The BDPA Insider - November 21, 2010

 
The BDPA Insider – November 21, 2010

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

1. 2011 BDPA Chicago Awards Banquet Video
2. BDPA Chapters on Twitter 
3. BDPA Charlotte Chapter Supports eMentor Program at Garinger New Technology High School
4. BETF Scholarship Winners (2009-2010) 
5. Buy a Book Once. Read It Everywhere 
6. Can BDPA Expand SITES Program to Elementary School Students With Tech Corps?
7. Computer Science Education Week
8. eWeek.com: IT Management: Non-Certified Technology Skills: the Top 25 Right Now 
9. ITSMF: Executive Protege Program
10. Mastering the technology of the Mind
11. Not Just For Kids: Facebook For Grown Folks
12. Summer Program for High School Students: Science and Engineering Apprenticeship with US Navy 
13. Why Have You Been Out of Work So Long?

Much love to National BDPA past president Milt Haynes for pulling this information together every week.  

Kudos to the following websites for providing the articles used in this week's BDPA Insider: BDPA Foundation, Blacks Gone Geek, CSEdWeek, eWeek, SlideShare.net, The Ladders, Where Are The Blacks in Technology and YouTube.

Letter of Inquiry * Beaumont Foundation of America (BDPA Chicago)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA Chicago chapter to submit a letter of inquiry to the Beaumont Foundation of America. In our letter we asked for permission to submit a full grant proposal seeking $10,000 funding to support the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program in Chicago.

The Beaumont Foundation provides grants and scholarships to a broad range of charitable, religious and educational organizations across the United States. We are hopeful that they will smile favorably on our funding request.

Congratulations to BETF College Scholarship Winners (2009-2010)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has given out almost $400,000 in college scholarships over the years.  Chris Johnson is chair of the BDPA Foundation Scholarship Committee. He shared an update with the Foundation's board of directors on recent scholarship funds sent to post-secondary educational institutions around the country on the behalf of deserving BDPA student members:

• $4,000 to Lauren Pemberton, Southern Minnesota chapter (Rice University)
• $2,000 to Hassan Moustafa, Washington DC chapter (University of Maryland)
• $4,000 to Andreaus Robinson, Chicago chapter (University of Illinois)
• $1,000 to Logan LeCompte, Twin Cities chapter (Dakota State University)
• $7,500 to Lee Reed III, Chicago chapter (University of Michigan)
• $5,500 to Francisco Nunez, Washington DC and Northern Virginia chapters (Morehouse College)
• $1,500 to Turkenya Herring, Washington DC chapter (Bowie State University)
• $2,000 to Jourdan West, Detroit chapter (Michigan State University)
• $1,500 to Alexis Howell, Washington DC chapter (Morgan State University)
• $500 to Alan Rosales, New York chapter (University of Rochester)
• $5,000 to James Arama, Southern Minnesota chapter (Marist College)
• $1,000 to D Ephraim, Twin Cities chapter (Normandale Community College)
• $500 to Cazemba Richards, New York chapter (Clarkson University)
• $1,500 to Khadijah Lovejoy, Hartford chapter (West Virginia State University)
• $1,500 to Caroline Tremaine, Southern Minnesota (University of Minnesota)
• $2,500 to Hung Vo, Atlanta chapter (Georgia Institute of Technology)
• $2,500 to Gerardo Dominguez, Chicago chapter (Chicago University)
• $2,500 to Leslie Fuqua, Indianapolis chapter (DePauw University)

Brothers and sisters ... we need your help! Please consider making a tax-deductible pledge to the Bemley Scholarship Fund. Just COMMENT on this post with the amount of your pledge. We'll take it from there.

Or ... you can make an online donation!

Can BDPA Expand SITES Program to Elementary School Students With Tech Corps?

I drove out to Columbus Ohio in order to meet with Lisa Chambers, Tech Corps Ohio state director. BDPA Columbus chapter member Andre Young joined us in a discussion about possible strategic alliance with Tech Corps on local and national level.

Lisa shared with me the 15+ years of history for Tech Corps. The group was founded in 1995 by Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus of CIO Magazine. Tech Corps is committed to enhancing K-12 education through the effective use of technology by recruiting, placing and supporting volunteers and by developing partnerships between schools and the community.

Tech Corps programs have evolved over time. Lisa shared with me insights on the Student Tech Corps and Girl Tech Corps programs. However, we spent most of our discussion talking about the TECHie Club and Summer Camp (Elementary School or Middle School)

The TECHie Club is an after-school program for 3-5 grade students. It is a very intense program that puts a greater emphasis on computer science than some other programs. There are modules focused on programming, robotics, digital media and web development. The young 'uns are able to communicate amongst themselves and with other TECHie Clubs around the nation on a blogging platform provided by Tech Corps.


