For all of the problems that his remarks revealed and engendered, Larry Summers deserves thanks for catapulting the issue of women's under-representation in math, science and technology to a level of nationwide attention it has never before received. We should capitalize on this attention – and on the commitments made by President Summers and other university leaders and policy makers – to take concrete steps to eliminate the artificial and discriminatory barriers that women continue to face in these fields.

The ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder is an agile, campus-wide catalyst for multidisciplinary curriculum, research, and outreach involving the content and tools of Information Technology. As Executive in Residence for ATLAS, one of the things I do is help coordinate and lead a three-week summer technology camp called DigitalCUrrents , which just ended last week.

The National Medal of Technology, managed by the Technology Administration of the U. S. Department of Commerce, is the highest honor that the President of the United States awards to American innovators. These Medal Laureates are true stars. Their contributions drive our economy, enhance our lives, maintain our competitive edge, and set the course for our future.

In the not too distant past, I was asked to do an NPR interview on women and mentoring. It got me thinking in specific terms about what mentors "do," and ultimately led me to conclude that we use the word "mentor" far too casually. Often, as mentors, we stop short of what we can and should be doing. This is especially important in our quest to increase the number of women in technology leadership positions.