest in Pakistan. She established a molecular biology research laboratory, and worked and published studies on pathogens such as hepatitis C, Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever, tuberculosis, typhoid and cholera. In 1997 she and her husband moved to Lyon, France, where she took charge of the design, building and scientific program of a new BSL4 space suit laboratory, financed by Charles Mérieux. Dr Fisher-Hoch was awarded the Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur by the President of France, Jacques Chirac, Le Medaille de Lyon by the mayor and former Prime Minister of France, Raymond Barre, and Le Prix Scientifique du Group Paris-Lyon, for her work in designing, constructing, and rendering operational the BSL4 laboratory of Lyon. In January 2001, she moved to Brownsville, Texas, with her husband to establish the new Brownsville campus of the UT School of Public Health. Here she has established a research program in diabetes and tuberculosis recruiting and training a team of young scientists, mostly women. This program has attracted significant NIH funding, and has made major advances in understanding of these diseases in minority populations. She has established a molecular microbiology laboratory, with a BSL3 for handling pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and West Nile Virus.

Dr. Fisher-Hoch speaks fluent French, and Italian, and some Spanish. She has over the years contributed many chapters to major textbooks, written review articles, reviewed for several journals, and has more than 100 major publications. She has written invited editorials for the Lancet, and provided expert advice to the lay press and television, being featured personally in both media, and in books dealing with hemorrhagic fevers. With her husband, Joe McCormick she has published a popular account of their adventures (Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC) which has sold more than 70,000 copies, was translated into seven languages, and is widely read by young, aspiring scientists, particularly women. Together they have made invited presentations to students at institutions such as, MIT, Duke and Vanderbilt Universities, and are now mentoring aspiring young scientists in a post-bac program in Brownsville, again mainly women.

Mary Lou Jepsen
CEO, Pixel Qi

Time Magazine recently named Mary Lou one of the 100 most influential people in the world for her work as co-founder and CTO of One Laptop per Child (OLPC). At OLPC, Mary Lou was the lead innovator and architect of the lowest-cost, lowest-power, and greenest laptop ever made, making possible the distribution of millions of computers to children in developing countries world-wide. Notably she convinced Asian manufacturers to join the effort despite widespread disparagement about its viability, led the development of the laptop and saw it into high volume mass production. She is also responsible for the most significant innovations in the laptop - she invented the innovative sunlight-readable screen, and co-invented the laptop's power management system. Through her new company, Pixel Qi, she contends that - at the end of the day - the computer is the display. Her company is focused on creating innovative displays with a fab-less ASIC approach using standard LCD manufacturing processes and materials (now and as they evolve) that allow rapid ramp into high volume mass production. Previously Mary Lou was the CTO of Intel's Display Division, and the co-founder and CTO of the MicroDisplay Corporation. She holds a PhD in Optics and BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University, and an MS from the MIT Media Lab in Holography.

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University, where she directs the Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, and holds appointments at the Department of Surgery and the College of Dental Medicine. She received her B.S., S.M. and Ph.D from the University of Belgrade (all in chemical engineering), and was a Fulbright fellow in 1986-87 (at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Prior to joining Columbia, Gordana was with the University of Belgrade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University. Her laboratory is working on biophysical regulation of human stem cells and on tissue engineering for application in regenerative medicine. She also co-directs the NIH Tissue Engineering Resource Center (TERC). Gordana published over 220 peer-reviewed articles, two books and 25 patents, and gave 140 invited lectures. She is a frequent advisor to governmental organizations on bioreactors, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and a permanent member of a NIH study section. In 2007, she gave the Director' lecture at the NIH, as the first woman engineer to receive this distinction. In 2002, she has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She lives in New York City with husband Branko (architect) and son Stasha (MD).

Jian (Jane) Xu, Ph.D.
Distinguished Engineer, CTO, China Systems and Technology Labs, IBM

Dr. Jane Xu is a Distinguished Engineer in IBM. Her current role is the Chief Technology Officer of the newly founded IBM China Systems and Technology Labs (CSTL). She is driving the technical strategy of firmware, systems management software, storage and technology development, testing and customer engagements. Since taking this assignment in July 2005, Dr. Xu has been a passionate coach and mentor to the next generation of software engineers while creating business opportunities in cutting edge areas such as multicore technology, energy saving, environmental improvement and future network datacenter.