TECHie Club is a program with a proven curriculum. The students, schools and parents are very excited about the program. Volunteers are needed to facilitate the TECHie Club experience. Each TECHie Club (maximum of 20 students) typically meet weekly for 90-120 minutes throughout the school year. Schools designate a Site Coordinator to manage students and assist volunteers. TECH CORPS staff trains teams of tech-savvy volunteers to use the TECHie Club Implementation Guide and Lessons to introduce students to computing topics.

In my opinion, this is a remarkable opportunity for BDPA members and leaders. We have a remarkable K-12 youth education program, Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) -- however, our program is heavily focused on high school programs. Only one chapter (Richmond) works consistently with elementary students. It seems like great synergy for BDPA members to volunteer to work with TECHie Club. Don't you agree?

Here are current TECHie Club volunteer opportunities in Ohio. Of course, you can get more details from Lisa Chambers by email or phone (614.583-9211).

There is also a strong Tech Corps Texas organization that seeks volunteers from BDPA members and other BETF-Blog readers.

I am making a personal commitment to identify volunteers for the TECHie Club start-ups in three Cincinnati elementary schools -- Hartwell, Kilgour and Mount Washington.

Do you think BDPA is ready to expand its SITES program to help 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in elementary school?

Summer Program for High School Students: Science and Engineering Apprenticeship with US Navy

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is working with others to create a powerful strategic alliance in 2011 with the Department of Navy. One way that we can help is to raise awareness of Navy programs that would be of interest to BDPA student members.

For example, do you know a high school student who is interested in science and engineering and is looking for an apprenticeship next summer? If so, please let him or her know about the 2011 Science and Engineering Apprenticeship (SEAP) Program.

Applications for SEAP must be submitted between now and January 7, 2011. The eight week summer program begins June 20, 2011 and ends August 12, 2011.

The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) provides an opportunity for students to participate in research at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory during the summer.

The goals of SEAP are to encourage participating students to pursue science and engineering careers, to further their education via mentoring by laboratory personnel and their participation in research, and to make them aware of DoN research and technology efforts, which can lead to employment within the DoN.

SEAP provided competitive research internships to 247 high school students this year. Participating students spend eight weeks during the summer doing research at approximately 20 DoN laboratories.

Grant Declination: Office Depot Foundation (BDPA Columbus)

Office Depot Foundation informed us that our grant proposal on behalf of BDPA Columbus chapter has been declined. Sabina Conte (Office Depot community relations manager) wrote,

"Thank you very much for your recent online application to the Office Depot Foundation. Regrettably, we are not able to assist you with your special request at this time. Our contributions budget is fully committed."

Perhaps we will have better luck with Office Depot Foundation in the future!

BETF Given a New Combined Federal Campaign Code * 11174

African American give more of their income to charitable causes than any other racial group. In many cases it is done through workplace giving in programs run by the United Way.

Did you know that BETF is one of 28 non-profit organizations in the National Black United Federation of Charities. NBUFC generates resources and support to strengthen families and communities in the United States and Africa.

We encourage all federal employees that participate in the Combined Federal Campaign to make a payroll deduction on behalf of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation.

Our new CFC code number is 11174.

BETF-Blog Readers, do you know any Federal employees such as your postal delivery person, employees at Social Security, IRS, Homeland Security and so forth? If so, please share our new CFC code (11174) with them so that they might support our efforts with education, children and empowerment.

You can see running list of our most recent donors in the navigation bar over on the right-hand side of our blog. I hope that you are making a personal donation to BETF during this Thanksgiving season!

BDPA Charlotte Chapter Supports eMentor Program at Garinger New Technology High School

BDPA Charlotte seeks to provide male mentors for the eMentor program at Garinger New Technology High School. This program is designed to pair up students with professionals in careers related to Information Technology, Science, Math and Engineering.

The Mentees: High School students grade 10-12. Garinger New Technology HS student population is 66% African American, 19% Hispanic, 5% Asian and 8% White. Additionally 68% of the students use the free or reduced price lunch program.

The Mentors: The program requests that BDPA mentor a student through the academic year and communicate weekly through email. Additionally, each mentor must register as a volunteer with CMS online.

Outcome: To encourage students in their studies and build their interests in STEM careers, to be a sounding board for students about their interest and concerns about college, and to share your experiences that will prove helpful to the students lives.

