WHEN YOU THINK of a computer engineer or computer programmer, most likely you think of a man.

In fact, according to studies cited by the University of Illinois computer science department, the number of females graduating with Information technology degrees since 1980 has steadily decreased. Women now represent just 8 percent of computer scientists and software engineers.

ChicTech aims to change that.

ChicTech (pronounced "sheek-tek") is a U of I program that tries to promote interest in computer science among high school girls in Illinois. It’s a collaborative effort between the CS department and the campus student organization Women in Computer Science.

Representatives from the program will visit Uni during lunch on Friday and a week later on Nov. 16. Both meetings will be held in Room 308. Subfreshman and freshman girls are invited to the first session, while the second meeting is for sophomore through senior girls. Pizza and other food will be provided.

During the meetings, program representatives will talk about opportunities for women in the field of CS. They will also discuss activities sponsored by ChicTech, such as the Technical Ambassadors Competition and the Games-4-Girls Competition.

Sign up for the meetings is still open in the Student Services Office.

“I personally hope that this program opens up some girls' eyes to the field of computer science and gets them interested,” said U of I student Vivianne Vil, who has been recruited to bring more low-income and minority students to Uni. Vil and guidance counselor Sam Smith are the school’s liaisons with ChicTech this year.

Not surprisingly, Uni girls have been heavily involved in ChicTech over the years, as seen in the program’s promotional brochure, which features several Uni students past and present. For example, Yuzuko Nakamura, a 2006 graduate, is quoted extensively about the impact ChicTech had on her when she was in high school.

As a Uni senior, Nakamura published an article in the Gargoyle about her ChicTech experiences. She is now a sophomore in the CS department.

Other Uni students featured in the brochure include current seniors Aliisa Rantanen, Michelle Gao, Aran Yoo, and Angela Jin.