Google Data » Jessica

Celebrating Black History Month: A Q&A with Jana Landon

Jessica — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:56:00 +0000

As we celebrate Black History Month, we bring you a series profiling black Googlers in various roles. Today we’re continuing our series with Jana Landon, a people operations rotation associate on the non-technical University Programs team. -- Ed.

Can you tell us about your background and your road to Google?

Jana Landon: During my junior year of college at Dartmouth (where I studied psychology), I decided to get involved with the Dartmouth Black Business Association. Shortly after I got involved, Google held an info session about the BOLD internship program. I applied and was accepted as a member of the 2010 BOLD intern class and that’s how I got my first exposure to Google. During the 11-week internship I was a member of the Global Diversity and Inclusion team in People Operations. I really enjoyed the work I was doing and the Google culture. When I was extended a full-time offer from Google a few weeks after the internship it wasn’t a hard decision to make because I knew so much about the company and had a realistic idea of what it would be like to work there full-time.

What was the Google BOLD program like?

JL: As an intern on the Global Diversity and Inclusion team, I supported internal employee resource groups (ERGs) like the Black Googlers Network, Hispanic Googlers Network, VetNet, Gayglers, Capability Council, Google Women Engineers and many more (there are about 17 ERGs). Working with these groups and also with teammates who sat in Asia and Europe really opened my eyes to the multi-faceted meaning of diversity. What I loved most about the internship were my projects. One of the most challenging but also rewarding projects I worked on was the Diversity at Google video. I went through a long process of proposal writing to get the adequate resources to produce a high quality video. I worked with Google’s internal production studio where I created, produced and edited the video which showcases all of the ways Google supports diversity for new employees. My “magic Google moment” was on my first day as a full-time Googler when I saw my diversity video played at Noogler (new Googler) orientation. It’s nice to know that even as an intern the work I did made a lasting impact.

The other great thing about BOLD was the people. That summer I lived with seven other interns in a big house in San Francisco (we called it the “Real World House”). I loved my intern class and a lot of us came back full-time. It’s nice moving across the country and already having a network of close friends.

As a very recent college graduate, how have you managed the transition from college to the workplace?

JL: It really helps having been a BOLD intern, because I had a great sense of what the work was going to be like and how the company works. Still, no matter what, starting a new chapter of your life is going to be hectic. It’s kind of like being a freshman again. You learn as you go and you have to pace yourself. You can’t get involved with everything right away or you are going to burn out. The term work/life balance becomes very real because you aren’t just starting a new job, you’re starting a new life. My co-workers and managers have been very helpful since they have been at Google and in the Bay Area for a while. I like that Google helps with important things like relocation and also connects you with other “Nooglers.” I learned about a lot of things like apartment openings and furniture sales through the new grad email thread.

What do you know now that you wish you knew as a student? If you could give every college student one piece of advice, what would it be?

JL: I’d say be open. I would never have guessed that I’d be working in HR or at a tech company at that. Be open to different types of experiences, internships, volunteer opportunities, etc. that can teach you about what you like and sometimes more importantly, what you don’t like. It would have been very easy to write Google off as a place I couldn’t work because I’m not a computer science or engineering person but after allowing myself to learn more about all aspects of Google I realized that I can make a valuable contribution to this company and this industry in other ways.

Your official title at Google is People Operations Rotation Associate. What does that mean?

JL: I am fortunate to be in a rotational program in People Operations which seeks to expose participants to all aspects of human resources. There are about 15 participants in my cohort and we get the opportunity to have three different roles on three different teams for nine months each. Right now I am in a specialist role, but by the program’s end I will have completed an analytical role and a generalist role. We are actually in the process of interviewing with new teams now because we switch in April. It’s pretty exciting!

What team are you currently working on? What is your role?

JL: My first rotation is with the University Programs team. I help recruit undergraduates for full-time and internship roles on the non-technical side of Google (i.e Sales, People Operations, and Marketing) by traveling to campus and putting on programs. This fall I covered outreach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). I’ve also been able to work on aspects of the upcoming 2012 BOLD program which is very special to me as a former BOLDer.

When I’m not at Google...

JL: I travel. Hanover, NH wasn’t the easiest place to fly in and out of while in school so it’s nice to be able to take weekend trips. I’m trying to get to know Northern California, especially Oakland, where I live. Lately I’ve been going to a lot of comedy shows and concerts in Oakland and Berkeley. There’s so much history here, especially with respect to activism and the Black Power movement, that I’d like to learn more about.

What does being part of an employee resource group at Google mean to you? What makes BGN special?

JL: Being a part of an affinity group means having a support system. I can get everything from career advice to “where’s the party at” advice from my fellow BGNers and I’m able to meet so many people outside of People Operations that I might not have met otherwise. Something that makes BGN special is that it’s one of the first (if not the first) employee resource groups. Because of this, there is a lot of collaboration with ERGs that are establishing themselves to help them get their programs off the ground. This also means that there are all ages represented so when we have events there’s something for everyone.

What is your most memorable Black History Month event or moment at Google, or which event are you most looking forward to in 2012?

JL: I’m really disappointed that I missed the debut of the “Stepplers”--Google’s steppers. There was a “Step Show” last week that I couldn’t attend but I’ve seen the video and they were amazing! Other than that I’m looking forward to the Black History Month finale which will be an awards ceremony to honor those whose work has had large impact on BGN.

Posted by Jessica Lulovics, University Programs Specialist

Young Innovators @ Google – Manas Tungare

Jessica — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Introduction: We recently launched Young Innovators @ Google, a new blog series highlighting the great work of Googlers who, not too long ago, were students like you. In their short careers, these engineers and product managers have had an impact on Google and our products. For today’s post, we sat down for a few questions with Manas Tungare, a software engineer at Google, who recently helped launched Voice Search for desktop.

Tell us about your academic background and your interest in HCI.

Manas Tungare: Before I joined Google in 2009, I was at Virginia Tech getting my Ph.D. in human-computer interaction (HCI), and before that, a master’s in computer science (CS) from Georgia Tech.

I was drawn to HCI after encountering one badly-designed user interface after another. I figured I'd enjoy working in a field within CS where I'd get to design innovative user interfaces and implement them as well. As part of my Ph.D. program, I took psychology courses to understand how humans process information, and that knowledge has been tremendously useful for creating the kind of minimalist UIs for which Google is well-known.

Why Google? What makes working at Google unique?

MT: There are several reasons why I joined Google, the most distinguishing of which has nothing to do with technology. During my first internship at Google, when I was a Ph.D. student, I came to understand and appreciate the Google culture. It's a different way of thinking: engineers here think big. If a certain feature calls for a few hundred thousand machines, no one blinks. If a feature requires a hundred cars roaming the streets of the world taking pictures and capturing terabytes of data a month, no one blinks.

Secondly, like Google, I strongly believe that software is a tool that empowers people. And, like Google, I believe that to do this, it must be free. Not only do we release a lot of our internal tools as open source libraries, but we also liberate our users' data so they are free to move to a competitor whenever they choose.

What was your first project at Google, and what impact did it have? How has your role evolved since then?

MT: Soon after I joined, I started work on what eventually became Google Instant. I was the sole engineer/prototyper on that project for several months, along with my manager, Othar Hansson, who came up with the original idea. I created several tens of prototypes; some of them were incremental changes over previous ones; others were completely different in appearance and functionality.

Once the company decided to launch Google Instant, I shifted away from my role as a prototyper to become part of the expanding engineering team responsible for the launch. I worked with several talented front-end engineers to implement features in a way that would scale to Google's billions of users (as opposed to my earlier prototypes that were not designed to scale).

When Google Instant launched in September of 2010, it was noted as the biggest change to the Google search results page in a decade. Being able to view results while typing means that users can refine their queries to get better search results, and now have to wait less to complete their tasks. It was incredible working on something so cutting-edge for my first project as a Noogler (a term for “new Googler”) with the support of other seasoned engineers.

It’s great that you got to run with such a huge project right off the bat. Since then, in what other ways has Google encouraged you to be innovative?

MT: Google is very open to bottom-up innovation. My manager and I would approach random Googlers with the constantly-evolving prototype, and this let us gather early feedback which influenced the design. The final product went through several iterations based on all the internal responses, and each aspect of the user interface is carefully tuned to preserve the qualities that Google is known for — minimalism, speed, and simplicity.

Googlers are encouraged to come up with ideas outside their area of work, and build prototypes or demos to sell the idea to management. The 20% time that Googlers are allotted to work on non-primary projects is pretty well-known outside Google. In addition to that, some teams — like ours, Search Features — take a week off every year, and let engineers and designers regroup outside their regular work teams and try to solve real users’ problems with innovative user interfaces.

