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As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to encouraging students of underrepresented backgrounds in technology to pursue graduate study, we are pleased to host the first annual 2010 Google Graduate Researchers in Academia of Diverse backgrounds (GRAD) CS Forum. This forum will bring together students who are historically underrepresented in the field to connect with one another and with Google. Up to 75 computer scientists will be invited to an all-expenses paid forum that will run Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon on January 21–23 at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA. The Google GRAD CS Forum will include technical talks from established researchers – both from Google and universities – and a unique occasion to build and strengthen networks with other emerging researchers. Students will also enjoy tours of the Googleplex, have the opportunity to meet with Google engineers in their focus areas, and have fun exploring the San Francisco Bay Area. Eligibility Requirements Applicants must: be a computer science (or related technical discipline) graduate student currently enrolled in a Masters or PhD program at a university in North America demonstrate academic excellence and leadership in the computing field maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.3 on a 5.0 scale or equivalent in their current program The forum is open to all qualified graduate students, and is committed to addressing diversity in our company and in the technology industry. Students who are a member of a group that is historically under-represented in the technology industry are encouraged to apply, including female, Native American, African American and Hispanic students as well as students with disabilities. Selection Process Google engineers will select up to 75 attendees based on each applicant’s academic and technical achievements. Evidence of academic achievement and leadership experience should be evident from the resume. How to Apply Complete the online application and submit all required documents online. First-time users will be required to register and create an account. Please note that recommendation letters are not required. Application Deadline: December 12, 2009 Apply now at www.google.com/jobs/students/gradforum . Posted by Hanah Kim, University Programs

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Join us for the 2010 Google GRAD CS Forum!

Last month we asked you to nominate your campus to be photographed for Street View on Google Maps. We were inundated with more than 25,000 suggestions across all categories, and university campuses made up 44% of all suggestions! We’ve narrowed the top suggested locations to a few finalists and there is now just one week left in the voting period. Cast your vote for your favorite place within each category to tell us which locations you’d most like to see on Google Maps. The university finalists are: Arizona State University Michigan State University Princeton University Rochester Institute of Technology Stanford University Visit www.google.com/trike to vote and see the other finalists! You can vote as many times as you like until the deadline at 11:59pm PST on Monday, November 30th. We’ll then work on getting all the winners into Google Maps, and of course we’ll work closely with the relevant organizations to collect images of any privately-owned locations. If voting for Street View trike finalists gets you excited about how much you love Google Maps, be sure to check out our new Google Maps tips for life to help you save time, look smart, and manage your travels efficiently. Posted by Laura Melahn, Google Maps Team

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Street View trike competition university finalists

We had a chance to speak with intern Lu Chen this summer for the Googler Beta Series, and she shared with us 5 reasons why interning for Google is awesome. Continue below to get Lu’s unique perspective on working here at Google. Interested in being a summer intern at Google? Visit www.google.com/students to apply today. Name: Lu Chen School: UPenn Internship Focus: Google Blogger Team Hobbies: Eating/Hanging around the kitchen; Graphics & Animation Top 5 Reasons to Intern for Google 1) The People. Without a doubt, the Googlers are truly what makes working here awesome: every person I met was intelligent, dedicated, and just plain cool. Discuss this piece of code? Sure. Switch gears and talk about the latest episode of Top Chef? No sweat. There are smart and cool people at any job, but here at Google, finding them is a sure bet! 2) It’s real. Over the course of my internship, I have gotten an accurate taste of what a career in software engineering is actually like. Interns are treated as, and essentially are – full time engineers. I worked within the same codebase and wrote to the same standards as my colleagues. Additionally, my project wasn’t some busywork that no one would ever see or use after I left — rather, I had the pleasure of working on some front-end features that will end up being seen and used by thousands of Blogger users! From the practical experience of working on such a large and fast-paced application, I’ve learned a lot about web development, product life cycles, and programming in general. 3) Being ‘Googley’. Everyone at Google works insanely hard, but there is also a sense of fun that is endorsed by the company culture. During one offsite, I went on a white water rafting trip! Through the intern program, I also had the opportunity to have some fun with my fellow interns: paintball, indoor skydiving, hiking, etc. Alongside all of the fun, there is an unspoken expectation that every Googler knows his workload and gets it accomplished bt the end of the day. I wasn’t told what hours to work or where on campus I should work (work next to frozen yogurt machine, anyone?). Not many companies give their employees such trust and freedom, and the culture is one area where Google really outshines its competitors. 4) One big company, lots of diverse opportunities. Although I was a part of the Blogger team, I got to experience and learn much more than Blogger engineering. For example, I took a mini-course on UX (User Experience) sketching and learned how to draft quick prototypes on paper. I even took a seminar on making mochas and espressos! Between tech talks, seminars, and 20% time, Google offers so many opportunities to continue learning. Even in the scope of my own project, it wasn’t just daily coding; I had the opportunity to contribute towards the user experience, design, engineering and testing of my feature. 5) Where else will you find a T-Rex being attacked by pink flamingos?

