Digital Journal, 5/23/2013 (Goldie Bonney)

BDPA New Jersey Hosts 10th Annual Families in Technology Day June 8, 2013. The New Jersey chapter of the largest organization of African Americans in STEM industries, BDPA, is hosting its 10th annual Families in Technology Day on June 8, 2013. This all-day event will encourage students and their parents to explore the tech arena, and learn the ins and outs from many of the industries’ finest teachers. Held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the event will include workshops, instruction and an inspiring message from keynote speaker, Randal Pinkett, Ph.D.

BDPA New Jersey President, Goldie Bonney, is excited about the 10-year mark of this event. “We’re proud to reach another milestone in technology for our organization. With the way STEM is constantly changing, it’s important for us to make sure the community, especially the students, are equipped and empowered with the tools to stay in demand,” explains Bonney. “Through the support of our sponsors (JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, and Prudential) we’re anticipating hundreds to attend this year.”

Read the full Digital Journal article.

The Village, 5/20/2013 (Kai Dupé)

Tech Support: Networking for Blacks in STEM. In 2008, I found myself trying to decide on a problem to study for my doctoral dissertation. Most of my classmates were studying problems in their workplace. For most of them this meant studying a problem in education as they were educators. I, however, was working in the corporate world as a software developer. A classmate suggested that I study an issue related to African American software developers. I remember thinking to myself, what African American software developers?

As Oprah would say this was my “aha” moment. I decided to study and write about this subject and start a blog where I could keep aspiring African-American tech professionals informed about the latest industry news, opportunities and opinions. I approached one of my marketing savvy co-workers who said I should call it simply, Where Are Blacks In Technology? I have been blogging my thoughts on the digital divide ever since.

Read the rest of The Village article.

NOTE: Kai Dupé is a long-time BDPA member.

SBWire, 5/17/2013 (Wayne Hicks, Ted Jordan)

Ted Jordan

BDPA Success Stories Enjoyed on iRadio Show. Ted Jordan is the visionary behind Funutation Tekademy. Funutation stands for fun and education! The company runs kids' camps, called Tek Labs, during the summer teaching kids to make computer games, build web sites, and program battle robots. Funutation commits to providing children the finest experience in technology skills education. As a result, computer programming and teamwork are integral parts of the Funutation Tek Lab experience.

"We didn't think it would turn out to be this good", commented Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. "BDPA Cleveland Chapter loaned a few laptops to Funutation to help them run tech camp pilots thinking this would grow to be a great program for kids in Cleveland. Ted has taken this to the next level."

Read the full Funutation Tekademy article.

Clemson University, 5/16/2013 (Juan Gilbert)

Juan Gilbert

Clemson Receives $5M for Alliance to Increase African Americans in Computer Sciences. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Clemson University a $5 million grant to launch the Institute for African American Mentoring in Computing Sciences. The institute will serve as a national resource and emphasize mentoring as the primary strategy for increasing African American participation in computing under the direction of Juan Gilbert, Presidential Endowed Professor and chairman of the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson, and Shaundra Daily, assistant professor in the School of Computing.

“African Americans represent about 1 percent of the computer science faculty and researchers in the U.S.,” Gilbert said. “We formed this institute to increase the number of underrepresented groups earning computing science doctoral degrees and researchers in the academy, government and private sector.”

Read the rest of the Clemson University article.

NOTE: Dr. Gilbert is a long-time BDPA member.