Every once in a while, our team holds mock-a-thons, where we are encouraged to present our designs for making some aspect of Search work better than it does now. We identify the major pain points that we have personally encountered and come up with solutions to fix them. Some are minor tweaks; others are major redesigns. After measuring the impact to users carefully, (mostly to ensure that our intuition is correct, and that we are not, in fact, making the user experience worse with a new feature), the feature goes live to all of our users.

Any fun Google stories you’d like to share?

MT: The first time we showed an early Google Instant prototype to senior Search engineers, one of them commented that if we decided to launch it publicly, we would have to build at least two more datacenters to handle the additional traffic. He said this so casually, like one of us saying we’d have to buy a new computer because the old one was a little slow. An entire new datacenter just so you could launch a new feature? Wow.

There are several subtle angles to this comment: first, he said this without flinching, in a matter-of-fact way. Building two new datacenters for a new feature isn't something I would have expected someone to say that way. Secondly, being able to create a new feature that has such a high footprint is both exhilarating and humbling. Only at Google would this conversation take place with such enthusiasm and little hesitation!

What are you up to now, and what do you see yourself doing at Google next?

MT: I'm having fun building new things that can be launched to millions of users! After Google Instant, I worked closely with Google researchers specializing in voice recognition & speech technologies. They were keen to add speech recognition capabilities to Google Search. When they approached the Web Search team, I agreed to work with them to launch this feature. And after just a couple of months, we launched Voice Search on Chrome for your desktop, as announced during this morning's media event with the other new search features. Now you can talk to your computer to search in addition to typing out your query.

Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator

Better Know an Office: Seattle/Kirkland

Jessica — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:46:00 +0000

Welcome back to our newest series, Better Know an Office. Inspired by Steven Colbert’s Better Know a District, this recurring series will take us to different Google offices around the globe to learn what makes them tick.

In this month’s installment of Better Know an Office, our travels take us to the Seattle area—home of Nirvana, the Space Needle, and lots and lots of coffee. The area is also the home to a big contingent of over-caffeinated Googlers who work in not one, but two offices in the area. That’s right, the second edition of Better Know an Office is a two-for-one-deal as we learn about Google offices in both Seattle and Kirkland!

Googlers hanging out on a dock near the Seattle office.

But don’t think these offices are clones of each other. Seattle is located right along the water next to one of the city’s most popular kayaking areas. The office keeps its own fleet of kayaks so Googlers can literally walk out the door and start paddling down the Ship Canal and head for Lake Union. For those who prefer to keep their feet on dry land, zip over to Kirkland and check out their rock climbing wall. Regardless of your hobby, if being outside is your thing, then the Emerald City area is pretty tough to beat. With more than 700 high-tech companies in the Seattle area alone, the city has become a hub for an extraordinarily strong and innovative tech industry. With all of this economic growth and energy, it’s no coincidence that Seattle has one of highest percentages of college graduates amongst major U.S. cities.

Rock climbing at the Kirkland office.

With so many fun things to do in these offices and the surrounding area, what exactly do Seattle/Kirkland Googlers work on? “Asking what everyone does here is like asking what everyone at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View does,” says Scott Silver, Kirkland Site Director. “You can’t pinpoint just one thing.” Some of the better known projects here include Google Talk, Google Maps, Web Apps, and Chrome.

We sat down with Scott Shawcroft, a Software Engineer on the Maps team, who works on developing the way Google Maps looks and interacts with 150 million users worldwide. One recent project the team tackled was creating the bike layer of Google Maps so that when a user wants biking directions, the map emphasizes biking-related attributes and gives lower priority to other information that drivers find useful. Scott is just one of the many young engineers working in the Seattle/Kirkland offices who finds the atmosphere relaxing yet inspiring. “The Seattle area has a great technological undercurrent that isn't as obvious as the technology presence in the Bay Area. It’s easy to meet others in the industry here, but it’s still easy to get away and relax”.

This could be you!

Sounds like a good place to be a Googler to us....and the way we hear it, Seattle/Kirkland has some great opportunities for students looking to be part of some big projects in these beautiful offices while living in one of North America’s coolest cities. If that sounds like your cup of tea (or espresso), make sure to apply today!

If pictures weren't enough, here's an inside look at the Seattle/Kirkland offices from Googlers themselves:

Stay tuned for the next edition of Better Know an Office!

Posted by Ryan Hundley, University Programs Coordinator

After the award: students and mentors

Jessica — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:01:00 +0000

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Research Blog)

For the past two years, we’ve looked forward to honoring the best and the brightest graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees around the globe through Google’s fellowship program. We’re thrilled to be supporting these students with a monetary gift, but what happens after the awards are given out?

An important component of our fellowship program is the Google research mentor. Each fellowship student is paired with a full-time Googler based on mutual research interests. The idea is that the mentors provide a different point of view from the students’ day-to-day academic world, introduce them to a professional network which will last their entire career, and provide meaningful context and feedback based on their own experiences as the students work their way through graduate school. In return, the Googler has the unique opportunity to mentor one of the top students in the field and foster a future leader in technology.

Jason Mars of the University of Virginia was awarded the 2010 Google U.S./Canada Fellowship in Compiler Technology. Robert Hundt, a compiler and datacenter researcher at Google, was Jason’s research mentor. Here, they share how a fellowship turned out to be much more than just an award:

In Jason’s words
When I first met Robert at a research conference, I didn’t realize he would become one of the most important mentors I've had. Beyond our match in personality and thinking styles, Robert took an interest in shaping and sharpening me as a researcher and engineer, and I've benefited greatly from his guidance. I realized after my first internship that Google faces some of the most compelling research problems in computer science today. Robert’s mentorship combined with my Google Fellowship have prompted me to delve deeper into these open problems. In fact, I ended up returning to Google for two subsequent internships. Together, Robert and I have published a number of research papers (with more on the way) and filed two Google patent applications. Our relationship is greater than just mentor and mentee—we are colleagues and friends.

In Robert’s words
Given the high expectations we have for our interns, it’s no surprise to me that one of our most successful interns, Jason Mars, is a recipient of an esteemed Google Fellowship. A three-time returning intern, Jason brought great levels of enthusiasm, creativity, problem solving and problem finding skills to our team, and kept us all on our toes by challenging assumptions and the status quo. He has written half a dozen conference and workshop papers, and has built relationships with many people, not just at Google, but throughout Silicon Valley. Jason is well on his way to become a renowned expert in datacenter performance and contention issues. I am very proud of him and grateful to be part of his journey. I believe I may have learned as much from him, with his limitless energy and technical creativity, as he has learned during his time at Google. Lastly, and most importantly, I have won a friend.

2011 Google Fellowships
This year, we we will be awarding fellowships to 34 promising young research students around the globe. These awards support their tuition and stipend, as well as a Google research mentor. Click here for a PDF of all of our Google Fellowship recipients. Congratulations to all the fellows; we look forward to seeing you move technology forward.

Posted by Leslie Yeh Johnson, University Relations Manager

Diary of a Summer Intern – 2011

Jessica — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:17:00 +0000

Schools may turn into ghost towns over the summer, but at Google offices around the world, that description couldn’t be further from the truth. Interns are flooding in full of energy and excitement ready to get started on their summer projects. To give you an inside look at the day-to-day activities of a summer intern, we’ve decided to start up the second annual “Diary of a Summer Intern” series. The wait is finally over, so here's a first look at our featured interns!

Nancy Adriana Torres

Nancy just finished her junior year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she’s studying business administration with concentrations in international business and marketing. She also has a Hispanic studies minor. This summer she will be working as a BOLD Intern in People Operations in Mountain View. Nancy spent the past year studying and traveling in Europe and Asia. She enjoys dancing, volunteering and writing/blogging.

“I can’t wait to be a part of Google’s unique company culture! I look forward to meeting and connecting with the talented, diverse network of people that make up the company’s entrepreneurial environment.” -Nancy

Madelaine Boyd

Madelaine studies computer science at Harvard University and just got back from a semester abroad in Hong Kong. This summer she will be an associate product manager intern on the Image Search Ads team in Mountain View. Madelaine enjoys running, cooking, sailing, traveling and yoga.

“Why am I excited to intern at Google? Two and a half words: self-driving cars.” -Madelaine

Mirna Ayman Bouchra

Mirna is in her second semester of the Infotech Masters Program at the University of Stuttgart where she’s studying computer hardware and software engineering. She received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from German University in Cairo. This summer she will be a software engineering intern on the CodeSearch team in Munich. Mirna enjoys traveling, learning new languages, listening to music and aerobics.

“I was really happy to get accepted for the internship. I'm learning a lot every day, enjoying the environment and getting to know such inspiring people.” -Mirna

Erika Yamasaki

Erika just finished her junior year at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is studying computer science. This summer she will be working as an associate product manager intern on Google Maps on the Geo team in Tokyo. Erika enjoys snowboarding, swimming and exploring new places.

