Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology
 
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February/March 2017
Volume 7, Issue 1

Welcome to the February/March 2017 issue of the CMD-IT eNewsletter!
 
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the CMD-IT University Award for Retention of Minorities and Students with Disabilities. As you know, February is Black History Month and March is National Women's History Month. In celebration of both months check out our movie recommendation:  Hidden Figures.

It is our pleasure to feature a new nonprofit that is focusing on advancement for black software engineers:  
/dev/color .  Today is also the last day to apply for Tapia 2017 Conference Scholarships. Scholarship applications must be submitted by  11:59 pm PT .
 
To include job openings or events to our Community Calendar for the April/May e-newsletter contact Andrea Raines. 
  
Best regards,
CMD-IT Leadership   
Tapia 2017 Scholarship Deadline 


Last Day to Submit Tapia 2017 
Scholarship Applications
 
Today is the last day to submit your application for a scholarship to the ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing.  Submissions are due at 11:59 p.m. PT.   Travel scholarships are available for students (community college/undergraduate/graduate), post-docs and a limited number for faculty at colleges/universities in the U.S and U.S. Territories.

Scholarships include conference registration, meals during the conference, hotel accommodations, and a reimbursable travel stipend.  Tapia scholarships are generously funded by government and industry organizations.

CMD-IT University Award
CMD-IT University Award for Retention of Minorities and Students with Disabilities in Computer Science

The CMD-IT University Award recognizes US institutions that have demonstrated a strong commitment to increasing the computer science baccalaureate degree production of minorities and students with disabilities, through effective retention programs. The 2017 University Award is sponsored by  Microsoft, Inc. 
Award decisions will be based on quantitative and qualitative reporting of results. The qualitative reporting includes details about the institution, the unit that awards the undergraduate computer science degree, and descriptions of the retention programs. The quantitative reporting includes a five year history of retention data.  All nominations will remain confidential. Each participating university will receive a detailed report that summarizes the data across all participating institutions.
Nominate your university!
The nomination process entails a  two step process.
1. Complete the  nomination form.
2. Once your nomination form has been received, you will be sent an excel file to provide your five year history of retention data and details regarding your retention programs. Your complete package must be submitted via the link provided by May 1, 2017.

2017 CMD-IT University Award Deadlines

  • Application Deadline: May 1, 2017.
  • Notification date: June 15, 2017.
The CMD-IT University Award Recognition will take place at the  2017 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference.
For questions regarding the CMD-IT University Award nominations, please contact  Manuel Perez Quinones.


Supporting Diversity
/dev/color: Maximizing the Impact of Black Software Engineers
/dev/color is a nonprofit focused on harnessing the wisdom of Black software engineers to help one another achieve ambitious career goals..  Founded by Makinde Adeagbo, a software engineer whose background includes Facebook, Dropbox, and Pinterest. /dev/color was created from his desire to make a positive impact on the world utilizing his skills as a software engineer.  /dev/color enables black software engineers to connect and provide each other with information, support and the challenge to succeed.
Initially founded in 2015 in Silicon Valley , /dev/color this year expanded with the creation of a New York Chapter. Chapter members are grouped together in squads. Squads are made up a diverse group of software engineers in different stages of their careers, working in various size organizations and with members of both sexes, yet no member is ever isolated by being the only person like them in a squad.  Squad members commit to one year of monthly meetings and create personal goals around their long term vision and what they want to accomplish. Squad meetings are purposeful with members presenting personal work challenges in depth. Other members share their own experiences in similar situations and how they addressed it.
/dev/color has created a software tool for the community that tracks meetings, squad reports and monitors results. The tool is a collective community project  that is supported by all the members and enables continuous improvement for the organization.  /dev/color 's community helps to convert all manual processes into code, enabling the organization to remain lean. If you're interested in learning more and would like to see a /dev/color chapter begin in your region please sign up today - https://www.devcolor.org/signup . If you are interested in sharing your knowledge and writing  for Dev Color's Blog please email blog@devcolor.org.
HIDDEN FIGURES
Finding a movie that celebrates African American History, Women's History and Computer Science is pretty rare. So we wanted to recommend that our readers take the time to go see Hidden Figures.  The film highlights the journey of three African American women mathematicians working for NASA during the Space Race.  Their journey includes dealing with and overcoming racism and sexism.  The film is also a celebration of mathematics and computer science. 

The three women featured in the film, Katherine G. Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan went on to stellar careers in NASA. Just this week Katherine G. Johnson came on stage at the Academy Awards during a presentation by the three stars of the film and received a well deserved standing ovation. We also highly recommend the film Hidden Figures and the book it is based on 
Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race 
by Margot Lee Shetterly.
In This Issue
Diversity Awareness
February is African American History Month

Black History Month or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of  African Americans in US history. For a collection of exhibits, video, audio and images go to the African American  History Month website.

March is National Women's History
 Month

Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. This year's theme is "Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business."

Job Postings

Community Calendar

28 March

06 May
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