Additional PERK: As the program typically matches the student with a mentor of the same gender, there is an exceptional need for more male volunteers. To note, 2/3 of the students participating in this program are male. How awesome is that! Our young males are interested in STEM careers, so to answer their call BDPA Charlotte are offering $25 off of BDPA membership for the first 10 new male members that also sign up to be an eMentor.

Questions? Contact Melandee Jones or Colette Nichols of the eMentoring program.

GenCorp Foundation

The GenCorp Foundation endorses the company's commitment to make our communities stronger. Through grant-making, workplace giving and employee volunteerism, the GenCorp Foundation is dedicated to supporting the communities where our employees live, work and volunteer.

The GenCorp Foundation was established in 2000 to meet the charitable needs of the communities where the company conducts business. Its primary giving focus is education, specifically science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This giving focus targets students to better prepare them to be educated citizens and contributing members of our nation's future workforce.

Since 2000, the GenCorp Foundation has given more than $7 million to schools and nonprofit organizations through grants, scholarships and matching gifts. The foundation also supports employees' philanthropic efforts through workplace giving, volunteerism and matching gifts.

In 2008, the GenCorp Foundation contributed $542,088 in grants and scholarships. It also matched $194,756 in educational gifts, disaster relief and Dollars for Doers funding. Company employees pledged $229,000 through our annual workplace giving campaign.

The GenCorp Foundation limits contributions to 501[c][3] U.S.-based nonprofit organizations located in the communities where Aerojet and GenCorp have a business presence. It appears that we have co-located BDPA chapters in: Bay Area, No. Virginia, Seattle and Washington DC.

Please let us know if you / your chapter has interest in partnering with BETF on a grant proposal to this funding source.

The BDPA Insider - November 14, 2010

The BDPA Insider – November 14, 2010

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

1. Job Seekers’ Forum FAQs 
2. VisionIT CEO appointed by Secretary of Commerce to the National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise/ 
3. Spelman Students Beat Out Harvard and MIT for Best Mobile App 
4. Abbott Jobs Now on Facebook  
5. Top 10 Museums for Tech Geeks 
6. Where are all the Java and .Net Developers? 
7. Night with the CIO 
8. 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference: Call For Ideas (Deadline: 12/3/2010) 
9. Diversity/Careers Magazine: The Job Market is Improving for African Americans in IT 
10. High Praise for BDPA Richmond Support of Robotics Training for Elementary School Students  
11. DogFood Conference 2010–Columbus, OH

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2010/11/bdpa-insider-november-14-2010.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/TheBDPAInsider.aspx

2011 Blogging While Brown Conference: Call For Ideas (Deadline: 12/3/2010)

2011 BWB Call for Ideas Now Open!

This blog wants you to know about the opening of the Call for Ideas for the 2011 Blogging While Brown conference. This will be a Black Social Media Weekend extravaganza and you can help build it the way you want it.

For the first time attendees will be able to vote on ideas submitted. Ideas are being accepted for the following program tracks:

1. Online Activism
2. The Business of Blogging/
3. Niche and Lifestyle Blogging
4. Hands-On Technical Workshops

The deadline for submissions is December 3, 2010. So don't hold back.   Submit your ideas and help Gina and her crew take the 4th annual Blogging While Brown Conference to the next level in 2011. Next year the conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA on July 8-9, 2011.

Questions?

Email: Aminah@bloggingwhilebrown.com

Grant Declination: RGK Foundation (BDPA Chicago)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Chicago chapter learned today that our letter of inquiry to the RGK Foundation was reviewed. Unfortunately, our request for support has been turned down by the folks at RGK Foundation.

The declination note read as follows:

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Thank you for submitting an electronic Letter of Inquiry to RGK Foundation. As a result of the number of inquiries we receive, RGK Foundation is unable to respond affirmatively to all requests. Although the proposed program is worthy, we regret that we are unable to consider a formal proposal at this time.

We appreciate the time and effort put forth in submitting the Letter of Inquiry information, and we wish you success in reaching your funding goals.
Please do not reply to this email address as it is auto generated and does not receive replies.

Very truly yours,
Gregory A. Kozmetsky, President

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BDPA Chicago is one of the most prolific chapters in the nation. BETF will continue to work with them to uncover funding from other nonprofit foundations. However, you can help ... let us know if you are aware of any nonprofit foundations or corporate foundations or folks with a high net worth who might be open to providing funding to support BDPA programs and services in Chicago or elsewhere. OK?