“I am thrilled to be working for Google this summer, especially in the Tokyo office. I have already had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and am very excited that I get to work with such open-minded and passionate people. I look forward to being a part of the Google community and can't wait to see my product develop throughout the launch cycle.” -Erika

Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator

Google Map Maker visits Chicago

Jessica — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:15:00 +0000

(Cross-posted from the Google Lat Long Blog)

The Google Map Maker campus tour recently visited the Windy City to talk to students about how they can use Map Maker to map their campuses and make updates to places they care about on Google Maps. While in town, we also hosted a Map Maker event at the Google Chicago office to share the tool with folks working in the public sector. We had a great time meeting so many enthusiastic mappers from the area, and look forward to seeing how they put Chicago on the map.

Our first stop was the University of Chicago campus, a beautifully historic area with architectural gems galore. Students who attended this event were excited to map not only their campus, but neighborhoods near the university, showing the diversity and development of the population and culture.

Our second stop was Northwestern University, where a packed room of students learned about mapping while sampling some traditional Chicago style deep dish pizza. Delicious! Students were particularly interested in adding details to their campus, naming the buildings, adding locations of the sororities and fraternities, and marking the building outlines or footprints of their favorite restaurants and stores nearby.

Our Google Map Maker team loved partnering with Google Student Ambassadors from these campuses, who creatively and passionately helped plan these events. You guys did an amazing job! The Google Student Ambassadors from Northwestern University had this to say about the Map Maker visit:

“Our event brought together over 120 Northwestern students who were eager and excited to learn about how they could make an impact by adding to Google Maps using Map Maker … Map Maker was a welcome product that put the power to shape the map in our hands. All in all, it was an incredibly fun and engaging experience!”

-Sourya and Minjae, Google Student Ambassadors at Northwestern University

The last event—a meeting with public sector officials at the Google office in Chicago—gave us some great insights about how Map Maker can be used for large metropolitan areas. University educators, Department of Transportation employees, Census Bureau representatives, Chicago Health Department folks, and many more shared how they would like to see Map Maker applied to what they do. We really appreciate all their feedback and suggestions, as well as their enthusiasm for how this tool can help them share their work with each other and the public.

Chicago and the surrounding areas were such enjoyable places to visit, full of vibrant and passionate people. We look forward to visiting other campuses in the fall, but don’t wait until then to leave your mark on your campus!

Posted by Catherine Moats, Program Manager

Our 2011 EMEA Faculty Summit

Jessica — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:48:00 +0000

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)

Earlier this month, we held our fourth Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Faculty Summit at our Zurich office, Google’s largest engineering center in the region. This was EMEA’s biggest Faculty Summit to date, with some of EMEA’s foremost computer science academics (103, to be exact) from 73 universities representing 28 countries, plus more than 60 Googlers in attendance. Over the course of three days, participants chose from 48 different sessions, technical streams and tech talks (given by both Googlers and academics) that covered a variety of computer science topics including privacy, software engineering and natural language processing.

The Faculty Summit is a chance for us to meet with computer science academics to discuss operations, regional projects and ways we can collaborate via our our university programs. These programs include our Focused Research Awards, which, to date, are nearing €3.7 million with recent awards in Europe given to researchers exploring privacy, fact discovery, test amplification, optimization and security, among other topics. We also have an academic research initiative to understand market algorithms and auctions, the Google European Doctoral Fellowship and the general research awards program.

This year’s jam-packed agenda included a welcome address by Yossi Matias, senior director and head of Google’s Israel Research and Development Center, covering Google’s engineering activity and recent innovations in EMEA; a presentation by Alfred Spector, vice president of research and special initiatives, on our approach to research and innovation; and a presentation by Nelson Mattos, vice president of EMEA product and engineering, on exciting developments and opportunities in Africa and the Middle East. David Konerding presented Google’s Exacycle for Visiting Faculty, a grant program for high-performance, CPU-intensive computing where we’ll award up to 10 qualified researchers with at least 100 million computing core-hours each, for a total of 1 billion core-hours. Professor Claudia Eckert, a guest visiting from the Technical University of Munich, gave an insightful presentation on security, privacy and the future of the internet.

We also held one-on-one break-out sessions where academics and Googlers could meet privately and discuss topics of personal interest, such as how to develop a well-constructed research award proposal, how to apply for a sabbatical at Google or how to gain Google support for a conference in a relevant research area.

The Summit provides a great opportunity to build and strengthen research and academic collaborations. Our hope is to drive technology forward by fostering mutually beneficial relationships with our academic colleagues and their universities.

Stay tuned for more details about the North America Faculty Summit in New York, July 13-15.

Posted by David Harper, Head of University Relations (EMEA)

Diary of a Summer Intern – 2011

Jessica — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:47:00 +0000

Introduction: To kick off the second annual Diary of a Summer Intern series, we asked one of last summer's featured interns, Jerrica Jones, to tell us what she's been up to since graduation. Keep an eye out next week for an introduction of the new interns you'll be able to follow this summer!

Hey everyone,
I can't believe summer is here already! It's time for sunny days (hopefully) and the second annual “Diary of a Summer Intern” blog series to begin again. Though I’m no longer an intern, I do have some exciting news to share: I recently graduated in December, and after a few interviews and a bit of anxious waiting, I found out that I would be a full-time Googler. Since then, my life has changed completely so instead of blogging about what it's like to be a Google intern, I thought I would talk about my transition to being a full-time employee and what I’ve been working on so far. Then, I’ll pass on the torch to the new interns who you’ll be hearing from throughout the summer.

After graduating from the University of the Arizona, I moved to Mountain View, Calif. (scary!) where I participated in Google’s allocations process. I had previously filled out a preferences sheet stating which types of projects I was interested in and what skills I could offer. After reviewing my preferences, an allocations specialists called me up and we discussed a few teams that would be a good fit. Based on my interest in UI work and my background in Java, there were four teams that matched what I wanted to do, and in the weeks following I got to speak with the managers of each team and discuss how I might be a good fit. Once I was done speaking with the managers, I was able to give my preferences back to my allocations specialist, she circled back to them, and I had my team.

Before I knew it, my first day was upon me and I found myself shaking in my boots. I shouldn’t have worried—day one ended up being one of the best days of my life. All the “Nooglers” (Google’s term for new employees and interns) spent some time getting to know each other over breakfast at one of Google’s awesome cafes. We were also outfitted with our new laptops and I got to meet with an ergonomic specialist who helped me pick out the most comfortable chair and desk position.

We spent the rest of the day learning about what life is like at Google. I bonded with other Nooglers during a scavenger hunt in which we visited the Google slide, a really fun photo booth, the giant Android, and the seven-person conference bike. At the end of the day, we met our new mentors and teammates. I picked a newer project within the greater Google Ads team. It's called Google Boost and our job is to make it easy for small business owners to advertise online. We do this by enabling their ads to appear in the “Sponsored Links” section of Google.com and Google Maps search result pages without having to go through the extra work of maintaining an AdWords account. It's a really fun team and everyone is passionate about our project. In all, I feel extremely lucky to work with people who love what they do and always strive to give users the best product they can.

My teammates aren’t the only cool people I’ve met since I started at Google. I’ve met an incredibly diverse group of co-workers by attending tech talks, sweating it out in Google’s exercise classes, showing up for @GoogleTalks when celebrities come to visit and from simply bumping into folks in cafe lines. Each new person has something interesting to share, and I’m amazed by how much my world has grown since I came to Google. Every day has been an adventure, and every day it seems like the next day could never be better—yet somehow, it always is. I’ve never had so much fun in my life, and I am really looking forward to what my future at Google holds.

Hope you all are doing well,

Jerrica

Two Fun Google Facts: We recently got a bowling alley in one of our buildings, and teams can reserve lanes for team bonding time. In addition, instead of mowing the grass with regular lawn mowers, Google uses goats to help keep the grounds nice and be more eco-friendly.

Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator

Google Map Maker on campus

Jessica — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Google Lat Long Blog

As part of the recent US Map Maker launch, the Map Maker Community team has begun a series of campus visits across the US.

Our first stop was the University of California at Berkeley, where we gave students and faculty a chance to learn about Google Map Maker and work with Map Maker team members in person to map their campus.

Even though the map of Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Campus on Google Maps were already well mapped, students still identified many opportunities to add their local knowledge to the map. Edits included moving location markers, tracing building boundaries, and adding names of campus dorms. The Google Map Maker community team was on site to guide these new mappers and note their thoughtful feedback.

Participants were excited about making corrections and contributions to the map in their area, particularly the U.C. Berkeley campus, and seeing the edits they made appear on the monitor that had been set up on the big screen at the front of the room to show real-time mapping.

