United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is grateful to Philips Healthcare employee Danna Sturdivant for her payroll pledge via the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. Danna serves as the national coordinator for the annual BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC).

BETF provides an annual scholarship -- the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship -- to the highest-performing students at the annual HSCC championship. Danna asked that we apply her personal donation to the Bemley Scholarship Fund.

Our hope is that others who support the HSCC program will consider making a payroll pledge via United Way or other employee giving campaigns to support the Bemley Scholarship Fund!

What STEM Programs Does BDPA Provide for Young People?

BDPA Orlando chapter president Pablo More hosts a weekly lunch'n'learn webinar. Today, the BDPA lunch'n'learn focused on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs that exist within BDPA.

The topics (presenters) were:

IT Showcase (Dr. Jesse Bemley) - Dr. Bemley provided a quick historical context about his 25-year history with STEM-training in BDPA, concluding with an overview of the IT Showcase.

High School Computer Competition (Danna Sturdivant) - Danna will discuss HSCC programs at high level.

Youth Technology Camp (Jamesetta James and Mildred Allen) will discuss the YTC program set to take place in Philadelphia PA on July 29-31, 2010.

BDPA Foundation (Wayne Hicks) Wayne will discuss ways that BETF supports SITES Programs and fundraising efforts.

BDPA Lunch'n'Learn: STEM Programs for Young People

View more presentations from Wayne Hicks.

I encourage you to check out the centralized BDPA Calendar of Events so that you don't miss the next Lunch'n'Learn session!

I would also love to hear your thoughts on the 30-page .ppt presentation that was used during this session. Any questions or comments?

2010 HSCC Textbook: Schaum's Outline Principles of Computer Science

BDPA will train over 800 students this year as part of our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Click here if you are interested in reviewing the recommended training topics documentation. The file contains the topics that will be covered in the Oral and Written quizzes.

The main textbook that will be used is Schaum's Outline Principles of Computer Science. Please let us know if you want to provide funds to purchase 1 or more books to be donated to chapter in your area. There are other books and resources shared in the training documentation.

Post a comment if you have questions or want to pledge funding. You can also reach out to Danna Sturdivant (National SITES Coordinator) on (800) 727-2372 for any questions about the training materials.

2009 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2009 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Raleigh NC. We had 23 teams competing in 2009 ... tied for the highest chapter participation with efforts in 2004 and 2008.

There were a number of technical challenges during the national competition the 2009 competition. However, national HSCC coordinator Danna Sturdivant and her team were patient, professional and persistent throughout the entire week ... and the competition was successfully completed.

All of BDPA-nation was reminded at the end of the week that any HSCC team must be at the top of their game to defeat the Rochester MN team ... BDPA Southern Minnesota won the 2009 National HSCC championship ... their 4th championship in the past 5 years. The five students (James Arama, Yaa Kwansa, Ahmed Mahamad, Daniel Sheppard and Adwait Walimbe) under the direction of their coach (Zack Garbow) and chapter president (Nat Calvert) proved to be too much for the other teams.

BDPA Detroit chapter earned their highest ranking since 2000 with their second place finish in this year's national championship. BDPA Washington DC chapter students earned Bemley Scholarships for the 4th year in a row with their third place finish this year.

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to note that we provided financial support to over half of the HSCC teams that competed this year ... including the Bemley Scholarshps provided to the top five (5) performing chapters in the national HSCC championships.

Here are the rankings for all 23 teams that competed in 2009 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

1. Southern Minnesota ($2,500 Bemley Scholarship for each student)
2. Detroit ($2,000 each)
3. Washington DC ($1,500 each)
4. Twin Cities ($1,000 each)
5. New York ($500 each)
6. Baltimore
7. Los Angeles
8. Chicago
9. Atlanta
10. Charlotte
11. St. Louis
12. New Jersey
13. Cincinnati
14. Richmond
15. Indianapolis
16. Middle Tennessee
17. Philadelphia
18. Triangle
19. Greater Columbia
20. Cleveland
21. Hartford
22. Columbus
23. Greater Tampa Bay

Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships in 2009 and beyond. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

Finally, I encourage you to share your thoughts and memories of the 2009 National BDPA Conference held in Raleigh NC with others in this online community.

2008 HSCC Training Recommendations

BDPA will train over 800 students this year as part of our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Click here if you are interested in reviewing the recommended training topics documentation. The file contains the topics that will be covered in the Oral and Written quizzes.

The main textbook that will be used is Schaum's Outline Principles of Computer Science. Please let us know if you want to provide funds to purchase 1 or more books to be donated to chapter in your area. There are other books and resources shared in the training documentation.

Post a comment if you have questions or want to pledge funding. You can also reach out to Danna Sturdivant (National SITES Coordinator) on (800) 727-2372 for any questions about the training materials.