Information Systems expert to explore 'A Female Brain?'

A nationally-renowned academic and expert in the field of Information Systems will return to Toowoomba this month (October) to encourage women and girls to pursue their academic and career aspirations in non-traditional fields.

Professor Shirley Gregor AO, who heads the National Centre for Information Systems Research, will present the inspiring keynote address: 'A Female Brain?' during the Best of the WEST awards ceremony at USQ Toowoomba on Thursday, October 14. 

The awards ceremony is an annual event organised by the USQ Go WEST (Go Women in Engineering, Science and Technology) project team to recognise and celebrate the achievement of outstanding women and girls who are leading in the fields of engineering, science, mathematics and technology, where females are traditionally under-represented.

Professor Gregor became the foundation Professor of Information Systems at the Australian National University in Canberra in 2001.

Her current research interests include the adoption and strategic use of information and communications technologies, intelligent systems and human-computer interface issues and the philosophy of technology.

Professor Gregor has led several large applied research projects funded by the Meat Research Corporation, the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, the Australian Research Council and AusAID.

A former Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (now USQ) and Central Queensland University academic, Professor Gregor was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for services as an educator and researcher in the field of information systems and in the development of applications for electronic commerce in the agribusiness sector.

She is also a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.

Go WEST Project Team Member, Dr Shirley Reushle, said Professor Gregor was an outstanding role model for women and girls working and studying in non-traditional fields.

'We are thrilled and honoured to have Professor Gregor as the guest speaker at the Best of the WEST awards,' Dr Reushle said.

The 2010 Best of the WEST Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Go WEST Secondary School Student Award
• Go WEST Faculty of Sciences Secondary School Student Award – Mathematics
• Go WEST USQ Student Award – Engineering and Surveying
• Go WEST USQ Student Award – Sciences
• Go WEST USQ Student Award - Community Involvement
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award – Engineering and Surveying
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award – Technology
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award - Innovation in Emerging
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award - Access & Equity
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award - Research
• Go WEST Professional/Business Award - Vice-Chancellor’s Community Project.

For more information on the awards and the Go WEST project, please visit: www.usq.edu.au/gowest