Everyone has local knowledge they can add to the map. Help us make your school look even better! Check out your college campus at mapmaker.google.com and leave your mark on the map by drawing walking paths, adding details to your school's buildings, and more.

For more information on how to get started and to connect with other mappers, check out theGoogle Map Maker community forum. You can also reach out to the Map Maker community team at mapping@google.com.

Happy Mapping!

Posted by Andrew Kornblatt, Map Maker Community Team

Better Know an Office: Waterloo

Jessica — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Welcome to a new segment called Better Know an Office Inspired by Steven Colbert’s Better Know a District. This recurring series will take us to different Google offices around the globe to learn what makes them tick.

Better Know an Office heads north today to the twin cities of Waterloo and Kitchener in the Southern tip of Ontario, Canada. While Canada may be better known for its national sport, ice hockey, this region actually allows technology to share the spotlight. “Canada’s Technology Triangle” is so wired into the tech industry that people here are likely to know less about checking than they do about coding.

The innovative nature of the local area can be seen in some of the products under development in Waterloo today-including projects in Google Chrome and Google Chrome OS. However, a major focus of the Waterloo team is mobile, one of their key products being Mobile Gmail. “We are constantly pushing to redefine what people expect from their phone”, says Ryan Fioravanti, a Software Engineer on the Mobile Apps team. Just last month, the Waterloo team launched a new version of Google Docs for mobile, which allows people to collaboratively edit the same document from their phone.

Despite having less than ten members, Ryan’s team normally takes on two to three major projects at a time. To ensure everyone’s time is being used effectively, big tasks are split up and team members take turns managing all of the team’s non-programing tasks. However, the team regularly comes together to review each other’s work and collaborate on the overall design of a project. In order to share what they’ve learned, the team has started publishing articles on mobile web development. Regardless of the specific project, these Googlers are focused on building the next generation of mobile applications and web interfaces, ultimately changing the way people can use their phones; and of course, this includes being able to get the latest hockey scores.

The smaller size of the office helps brings everyone together in a close knit group, which encourages a supportive and friendly environment. “Working here is the best of both worlds because our small office fosters collaboration and an incredibly welcoming environment, yet we also get to manage large pieces of products that are central to Google’s overall mission”, says Cate Huston, a Software Engineer working on mobile products. Waterlooglers are also actively engaged in the community outside of work. Cate, for example, has partnered with other Waterloo Googlers to support and mentor female Computer Science students, as well as the appropriately named Awesome Foundation, a local organization dedicated to supporting local arts and sciences.

Speaking of awesome, last month a rather fearless group of Googlers managed to climb the CN Tower in Toronto for charity. However, if ascending a 147-story structure does not sound like your idea of a fun time, then there’s always curling and celebrating big holidays like St. Patrick’s Day in the office. There is no shortage of excitement outside of the office to take part in as well, as Waterloo Googlers recently participated in the area’s celebrations of geek culture, TEDx Conference and Canada’s largest Oktoberfest.

2011 is already looking like a banner year for the Waterloo team, which recently relocated to a beautifully converted industrial building that they share with several other tech companies. Located in the up-and-coming Tannery District, the new building incorporates environmentally-friendly building materials and lots of natural light and ventilation. The move has allowed the office to add features like a two-story slide, a large second floor patio and a large game room with air hockey and, one of the office’s favorite games, Rock Band®. The move has also created more space for future Googlers, and the office is on the lookout for students that can make an impact on big projects. If you are ready to join this enthusiastic team, apply today! Just don’t wait until this beautiful new building gets full....

Check out some more pictures of the Waterloo office here.

Posted by Ryan Hundley, University Programs Coordinator

60+ young women recognized as Google Anita Borg Memorial scholars

Jessica — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:28:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog

The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Dr. Anita Borg, who devoted her life to encouraging the presence of women in computing and founded the Institute for Women in Technology in 1997. Anita passed away in 2003, and we created the Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship in 2004 to honor her memory. Anita’s legacy lives on today through this scholarship and the organization she created, which has since been re-named the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology.

This year we’d like to recognize and congratulate the 65 Google Anita Borg Memorial scholars and the 82 Google Anita Borg Memorial finalists, all of whom attend universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East or Africa. These students will attend the annual Google Scholars Retreat this summer, where they will have the opportunity to attend tech talks on Google products, network with other scholars and participate in social activities. Students from the U.S. and Canada will attend the retreat in Mountain View, Calif., and students from Europe, the Middle East and Africa will attend the retreat in Zurich, Switzerland.

We’d also like to congratulate this year’s recipients of the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship for First Years. This scholarship is granted to young women in their senior year of high school who intend to study computer science, computer engineering, software engineering or a related program at a university in the upcoming academic year.

Here’s a full list (PDF) of this year’s scholars and finalists along with the institutions they attend. In the coming months, we’ll also be announcing the recipients of the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on all our scholarships, visit the Google Scholarships site.

Posted by Azusa Hanashima, Talent & Outreach Programs

Announcing the 2011 Google Hispanic College Fund recipients

Jessica — Mon, 09 May 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected as this year's Google Hispanic College Fund scholars:

Jorge Schwarzhaupt, University Of California-San Diego
Edna Ramirez, Arizona State University-Main Campus
Ysais Martinez, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
Luis Alicea Rodriguez, Universidad Politecnica De Puerto Rico
Andre Brown, Millersville University Of Pennsylvania
Keishla Ortiz, University Of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Victor Basantes, University Of South Florida
Esteban Malave, Baker College Of Port Huron
Adan Phun, University Of Georgia
Juan Llanes, Georgia Institute Of Technology-Main Campus
Santiago Serrato, University Of North Texas
Jorge Orpinel, New York University
Luis Sanchez, St Mary’s University
Ernesto Perez, University Of California-Berkeley

To qualify for the scholarship, students must be pursuing a degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering and must be entering their junior or senior year or are enrolled in a graduate program. Students must also have a record of strong academic performance. Recipients will receive a $10,000 scholarship and will be invited to attend this summer's Scholars' Retreat in Mountain View, CA.

Learn more about Google's Scholarship Program here.

Posted by Azusa Hanashima, Talent & Outreach Programs

Google and diversity organizations team up: conference series recap and student tips

Jessica — Thu, 05 May 2011 01:07:00 +0000

Introduction: Google sponsors and participates in a variety of diversity conferences for engineering students. To learn more about Google’s involvement, we sat down with Hal Marz, a University Programs Specialist. For each of these conferences Hal plays an integral role in overseeing Google's participation and sponsorship. Here, Hal talks about three of these recent conferences and shares his advice for students interested in working at Google.

What’s your position at Google, and what are your main responsibilities?

I am a University Programs Specialist with Google based out of Mountain View, CA. While I spend quite a bit of time partnering with universities in Canada to keep them informed of engineering job opportunities that we have in Google offices worldwide, I also manage the relationships with some of our diversity partners and represent Google at several student diversity conferences in the United States.

Tell us about the recent conferences you’ve attended.

Hal (center) and Google volunteers at the NSBE Convention

National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Annual Convention - St. Louis, MO (March 23-27)
This year’s theme was “Engineering the Gateway to Success”, and the purpose of the Annual Convention is to provide attendees with the motivation, skills and opportunity to succeed in engineering. Google engineers and University Programs staff talked to students about job opportunities (both intern and new graduate positions). One of our engineers created a game called “query hunt” that students could play at our booth and win some Google swag. This timed game tested their Web searching skills. We also had one of our New York based software engineers participate in a panel discussion on cloud computing that many students attended. After the convention’s career fair, we invited students to come talk to us about opportunities at Google. Over 200 students stopped by to speak with us! Most had visited our booth earlier in the conference, but many had additional questions for our team. It was a great way for us to continue conversations with the students in a relaxed, fun environment.

The Computer Research Association's Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W) Grad Cohort - Boston, MA (April 1-2)
Google co-hosted an evening reception for 300 women students in their first year of graduate school. We welcomed them into the community of computing researchers and professionals by presenting on topics such as career development and graduate education while introducing them to some leading computer science professionals during their two-day meeting. One of our engineers spoke about opportunities for women in computer science and her experience working at Google. Outside of the workshops and speakers, there were also mixers and fun social events. My favorite part of the conference was being the only guy dancing with 300 women to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.

Hal at the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing

Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing - San Francisco, CA (April 3-5)
The 2011 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing conference was the largest in the conference’s history and is being called the most diverse conference in computing in the nation. In addition to the our sponsorship, Google also planned all of the logistics for the conference, which included over 500 students. This conference was a great opportunity for Google to meet some of the top computer science students in North America. We had a great turnout from Googlers as well—20 volunteered their time during the three-day conference to host technical interview workshops and speak to students at our booth, amongst other things.