High Praise for BDPA Richmond Support of Robotics Training for Elementary School Students

BDPA has a strong history of providing programs to engage high school students. Our national high school computer competition has been going on for over 25 years. We added the BDPA IT Showcase about eight years ago. My hope is that BDPA will participate at some level in the 2011 Imagine Cup.

I think that most BETF-Blog readers will agree that one area that we have not been as active or strong is in the technology-based support and education of elementary school students. However, that is beginning to change in Richmond, Virginia. BDPA Richmond chapter has been working for the last decade on teaching concepts of science, technology and robotics to elementary school students.

It appears to be paying off. Here is a testimonial that was recently posted on the BDPA Richmond chapter YahooGroup:

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Good Evening Everyone,

My name is Carmen Caldwell and I am a graduate of Virginia State University (VSU). I was a member of BDPA-VSU and served on the executive board my junior and senior years. I wanted to commend the Fairfield Court Elementary 'Eaglebots' on a job well done at the FIRST Lego League Maggie L Walker Tournament. I have heard Ms. Jacki Davis rave about this robotics team on many occassions and really did not comprehend the excitement, learning (both adults and children), and FUN that could be had with just a little involvement.

I happened to attend the competition today as a volunteer for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and came across green t-shirts that had the guiding principle "Educate to Elevate". I knew that this was the doing of Ms. Jacki Davis. Whether in the judging rooms, in the pit (competition area), or leisure this team was
outstanding.

Little did this team know that I was one of the design judges and my team and I were absolutely blown away by the professionalism, knowledge, honesty, and most of all the manners of this team. Out of the teams we viewed today they definitely shined when it came to teamwork. Although there were a few mishaps they did an outstanding job! To top it off all but one of the Eaglebots were first year robotics members! Amazing!

I was not able to stay until the end of the tournament but I wanted to give praise where it is due! Good job team, coaches, sponsors, and everyone that assisted the Eaglebots!

Continue to "Educate to Elevate" BDPA-Richmond, job well done and it has shown!

Regards,
Ms. Carmen Caldwell
Henrico, Va 23228

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Are there other BDPA chapters interested in providing elementary school programs? Are there other BDPA chapters interested in exploring FIRST Lego League in their geographic area?

Letter of Inquiry * 3M Foundation (National BDPA)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and National BDPA submitted a joint letter of inquiry to the Community Giving folks at the 3M Foundation. We are asking them to provide us with $3,000 to purchase 75 ASP handbooks for the 2011 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

Hopefully, the folks at 3M will smile favorably on our request!

Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart Will Keynote 2010 BDPA New York Scholarship Awards Dinner

Melodie Mayberry-Stewart is the chief information officer for the state of New York. She was recently named one of the Top 50 African Americans in Technology. I'm looking forward to meeting her on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 in Brooklyn NY. I will be the master of ceremonies at the BDPA New York Chapter Scholarship & Awards Dinner. Ms. Mayberry-Stewart will be the keynote speaker.

The purpose of the dinner is to recognize the outstanding contributions of BDPA New York chapter’s community supporters and corporate sponsors as well as award college scholarships to our students, who are members of the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The SITES program affords students the opportunity to get hands-on computer and web development training, exposure to various careers in Information Technology and develop professional and interpersonal skills (i.e. business etiquette skills, resume writing and team building). This program is designed to develop the next generation of IT Professionals, and encourage African American youth to explore careers in such traditionally underrepresented fields as Computer Science and Information Technology.

Another highlight of the evening will be the announcement of the winners of the Roger Dunn Memorial Scholarship and the Renee McClure Scholarship Awards. These awards go to BDPA SITES students who have demonstrated strong excellent leaderships skills. BETF helped to fund both of these awards in the past.

I hope that you will consider supporting this annual event with your presence in person or via an advertisement in the program guide. Those of you that are unable to find a business-related reason to support the chapter can do so with a tax-deductible donation to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Grant Proposal: Capital One Foundation (Baton Rouge)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Baton Rouge chapter partnered on a $5,000 grant proposal to the Capital One Foundation. We are working our request through the community affairs officer located in Louisiana.

Capital One Bank is at the end of their 2010 granting year, however they invite organizations with programmatic requests that specifically reach a 51% or greater low-to-moderate income population and fit the bank's strategic philanthropic goals.


Our understanding is that they give priority to programs in the following areas:

1. Supporting Community Development, focusing on career exploration and job training programs
2. Increasing Financial Literacy, focusing on money management knowledge and product-centric education
3. Improving Access to Quality Education, focusing on teacher effectiveness, parental engagement and student support services

Our hope is that Capital One Bank will find favor with the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program powered by our volunteers in the BDPA Baton Rouge chapter. Wish us luck!

