The Anita Borg Institute (ABI) for Women and Technology has awarded three Change Agent scholarships, recognizing women who have contributed to the advancement of women in technology and covering fees and expenses for them to attend the fall conference sponsored by ABI.

The scholarships winners are Ijeoma Terese Ihenachor, a professional engineer with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Claudia Bauzer Medeiros, Ph.D., a full professor of computer science at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Suriya Mayandi Thevar, Ph.D., is senior professor and head of the Department of Library and Information Science at Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, South India.

The scholarship awards cover full fees and expenses to attend the 6th Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 in San Diego, the largest technical conference for women in computer science.

Intel announced last month that it would underwrite the Anita Borg Leadership Award, which will be announced at the conference, and become a full sponsor of ABI, a nine-year-old non-profit organization based in Palo Alto, Calif.

"Companies big and small must aggressively draw on the valuable talents and life experiences of women to compete effectively in the global high-tech industry," said Justin Rattner, Intel CTO, in a statement announcing the underwriting. "Our investment in ABI is but one of the steps Intel is taking to ensure diversity in our workforce that ultimately results in greater creativity and innovation."

Ihenachor is an executive member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and active in numerous engineering organizations, she has served as a member of the governing council of a technical school and has been a leader of that country's "Take a Daughter to Work" program, which annually offers cash awards to top math and physics students at the primary and secondary levels. Ihenachor earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Anambra State University of Technology.

Medeiros’s work focuses on design and development of scientific databases and includes lead roles in over 30 multi-national R&D projects, particularly those involving agro-environmental planning, biodiversity and educational systems. Medeiros has served in leadership positions for several Brazilian government initiatives on computer science research and education. As president of the Brazilian Computer Society she has established key goals and programs aimed at attracting and fostering women in IT professions.

Thevar serves as director of the University's Women's Training Center in Information and Computer Technology. The recipient of numerous awards for her work in library and information science, she serves on the board of International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists-Canada and as India's ambassador to the Association of Computing Machinery. She is president of the Indian Association of Women in IT and secretary of the Women in Technology Research Forum.

The Change Agent Scholarships are underwritten by Fran Allen, Ph.D., IBM fellow and the 2004 recipient of the prestigious Anita Borg Award for Technical Leadership.

"Anita Borg was a change agent with a vision of women as equal partners in the development and use of computing around the world," Allen said, in a statement. The scholarships honor technical women outside the United States.