What’s the most rewarding part of attending and helping out with these conferences?

I really enjoy meeting the future talent for our engineering community. I especially look forward to meeting younger students who are just starting to get interested in computer science. Their enthusiasm and energy for this industry is quite contagious. At Google, we strive for diversity—and the excitement shared amongst such a distinguished group of students at these conferences reminds me why we value diversity in people and ideas at Google.

What’s the most common question you get from students? What’s your answer?

Besides all the questions I get about the free food, I get asked, “What types of jobs does Google have to offer?” I usually point students to our student job site at www.google.com/students/eng, and I explain that this comprehensive site gives them an accurate look into what we are currently looking for at Google. I try my best to know about as many of the job openings as I can, from what skills the position requires to what sort of responsibilities the role takes on. Even though I am not an engineer, I have learned a lot from the engineers who travel with me to conferences or who give tech talks at the schools I manage. They give me insight into what they do on a day-to-day basis, which is valuable information I can share with the students. Everyday I learn something new and exciting, and my hope is that I can convey that excitement to the future leaders of computer science.

Do you have any words of advice for students hoping to work at Google?

I have two simple things to share:

1) Do your homework! Do some research before you approach the Google booth—or really any company representative. Find out what jobs are currently open, and find a job that particularly suits you. Talk the job up to a recruiter and find similarities in the job description and your skills. Formulate ahead of time a couple of questions that you can ask. It will show the recruiter that you have researched the role and are interested in working for the company. You will get a lot more out of the conversation this way.

2) Be yourself and play to your strengths. Your passion will come through in any of your conversations with a Google representative.

Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator

We want to hear from you! What’s your Google Apps story?

Jessica — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:04:00 +0000

Guest Post: Emily is a senior at Emory University, majoring in Business and Biology and is currently a Google Student Ambassador at her school. Last summer, she worked as an intern on the Google Apps for Education team and is excited to be starting at Google full-time in the fall. Here she highlights the new Google Apps Student Stories page.

While I was interning at Google last summer, I had the chance to work on Google Apps for Education and was surprised and delighted to see how much the team focuses on user feedback. For example, you might have heard a while back about the Google bus which visited ten universities across the US to hear how schools - and students at those schools - were using Google Apps. Learning how students use the products, and better understanding their challenges, was the method to help build better, more useful tools.

Even though we don’t have the bus anymore, I wanted to help make it possible for students to directly express how they’re using Apps in their daily lives, so one of my internship projects was to launch a Google Apps Student Stories page.

This page allows students - like me - to upload a short video about how we use Apps on our own campuses both inside and outside the classroom. Through the page, any student can share a story about one of the individual Google Apps products or the entire Apps suite as a whole. Listening to what other students have to say might give you some good ideas about how you can creatively apply some of the uses in your own life.

Checkout these student videos from Emory were we discuss some inventive ways we use Docs, Translate, and Calendar on our campus!

On top of sharing with other people how you use Apps, the best submitted videos will be featured on the Google Apps Student Stories page, the Google Student Blog, and the Google Student YouTube Channel.

So make sure to check out the newly launched Google Apps Student Stories page to see what other students are saying and share your own story about how you’re using Apps.

Posted by Emily Rubin, BOLD Marketing Intern (and soon-to-be Googler!)

Young Innovators @ Google – Greg Schechter

Jessica — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Introduction: We recently launched Young Innovators @ Google, a new blog series highlighting the great work of Googlers who, not too long ago, were students like you. In their short careers, these engineers and product managers have had an impact on Google and our products. For our second post, we sat down for a few questions with Greg Schechter, a Web Developer at YouTube.

Tell us about your path to Google and what your current role is.
Greg Schechter: I’m a fearless web warrior, fighting for browser and website progress. While training at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, I published articles with the Opera Web Standards Curriculum. Subsequently, I went on to battle alongside many different web companies, including Amazon, Yahoo!, and Google. I arrived at Google back in 2008 as an intern at YouTube. After college, I worked for a few other companies, but eventually returned to YouTube as a Web Developer.

My current alliance is with YouTube, where I spearhead the movement for HTML5 video capabilities as a front end developer. YouTube understands what it means to be a web developer and gave me a role that fits what I love to work on. Great people, sweet projects and opportunities to drive the web forward creates an environment that is hard for other companies to match.

What was your first project at YouTube, and how has your role evolved since then? What do you see yourself doing next?
GS: The first project I jumped on at YouTube was YouTube Live Streaming. I was the original web developer for the project and built out most of the front end components of the page. It took only about a month for the first significant features to go live, and in about four months, I felt I was really innovating and pushing features I was passionate about. One of the first important features I pushed live was developing a monetizable experience for YouTube Feather, our lightweight version of our watch page. At this time, I’m no longer on Live Streaming, but instead have become the technical lead for two big features at YouTube—the HTML5 Player and iframe embed api. The technical lead is basically the lead developer who makes the major technical decisions.

I absolutely love being at YouTube. I really feel that I have the power and encouragement to work on what I’m passionate about. I hope to become more of a spokesperson and tech evangelist of HTML5 and YouTube. I’m speaking at a few conferences about the work we are doing at YouTube, and I hope I can continue to innovate and teach others how to do the same.

In what ways have you been able to innovate at YouTube? What makes working at YouTube unique?
GS: I generally take initiative and innovate on projects I’m passionate about, which makes YouTube perfect for me. I never feel that there are any walls stopping me from developing, and I’m given the freedom to innovate on my own terms. I’m excited to be spearheading the movement for using HTML5 for video distribution.

YouTube offers so many resources that allow you to work on products that directly benefit users. Even though I’ve only been at YouTube a short time, I’ve had the opportunity to share my findings in HTML5 at conferences around the world (WebDU, Google I/O, Velocity). I really like being a speaker and evangelizing for the company, and I’m fortunate to have had many opportunities to travel and work with others.

Anything else you’d like to share?
GS: On a lighter note, my favorite Easter egg I’ve added is when you are using the HTML5 Player, right click on the player and click “save video as”.

Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator

Students announced for 2011 Google Summer of Code

Jessica — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Open Source at Google blog

We have announced the 1,116 students that will be participating in this year’s Google Summer of Code program. Students will now start the community bonding period where they will get to know their mentors and prepare for the program by reading documentation, hanging out in the IRC channel and familiarizing themselves with their new community before beginning their actual coding at the end of May.

If you are interested in learning more about the 175 organizations that the students will be working with during the 2011 Google Summer of Code or important dates, please visit the program website.

Congratulations to our accepted students! We look forward to an exciting and productive summer of coding.

By Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs Office

Anita Borg Scholar inspires young women in computer science

Jessica — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Update: We'd like to remind you that the deadline to submit an application for this year's Computer Science Summer Institute is TODAY, April 22nd. Also, stay tuned for an announcement of this year's Anita Borg Scholars in the next few weeks!

Introduction: Natasha Nesiba is a freshmen at New Mexico State University studying computer science. In 2010 Natasha received the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship and shortly after was selected to receive the largest tuition scholarship her university offers. Read on to learn what she chose to do next and how it has impacted young women studying computer science.

Tell us about yourself. Where do you attend school? What sort of activities are you involved in?
I am a freshman studying computer science at New Mexico State University, and I am an undergraduate research assistant for a middle school and high school outreach program called Young Women in Computing (YWiC). The goal of the program is to expose young girls to computational thinking and spark their interest in technology. Through YWiC, I am very involved in creating interactive and engaging CS curriculum for middle and high school students, organizing and conducting outreach events and initiatives, compiling and presenting research at national conferences, and mentoring younger girls. I am a very driven and focused individual, but when I am not working, programming, or doing other homework, I am playing intramural softball or spending time with my three younger sisters.

What made you decide to study CS?
In the summer of 2008 I was selected to participate in YWiC’s 5-week computer science summer camp, where I was first introduced to programming and basic algorithmic thinking through easy-to-use software. After that summer I was pretty much hooked.

What’s most challenging about studying computer science?
One challenging element would be coming up with the most efficient algorithm to solve a problem. At the same time, it is one of my favorite aspects of the field because it is where creativity comes into play.

How was your experience attending the Computer Science Summer Institute at the Google Headquarters last year?
In short, fabulous! I loved getting to meet and work with other students from all over the country who had very different backgrounds. We all came together to do the same thing: to learn more about what CS is all about while getting a unique glimpse into the life of a Googler at the Googleplex. The interesting and informative technical talks by Googlers, cheerful atmosphere of the Googleplex, classroom programming sessions, and other fun activities made it an unforgettable experience!