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Googlers Beta – 2009 Edition – Lu Chen

We are pleased to announce the 2nd year of the Google RISE Awards! Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards are designed to promote and support science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and computer science (CS) education initiatives. We provide awards to organizations working with university and pre-university students to provide enrichment programs in these fields. Support may include a combination of monetary awards ranging from $500 – $10,000, volunteer resources and in-kind donations. Google believes that technology will continue to play an important role in shaping our future and knows that the youth of today will help innovate and drive these technologies for years to come. Through the Google RISE Awards Program, we aspire to help students take one step closer to achieving their potential by offering growth and development opportunities. Please visit the RISE Awards website for additional details regarding eligibility, the application process and past award recipients. The deadline to submit your application is Sunday, November 22, 2009 . Posted by Holly Benson & Sun-Hee Yeo, Talent and Outreach Programs

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Google RISE Awards – Only a few days left to submit an application!

We’re excited to announce the launch of Google Sites site templates. Site templates are pre-packaged sites that anyone can use to make creating your own website even easier. This is especially valuable for students so that when you’re making your site you can now skip a few steps, and instead of making a site from scratch, start with a template. You can use site templates to organize, publish and share information about your school, class, projects, fraternity or sorority, school club, intramural teams, or any other organization or event. Additionally if you create a site that you think others might like or use, you can create a template and add it to the gallery! To browse site templates click the Create new site button. You can choose one of the popular templates highlighted on the site creation page, or you can click Browse the gallery for more to see more options. Visit www.sites.google.com to start using site templates today! Posted by Ashley Chandler, Google Sites Team

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Introducing Google Sites templates

Google is pleased to partner with the Hispanic College Fund to offer scholarships for computer science students! Google HCF scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic background, leadership and passion for computer science. Recipients will each receive a $10,000 scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year. Selected students will also be invited to attend the all-expenses-paid Annual Google Scholars’ Retreat at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California in the Spring of 2010. Eligibility Requirements: Must be of Hispanic background Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident residing in the United States or Puerto Rico Studying at an accredited university in the U.S. or Puerto Rico for the upcoming academic year Enrolled (or plan to be) full-time for the upcoming academic year Have a minimum GPA of a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale Demonstrate financial need junior or senior undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in computer science or computer engineering for the 2010-2011 academic year Application Deadline: February 16, 2010 For complete details, please visit www.google.com/jobs/scholarships Posted by Meghan O’Farrell, Talent & Outreach Programs Specialist

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Google Hispanic College Fund Scholarship

[Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog ] Today we’re excited to announce the most recent addition to our scholarship programs in Europe, the Google Europe Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. This scholarship is designed for students with disabilities who are pursuing degrees in the field of computer science anywhere in the European Union, plus Switzerland and Israel. Multiple scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic performance and demonstrated passion for computer science. Scholarships will be granted for the 2010/2011 academic year, and recipients will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid retreat at Google’s Engineering Center in Zurich in 2010. Here’s what Nelson Mattos, our VP for Product and Engineering in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has to say about this scholarship: “We’re committed to diversifying the long-term engineering talent pool for the industry as a whole. We hope that this scholarship will increase opportunities for students with disabilities and encourage them to pursue careers in computer science. The retreat fosters relationships so that scholars can form a supportive network lasting the full length of their academic studies and beyond.” We know that a diverse group of people use our tools and services and only an equally diverse workforce can anticipate our users’ needs. We’ve found that the diversity of perspectives, ideas and cultures leads to the creation of better products to the benefit of all users of the Internet. We hope that this scholarship works towards that end. The deadline to apply is March 15th 2010. For more details, visit www.google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe . Posted by Beate List, EMEA University Programmes and Eleanor Mulligan, EMEA Diversity and Inclusion

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Introducing the Europe Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

Yesterday we announced an expansion of our Virgin America WiFi sponsorship to also include 47 airports. Both programs will offer free WiFi through January 15, 2010 and will cover more than 10 million passengers traveling this holiday season. There’s no Google account or credit card required to log on, but we’ll be offering the option to try out a Google product and also offer the chance to donate to one of three charities; we’ll be matching donations up to $250,000. We hope that this makes travel to be with friends and family that much better this holiday season. You can learn more about the program at http://www.freeholidaywifi.com Posted by Jeff Aguero, Product Marketing Manager

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Flying (and landing) in a WiFi Wonderland