After receiving her PhD, Borg spent four years building a
fault tolerant Unix-based operating system, first for Auragen Systems Corp. of
New Jersey and then with
Nixdorf Computer in Germany. In 1986, she began working for
Digital Equipment Corporation, where she spent 12 years, first at the Western Research Laboratory. While at Digital Equipment, she developed and patented a method for generating complete address traces for analyzing and designing high-speed memory systems. Her experience running the ever-expanding Systers
mailing list, which she founded in 1987, led her to work in
email communication. As a consultant engineer in the Network Systems Laboratory under
Brian Reid, she developed MECCA, an email and Web-based system for communicating in
virtual communities. She strove for technical fields to be places where women would be equally represented at all levels of the pipeline, and where women could impact, and benefit from, technology.
Systers In 1987, Borg founded
Systers, Systers was established to provide a private space for its members to seek input and share advice based on their common experiences. Systers membership was limited to women with highly technical training and discussions were strictly confined to technical issues. Borg oversaw Systers until 2000.
Institute for Women and Technology In 1997, Borg founded the Institute for Women and Technology (now the
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology). Two important goals behind the founding of the organization were to increase the representation of women in technical fields and to enable the creation of more technology by women.
Awards and recognition Borg was recognized for her accomplishments as a computer scientist, as well as for her work on behalf of women in computing. She received the
Augusta Ada Lovelace Award from the
Association for Women in Computing for her work on behalf of women in the computing field in 1995. In 1996 she was inducted as a Fellow of the
Association for Computing Machinery. In 1999, President
Bill Clinton appointed her to the
Presidential Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology. She was charged with recommending strategies to the nation for increasing the breadth of participation fields for women. Also in 2002, Borg received an Honorary Doctor of Science and Technology degree from
Carnegie Mellon University Borg received the
EFF Pioneer Award from the
Electronic Frontier Foundation and was recognized by the
Girl Scouts of the USA, as well as listed on Open Computing Magazine's Top 100 Women in Computing. Borg was also a member of the board of directors of the
Computing Research Association and served as a member of the
National Research Council's Committee on Women in Science and Engineering.
Legacy In 1999, Borg was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She continued to lead the Institute for Women and Technology until 2002. She died on April 6, 2003, in
Sonoma, California. Several other awards and programs honor Borg's life and work.
Google established the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship in 2004 to honor the work of Borg. this program is known as the Women Techmakers Scholars Program. The program has expanded to include women in
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Europe,
North Africa, and the
Middle East. The
UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering offers the Anita Borg Prize, named in her honor. ==References==