Tasha and the CSSI class of 2010

Why did you apply to the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship?
In 2009, as a senior in high school, I attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a conference presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology. It was very inspiring to learn about the courage and fearlessness that women like Rear Admiral Grace Hopper and Dr. Anita Borg showed as they paved the way for other women in technology. I found out about the scholarship through YWiC in spring 2010, and was encouraged to apply. When I reviewed the criteria, I was excited to discover that I fit each aspect of the scholarship. Not only was I planning to enroll full-time and major in CS at my university, but I think most importantly, I felt passionate about computer science, after learning from stories about Dr. Anita Borg and other prominent and successful women that it is possible to succeed as a woman in CS.

Tasha at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

How did you feel when you heard that you won the scholarship?
I was ecstatic and a bit in disbelief, which could have partly been attributed to the fact that I was notified on April Fool’s Day! I felt so lucky and blessed to be one of the few graduating high school seniors to receive this very prestigious award. It was also one of the greatest feelings to know that I could go into my freshman year with less of the financial burden to worry about.

Tell us about what you did with the scholarship money after you found out that you received a scholarship from your university.
Along with the Anita Borg Scholarship, I had applied for and received the NMSU President’s Associates Scholarship, my university’s biggest scholarship. This scholarship was to cover all tuition and fees for eight semesters during my undergraduate degree. Since I had my tuition covered I wanted to give back to the program and help others succeed in CS. I approached the department head to discuss the Anita Borg Scholarship, because I knew that it deserved something special, and that it needed to be handled with great forethought. I believe the opportunity to attend college is a privilege, and to be able to give that opportunity to other students is so gratifying. My solution was to take the money from the Anita Borg Scholarship and endow a scholarship in the CS department at my university, and so the Mark Nesiba Memorial Scholarship for Women in Computing was created in December 2010. The scholarship, named after my late father, will be awarded to Hispanic female undergraduate students majoring in CS.

What do you hope to do with CS in the future?
I think what I like most about CS is that the possibilities are endless, and after having wonderful support and experiences, I hope to be able to work at a software company like Google. Overall though, in the future, I want to be able to use CS to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

What advice would you give to women who are considering studying computer science?
I would say go for it, nothing is impossible! For those students in high school, I would say to take as many math classes as possible. Practice it, get comfortable with it, and get good at it. Even though it is not the easiest field, dedication, drive, and desire can go a long way. One of my favorite quotes is, “Execute excellence. There is no discrimination against it.”

Posted by Azusa Hanashima, Talent & Outreach Programs

Add detail to your campus with Google Map Maker

Jessica — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:14:00 +0000

When a visitor asks you for directions to a building at your university, you can probably help them find any location on campus. Students in over 180 countries and regions around the world have been able to share this knowledge using Google Map Maker, a product that lets you add your local expertise for millions of users to see in Google Maps.

With today’s launch of Google Map Maker for the United States, we’re excited for students in the U.S. to add that expert campus knowledge to the map and create detailed, up-to-date reflections of their universities. You can mark the academic buildings on your campus, trace the shapes of athletic fields, or move your local coffee shop to the right spot.

To give you an idea of exactly what other students (and alumni) have done with Google Map Maker, this detailed map of IIT in Bombay was created entirely through the contributions of the Map Maker community.

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Now students in the United States can add the same level of detail and comprehensiveness. Even if your campus is mapped out already, you can add paths and shortcuts across campus, or update your favorite local businesses near campus. To confirm the accuracy of user contributions, each edit in Map Maker will be reviewed, and if approved, will then appear on Google Maps within minutes.

To check out real-time mapping examples by users around at world, visit mapmaker.google.com/pulse. You can learn more on our getting started site, or start mapping now at mapmaker.google.com.

Posted by Kaushik Sridharan, Software Engineer

2011 Google Lime Scholars announced

Jessica — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:37:00 +0000

Google has partnered with Lime Connect for the third year in a row to recognize students with disabilities who have not only shown achievement in Computer Science, but have also demonstrated passion, dedication, and leadership within their studies.

We’d like to congratulate this year’s recipients of the Google Lime Scholarship:

Henry DeYoung - Carnegie Mellon University
Shiri Dori-Hacohen - University of California, San Diego
Svetlana Lockwood - Washington State University
Rahul Rajagopalan - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Scott Robertson - Penn State University Park
Nicole Torcolini - Stanford University
David Bartle - University Of Victoria
Jan Kasiak - Stony Brook University
Cooper Bills - Cornell University

Google Lime scholars will receive an academic scholarship for the 2011-2012 school year and will be invited to attend the annual Google Scholars’ Retreat held at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California this July.

Find out more about Google’s Scholarship Programs at http://www.google.com/jobs/scholarships.

The trivia game for the information age

Jessica — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Think you’re the sultan of search? The queen of queries? Well, here’s your chance to find out. A Google a Day is a puzzle that can be solved by using various Google searches. The difficulty levels vary, including an occasional question designed to stump seasoned searchers.

Here’s a sample (relatively easy) question:

Puzzle questions will be posted daily on agoogleaday.com, and printed weekdays above the New York Times crossword puzzle. We’ll also reveal each puzzle’s answer, along with the search tips, tricks and features used to track it down.

Give it a try. Let us know what you think. And remember... there’s often more than one way to search for an answer, but only one correct answer to find.

Start playing A Google A Day.

Posted by Benjamin Habbel, Associate Product Marketing Manager for Google Search

Meet Caltech basketball star and soon-to-be Googler, Ryan Elmquist

Jessica — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Today we’re featuring a Q&A with NCAA athlete and future Googler, Ryan Elmquist. Ryan speaks of his experiences at Caltech, his interest in computer science and why he’s excited to work at Google.

Tell us a bit about your background. Where are you from? How did you end up at Caltech?

Ryan Elmquist: I live in California now, but I’m originally from Woodbury, Minnesota. I went to Caltech because I knew it was going to challenge me academically. I was also excited about continuing to play basketball in college. Finally, getting out of Minnesota into sunny southern California certainly didn’t hurt.

What makes Caltech unique?

RE: Caltech has a very small student body compared to other similar colleges. It has a really intimate atmosphere, where most of the students know each other and their professors.

Any fun Caltech stories?

RE: Caltech has several campus wide parties throughout the year. They are all themed and (in true Caltech fashion) built by the students. The themes have ranged from Tron to the Wild West (complete with a mechanical bull).

Why did you decide to study computer science?

RE: The process of breaking down a complex problem into manageable pieces to solve is really fun. I enjoy the projects that we get to work on in class and the fast turn-around when you work on those projects. It’s not possible to see your results almost immediately in many other fields.

What’s been your favorite CS class or class project?

RE: I took a course on machine learning that involved a project I really enjoyed. We worked on the Netflix competition, where we were given a bunch of users’ data and their ratings for various movies. Then we had to use that data to predict their ratings on other movies. It was cool to see the techniques we learned in class translate so well to real world applications.

Any advice for students considering computer science?

RE: Don’t be discouraged when your programs don’t work the first time; we all have to debug every once in a while. :)

Tell us about playing basketball at Caltech and your recent press whirlwind.

RE: In the last game of my senior year, we faced a 310 game conference losing streak. While we had won several non-conference games, it had been a while since Caltech had seen success in the conference. With a few seconds left in the game, the score was tied and I was shooting two free throws. Since there was such little time left, these were probably the last shots I’d take in my college basketball career. I made the first free throw, putting us up 46-45, and missed the second. The other team missed a last second desperation shot, and we won. After breaking the losing streak, we received hundreds of emails from fans and alumni, and have been interviewed by news reporters across the country. It’s been pretty wild, but I can’t think of a better way to end my basketball career.

How do you use Google products in your daily life?

RE: I’m a big Gmail user. I use Google Reader to keep up to date on what’s going on in the tech world. Also, having access to Google Maps on my phone has saved me from getting lost while navigating my way through a new city.

What made you want to work at Google?

RE: Since Google has so many users, the scale at which it operates is intriguing. It’s fun to think about all of the users your work can potentially impact.

Any big plans for post-graduation, before Google? When is your Google start date?

RE: I’m graduating from Caltech a term early, so I am going to backpack through Europe with a friend. I’ve never been to Europe before, so I’m really excited. My sister is studying abroad in Germany and will be joining us once we get there. I’m joining Google on June 20th.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

RE: Don’t give up! I think breaking a 310 game losing streak has shown that it’s worthwhile to persevere!

Google Student Ambassador Program launched in Ghana & Nigeria

Jessica — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Google Africa Blog

En Français

As part of our commitment to empower the African academic community with knowledge, infrastructure and tools to help Africa’s future leaders make the most of access to information, we are delighted to have launched the Google Student Ambassador Program in Ghana and Nigeria. The program invites students enrolled in African Universities to represent Google on campus and serve a tenure of one academic year.