As a native of Shanghai, Dr. Xu came to the U.S. for higher education in 1982. With a strong technical career goal, she persistently completed her study and received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in 1985 and 1986 respectively; and her Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California in 1990.

Dr. Xu joined IBM Storage Systems Division in 1990, working on storage systems architecture. From 1995 to 2000, Dr. Xu worked in IBM Software Group as a technical leader, delivering several IBM database middleware and XLM products. In 2001, she worked in IBM Almaden Research Center as an executive assistant. Since 2002, Dr. Xu has worked in IBM Systems and Technology Group. Before going to China, she led the advanced technology development of storage software. She was the lead architect of IBM's Information Lifecycle Management and Grid Storage products as well as the co-chair of the Global Grid Forum (GGF) File System Working Group. She lead the IBM eBusiness OnDemand Council Storage Working Group as a member of IBM's Systems and Technology Group Software Architecture Board.

Dr. Xu is a Technology Council member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an organization comprised of the top 300 technical experts in IBM. She has received three IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Awards. Dr. Xu has filed 24 U.S. patents. She received Special Recognition Awards from the Women of Color Technology Awards Conference in 2005 and 2007 respectively. Dr. Xu currently is a visiting professor at Shanghai Tongji University. She is an IBM AP women executive council member, co-leader of the IBM AP Women in Technology Networking Group and Shanghai Women Diversity Group.

Hosted By:

Dr. Moira Gunn
Host, Tech Nation & BioTech Nation

Dr. Moira Gunn is Host of Tech Nation and BioTech Nation, which air in such venues as National Public Radio's SIRIUS Satellite Radio channels NPR Now and NPR Talk, and internationally to 133 countries via American Forces Radio International. Produced at the studios of KQED in San Francisco, the programming can also be heard on over 200 domestic public stations and through podcasts via iTunes and other Internet distribution venues.

Tech Nation is the sole national weekly radio program on the impact of technology, and its weekly BioTech Nation segment enjoys the same status in the area of biotech issues. Dr. Gunn's weekly commentaries touch all aspects of our lives in these unpredictable times. The intriguing story of the building the BioTech Nation segment and the leading issues facing us all in the arena is described in Dr. Gunn's book "Welcome to BioTech Nation ... My Unexpected Odyssey into the Land of Small Molecules, Lean Genes, and Big Ideas."

More than simply radio, the family of Tech Nation programs seeks to educate the public on the issues of science and technology. They demonstrate that all aspects of our lives are affected, and to make reasonable decisions, we must understand much, much more - as individuals, as communities, as nations and as a global society.

Dr. Gunn is not so much interested in the opinions of the day - she is more interested in how people come to form these opinions, especially when a comprehension of the underlying technology and science is essential. She asks her listeners to question themselves: "Do I know what is knowable? ? before I take a position, make a plan, take an action."

Her guests come from every walk of life: politicians and businesspeople, scientists and futurists, novelists and educators, members of the media and more. In her words: "Everyone is essential. Everyone is a piece of the puzzle."

In over 2,000 in-depth interviews, Dr. Gunn has engaged with recognizable people from every venue: From business leaders like Intel's Andy Grove to emergent tech guru's like Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, from the old guard of science such as Linus Pauling and Crick and Watson to our new generation of scientists like Dr. Pam Marrone, the etymologist who single-handedly created the first certified organic agribusiness pesticide and received the EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Award for her efforts. Or Dr. Joao Magueijo, the brash young theoretical physicist from Imperial College, who controversially suggested that the speed of light was relative.

To be sure, the tech story only begins with business and science. From Senator John McCain to Ralph Nader, from the Motley Fools to Dilbert creator Scott Adams, from Alvin Toffler to Paul Krugman to every one of the over 2,000 guests who have appeared on Tech Nation, the world is a complex and interconnected place, and we have much to learn from each other.


Never attended a WITI conference? Check out what previous attendees are saying and the details from our most recent conference.

Hope to see you in Silicon Valley!

How Your Company Can Participate
Please call 818-788-9484 for information on how to be a sponsor, an exhibitor, or to advertise in a WITI conference program.

Speakers' Bureau
If you're interested in speaking at a WITI conference, please fill out our online speaker's application.