This year, we selected 20 Ambassadors from 5 universities in Ghana. In mid-March, we invited all new Ambassadors to our Google Ambassador Welcome Day, held in Accra. The day was a mix of fun team building activities and training on various Google products and tools. Our 2011 Ghana Ambassadors were selected from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, University of Ghana (Legon & Business School), University of Cape Coast, Ashesi University and Central University College.

We also selected 27 Ambassadors from 8 universities in Nigeria. and a similar Welcome Day was held in Lagos to introduce Ambassadors to the program. Our Nigeria Ambassadors were selected from University of Lagos, University of Benin, University of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University,University of Ibadan, Bayero University, Covenant University and Benson Idahosa University.

The new Ambassadors revealed a sound familiarity with technology, an array of vibrant personalities and ready to make significant impact in their respective campuses.

These Student Ambassadors will work closely with Google teams to organise events and help raise awareness among African Students about the opportunities and value of Google and the Internet.

To learn more about the Ambassador and other university programs, visithttp://www.google.com/africa/universityprograms/

Posted by Obum Ekeke, Talent & Outreach Programs, Sub Saharan Africa

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Lancement du programme Étudiant Ambassadeur Google au Nigéria et au Ghana

Dans le cadre de notre engagement à apporter des outils, une infrastructure et des
connaissances à la communauté universitaire africaine afin d’aider les futurs leaders de
l’Afrique à tirer le meilleur parti de l’accès à l’information, nous sommes heureux d’annoncer
le lancement de notre Programme Étudiant Ambassadeur au Nigéria et au Ghana. Ce
programme invite des étudiants inscrits dans des universités africaines à représenter Google
sur leur campus et les titularise pour une année académique.

Cette année, nous avons sélectionné 20 étudiants dans cinq universités au Ghana. Mi-
mars, nous avons reçu tous les nouveaux Ambassadeurs pour notre Journée d’accueil des
Ambassadeurs Google à Accra, qui propose un ensemble de formations sur les différents
produits et outils Google et des activités de team-building. Nos ambassadeurs ghanéens
2011 sont issus de l’Université des sciences et des technologies Kwame Nkrumah, de
l’Université du Ghana (Legon & Business School), de l’Université de Cape Coast, de l’Ashesi
University et du Central University College.

Nous avons également sélectionné 27 étudiants dans huit universités du Nigéria et
une journée d’accueil similaire a eu lieu à Lagos pour présenter le programme aux
Ambassadeurs. Nos Ambassadeurs nigériens viennent de l’Université de Lagos, l’Université
du Bénin, l’Université du Nigéria, l’Obafemi Awolowo University, l’Université d’Ibadan, la
Bayero University, la Covenant University et la Benson Idahosa University.

Les nouveaux Ambassadeurs, qui forment un groupe de personnalités dynamiques, ont
fait preuve d’une excellente connaissance de la technologie et souhaitent avoir un impact
significatif sur leurs campus.

Ils travaillent en étroite collaboration avec les équipes de Google pour organiser des
événements et contribuer à sensibiliser les étudiants africains aux opportunités et à la valeur
de Google et d’Internet.

Pour en savoir plus sur le programme Ambassadeur et d’autres projets universitaires,
consultez http://www.google.com/africa/universityprograms/

Poste par Obum Ekeke, Programmes Talent & Outreach, Afrique sub-saharienne

Ladies and gentlemen, start your editors! Registration now open for Google Code Jam 2011

Jessica — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:51:00 +0000

Cross-posted from The Official Google Blog.

Imagine you’re a ninja, trying to master your deadly grappling hook. Or perhaps you’re a chess grand master, outsmarting your opponent’s every move. Or even a Taoist philosopher, explaining the deep truths of the world to your followers.

It’s situations like these that you’ll face in Google Code Jam, our annual coding contest in which some of the best coders from around the world write programs to solve tough algorithmic problems. We believe that one of the best ways to sharpen your coding skills and stretch them creatively is through healthy competition. The intense experience of confronting a problem, conveying your solution to your computer and seeing the results emerge is a thrill unlike any other.

Today we’re opening registration for Google Code Jam 2011. Coding will begin on May 6 with our qualification round, where competitors will have as much as a day to plan their approach to our first few problems. From there, the contest heats up quickly: the remaining contestants will engage in several two-and-a-half hour rounds, wrangling each time with three to four algorithmic problems that range in difficulty from simple to fiendish. For each problem, you’ll wield the programming language of your choice, crafting the perfect algorithm to pit against the gauntlet of our test data. Construct your code flawlessly and you’ll be on to the next problem; solve enough problems, and you’ll make your way to the next round. If you continue to succeed, you might find yourself sitting on a flight to the finals.

The challenge begins in just over a month. If you’re a killer coder and you’re ready to compete, sign up on our website; while you’re there, make sure to check out the puzzles of the past few years to get a sense of what’s to come, and to hone your skills. If you’re one of the top 25 competitors, we’ll bring you to our Tokyo office to spar against your fellow coders. In the end, only one person will bring home the $10,000 top prize—and the title of Code Jam Champion.

Posted by Bartholomew Furrow, Software Engineer, Google Code Jam

Geographic stars compete in the National Geographic Bee State Championships

Jessica — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Google Lat Long Blog.

Understanding the world around you is imperative, especially since technology has made it easier and fun to explore places you could, otherwise, only imagine. Being geographically literate helps you interpret the plethora of information that comes your way each day (and that’s no joke)! Without the perspective of knowing where you are or where things happen, you can find it difficult to navigate your way through it all. That is why Google is excited and proud to sponsor the National Geographic Bee for the third year, which sparks student interest in geography.

Last fall, over four million students started preparing for the 2011 Bee. Today, the students who have progressed to the state bee level, will compete for one of the coveted 54 spots at the finals in Washington DC in May. It’s not as simple as memorizing a list of capitals or identifying places on a map. These geographic black belts answer tough questions about human, environmental, physical, and regional geography.

The love of geography is a great asset for these students as they continue their education and careers. It might also lead them to a life of exploration and adventure. We asked a few famous explorers why geography is important to them and how they use Google Earth. Watch our Geography video below to hear their great insight:

We wish all of the competitors the best of luck!

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps

Student applications now being accepted for Google Summer of Code

Jessica — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:55:00 +0000

Cross-posted from the Official Open-Source at Google Blog.

Today marks the start of the 2011 Google Summer of Code student application period.

Google Summer of Code is a global program where university students are given a stipend to write code for open source projects over a three month period. Through Google Summer of Code, accepted students are paired with a mentor from the participating projects, gaining exposure to real-world software development and the opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits. Best of all, more source code is created and released for the use and benefit of all.

Google Summer of Code is a highly competitive program with a limited number of students being accepted. We are pleased to announce that this year we have enlarged the program so that we can accept as many as 150 additional students. We hope all interested students will apply!

Now it is time for the students to submit their proposals to the accepted mentoring organizations via the Google Summer of Code program website from today through Friday, April 8th 19:00 UTC. For the past 10 days students have had the opportunity to review the Ideas pages for this year’s 175 accepted projects and to research which projects they would like to contribute to for this year’s Google Summer of Code.

Every year we have thousands of students who apply for the Google Summer of Code program but due to the limited number of slots many students are not able to be a part of the program. The quality of your proposal is what will make you stand out from your peers. Students should consult the Google Summer of Code student manual for suggestions on how to write a proposal that will grab the attention of the mentoring organizations. Multiple proposals are allowed but we highly recommend focusing on quality over quantity. The mentoring organizations have many proposals to review, so it is important to follow each organization’s specific guidelines or templates and we advise you to submit your proposal early so you can receive timely feedback.

For more tips, see a list of some helpful dos and don’ts for successful student participation written by a group of experienced Google Summer of Code administrators, our user’s guide for the program site, Frequently Asked Questions and timeline. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Google Summer of Code on our Google Open Source blog, mailing lists or on IRC at #gsoc on Freenode.

Good luck students and remember to submit your proposals early–you only have until April 8!

By Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs Office

UNCF honors Google as Corporation of the Year

Jessica — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Each year the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) honors a corporate partner with the UNCF Award for Corporation of the Year. We are honored to announce that Google received this recognition at the annual awards ceremony in Oakland, CA, this year.

At the awards gala, the audience enjoyed a video (included below) highlighting Google’s work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and our scholarship program with UNCF. Tara Canobbio, K-12 Programs Specialist and a leader of the Black Googlers Network, accepted the award on behalf of Google and was joined by 20 Googlers who are also members of various Employee Resource Groups.

The Google-UNCF Relationship
UNCF’s mission is to enhance the quality of education by providing financial assistance to deserving students, raising operating funds for member colleges and universities, and increasing access to technology for students and faculty at HBCUs. Google supports UNCF’s efforts by providing up to 20 computer science students with $10,000 in academic scholarships each year. Google-UNCF Scholars are also invited to attend the Annual Google Scholars’ Retreat at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA. Launched in 2006, the program is now in its fifth year. Applications for the Google-UNCF Scholarship 2011 are due May 31, 2011.

Continuing Our Investment in HBCUs
Our investment in HBCUs extends beyond our scholarship partnership with UNCF. We support HBCUs by participating in institutional programs that further the schools’ goals of corporate exposure and pipeline retention. We also make financial contributions to computer science program development at five HBCU partner schools - Morehouse College, Spelman College, Howard University, Hampton University and North Carolina A&T University - and an additional donation to the Howard Middle School for Mathematics and Science. And the support doesn’t stop there. To date, we’ve helped ten HBCU’s “Go Google” and transition their schools onto Google Apps for Education, including Tuskegee University.

Our financial and in-kind support of HBCUs is part of our larger effort to increase diversity in the technology industry, not just in our workforce, but also within the universities that are educating the next generation of digital leaders.

The Future
We are excited about the future of our partnerships with UNCF and HBCUs as we leverage Google products to increase access to educational content in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as promote entrepreneurship and innovation in education.

To keep up to date with our partnerships, stay connected on our Diversity@Google YouTube site: www.youtube.com/diversityatgoogle and our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/diversityatgoogle.

Posted by LaFawn Bailey, Global Diversity Talent & Inclusion

Calling all high school seniors considering studying computer science in the US or Canada – Apply to Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute!

Jessica — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Google is invested in increasing the enrollment and retention of Computer Science students, particularly those who are historically underrepresented in the field. The study of Computer Science can be challenging and fun, and Google wants to inspire these students – the innovators of the future – to become active participants and leaders in creating technology.

With this in mind, Google has created the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). Up to 60 aspiring computer scientists will be selected to attend one of the all-expenses-paid CSSI sessions at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Our first session will take place from June 26 - July 16, 2011 while the second will take place from July 24 - August 12, 2011. This special institute will include an interactive and collaborative CS curriculum, as well as a unique residential experience in which students can build a network with other attendees. They will meet alumni from their schools and other Google engineers while immersing themselves in daily life at the Googleplex. Students will also enjoy technical talks by Googlers, lectures by guests from across the technology industry, and social activities around the Bay Area.

Would you like to benefit from the technical curriculum and the networking opportunities of the CSSI? We are looking for students eager to spend a few weeks living the Google life – tackling interesting technical problems, working collaboratively and having fun. We want students to leave empowered, heading into their 1st year of college armed with a unique learning experience that can only be had at Google.

The program is open to all qualified high school seniors (students must be planning to attend a university in the US or Canada), and is committed to addressing diversity in the field of Computer Science. Students who are a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in the technology industry are encouraged to apply.

Please visit www.google.com/jobs/cssi for more information and to apply today! Have questions? Feel free to contact us at cssi@google.com.

Application deadline: April 22, 2011. Select students will receive a short technical interview via telephone.

Posted by Jessica Lulovics, University Programs

2011 European Scholarship for Students with Disabilities: results announced

Jessica — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:41:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce the winners of the second annual European Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. This scholarship gives recognition to outstanding scientific contributions from students with disabilities who are pursuing university degrees in the field of computer science at a university in the European Union, Switzerland or Israel. It aims to help break barriers that keep students with disabilities from entering computing and encourages them to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders in creating technology.

Scholarships will be granted for the 2011-2012 academic year, and recipients will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid retreat at Google’s Engineering Center in Zurich in June 2011. The retreat includes workshops with a series of speakers, panels, breakout sessions and social activities.

This year we received almost double the amount of applications compared to 2010 and have increased the number of scholars from seven to 10.

Congratulations to our scholars!

Aurora Constantin, The University Of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Celine Moret, University Of Geneva, Switzerland

Lewis McLean, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom

Max Hinne, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands

Nicolas Bellm, Heidelberg University, Germany

Peter Gatens, University Of Liverpool, United Kingdom

Peter Weller, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom

Polina Proutskova Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom

Sophie Kershaw, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Thomas Hennigan, University Of Southampton, United Kingdom

For complete details, see www.google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe. To learn more about scholarships, grants and other opportunities for students in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, visit www.google.com/university/emea.

Posted by Jenny McColl, Univeristy Programs Specialist, EMEA

Shop smarter with the new Chrome Extension for Checkout promotions

Jessica — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Want to make the most out of your dollar? The new Google Checkout promotion notifier alerts you when sites you are browsing are offering discounts for purchases made through Google Checkout. With hundreds of stores offering savings of $5, $10, or $20 through December 17, you don't want to miss another Google Checkout deal.

To install this Chrome Extension, visit the gallery page using your Google Chrome browser. And to find more places to shop, you can also browse participating stores on the Checkout deals page or search for products to buy on Google.com and look for the Google Checkout promotion badge.

Posted by Nicolas Garnier and Peng Ying, Developer Programs Engineers

Save on holiday shopping

Jessica — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:19:00 +0000

With the holiday shopping rush underway, Google Checkout can help you find great deals this season. Over 900 Checkout stores including TigerDirect.com, BlueNile.com, and Petco.com are offering exclusive discounts of $5, $10, or $20 on what you buy through December 17th.

What's more, it's easy to find places to save as you shop quickly and securely with Checkout. You can either search for products on Google.com and look for the Google Checkout promotion badge, or browse participating stores on our new Checkout deals page. Good luck out there!

Posted by Anita Barci, Product Marketing Manager

New Google Checkout acceptance logo

Jessica — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15:00 +0000

We recently launched a new, improved Google Checkout acceptance logo. When you display the new logo, shoppers can now not only see that you accept Google Checkout as a payment method, but they can also read reviews from Checkout buyers who have completed a purchase at your online store.

Want to highlight your reviews? When shoppers click on the acceptance logo, a new window opens to display your Checkout reviews page. This page lets shoppers learn more about the kind of experience to expect from your store by showing your average rating and previous buyers' comments. The page also includes links that allow shoppers to easily find reviews about customer service, shipping refunds, and returns. In the case where you have responded to a buyer's review, your response will be displayed below the review to provide any necessary clarification.

Adding the new acceptance logo to your website is easy. Simply copy and paste the code snippet located in your Google Checkout merchant account into your website's HTML. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Posted by George Reis, Software Engineer and Heather Folsom, Business Product Manager

A new and easy way to offer Google Checkout promotions to buyers

Jessica — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:30:00 +0000

We're pleased to announce a new feature that will allow Google Checkout merchants based in the U.S. to create and to run their own Checkout promotions at any time.

Starting today, you can sign in to your Checkout merchant account, go to the 'Tools' tab, and click the 'Promotions' link to create a Checkout promotion in less than a minute. You'll be able to specify the date and time you'd like the promotion to run, as well as choose from a variety of dollar-off discounts to offer your buyers.

Whenever you run a Google Checkout promotion, the standard Checkout button on your website will be automatically updated to display the discount amount and cart minimum. Additionally, for AdWords advertisers, we'll change the standard Checkout badge appearing on your AdWords ads to a Checkout badge that includes the discount amount as shown below. These promotional badges have been introduced to enable shoppers who search on Google.com to easily identify and take advantage of promotional offers.

Checkout promotions are a great way to attract new buyers, and we're excited to make this functionality more widely available. Please visit our Help Center for detailed instructions on setting up your own Checkout promotion. Thanks for using Google Checkout!

Posted by Gina Del Vecchio, Google Checkout Specialist

Google Checkout Security Tips for National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Jessica — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

In the spirit of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we'd like to take a moment to provide some tips for keeping your financial information secure across the web.

At Google Checkout, the confidentiality of the personal information stored within your account, including your credit card and bank account numbers, is our highest priority. This information is stored on our servers with extensive safeguards in place, and we won't share it with anyone except under the limited circumstances described in our Privacy Policy.

In addition, here are a few tips to help keep your information safe as you browse the web and conduct business online:

When shopping online, investigate the seller before you buy. A legitimate business or individual seller should give you a physical address and a working telephone number at which they can be contacted in case you have problems.
Check for a secure (https) connection when transmitting any sensitive information such as credit card numbers.
Don't reuse passwords across multiple accounts, and make sure your passwords are strong.
Always navigate to your online banking account directly (by entering the URL in your browser or using a bookmark), not by clicking on links in emails.
Whenever possible, avoid logging in to your online banking account or entering any other sensitive information onto websites while using a public computer.
Always log out completely after using online accounts, and never save your passwords on public computers.
Beware of money scams.

Although National Cyber Security Awareness Month only comes around in October, remember to visit the Google Checkout Security Center for valuable cyber security information year-round.

Posted by Jessica Smallman, Checkout Risk Operations