This Week in BDPA (Nov 7-13)

BDPA has 45 chapters around the nation. You can always find programs, services or networking activity here or here. BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you will continue to support Our Cause!

Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Nov 8: National BDPA - Webinar, 'Career Coaching'
• Nov 9: Greater Columbia - Program Meeting, 'Ways to Protect Your Confidential and Financial Information'
• Nov 9: Washington DC - Fundraiser, 'Annual Scholarship Gala and HSCC Awards'
• Nov 10: New York - Fundraiser, 'Annual Scholarship and Awards Dinner'
• Nov 12: New Jersey - Fundraiser, 'Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet'
• Nov 13: Northern Delaware - Fundraiser, 'Annual Scholarship Banquet and IT Showcase'
• Nov 13: National BDPA - Meeting, 'Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting
  

We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events! Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed. Most importantly, let us know if you plan to attend any BDPA events this week.

American Electric Power Foundation

The American Electric Power Foundation complements a tradition of corporate philanthropy exhibited by American Electric Power and its regional utilities in support of AEP's community relations goal: "To support and play an active, positive role in the communities where we live and work."

The American Electric Power Foundation was created in 2005 to continue to support that goal. The Foundation generally will consider requests of not less than $25,000 or those for multi-year commitments from organizations in the communities served by AEP's regional utilities or where AEP has major facilities. The Foundation may also consider -- by invitation only -- initiatives outside of AEP's 11-state service area. AEP and its regional utilities continue to emphasize corporate giving on local initiatives.


AEP Foundation seeks to improve lives through education from early childhood through higher education. BETF feels that this would be an excellent opportunity for funding of our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Do you agree?

The BDPA Insider - November 7, 2010

Former National BDPA president Milt Haynes issued The BDPA Insider for the week beginning November 7, 2010.

In this issue:

1. BDPAtoday  [USA Edition]
2. Black Faces in White Places by Randal Pinkett and Jeffrey Robinson
3. IT Job Seeker Accountability Groups
4. Microsoft Charlotte Campus Kicks Off Citizen Schools Computer Apprenticeship Program
5. Bing does THIS & Google does THAT…
6. Can BDPA IT Showcase Winners Join White House Science Fair Next Year?
7. This Week in BDPA (Oct 31 – Nov 7)
8. Rochester Post-Bulletin, 11/1/2010 (Charlie Perkins)
9. Are your skills ready for the opportunities in networking?
10. Tech Corps Ohio
11. Newman Networks News November 4th, 2010
12. How to Network: 7 Ways to Give, Not Just Receive
13. Become a BDPA Lifetime Member and Be Part of the Founder’s Club
14. Top 50+ Novels for Tech Geeks
15. BDPA Today [Chapter Edition]
16. Unemployed find old jobs now require more skills

 You can locate past issues of The BDPA Insider in the archives housed by Blacks Gone Geek.

Grant Declination: Fluor Foundation (Dallas)

We are sorry to report that our letter of inquiry to Fluor Foundation on behalf of BDPA Dallas chapter has been reviewed and declined. We received the following reply from the company:

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Dear Mr. Hicks,

Thank you for contacting us to request financial support for the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation and your Dallas chapter of Black Data Processing Associates.


We have carefully considered the funding opportunity outlined in your proposal, yet we must regretfully decline the opportunity to provide support at this time. While there are many valuable and worthwhile projects in the communities where we have a presence, because of budget limitations, we are only able to award grants for only a portion of the most competitive proposals.


Thank you for thinking of Fluor Corporation and we wish you continued success in all your endeavors.


Sincerely,
Monica Reyes
Community and Public Affairs Manager

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BETF will continue to seek out support for the youth technology programs powered by the volunteers in our BDPA Dallas chapter.   Do you have any ideas or suggestions about funding sources that might be open to supporting our Dallas chapter?

Grant Proposal: Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation (Los Angeles)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Los Angeles chapter submitted a joint grant proposal to the Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation. Rockwell Collins targets its giving in the area of Education, especially Math, Science, Engineering and Technology ... especially projects involving youth.

Our grant proposal focused on the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program powered by our BDPA volunteers in southern California. We hope to hear back from them shortly.

Lakeesha Alert: Kiarra Robinson (Columbus OH)

BDPAers, we need your help. We know that the Amber Alert system only works for the Ambers of the world. For people of African descent we need to let the drums ring out with our own Lakeesha Alert! This blog is putting the call out for a Lakeesha Alert on a young woman who has been missing for a week in Columbus OH.

Reggie Hillery is a colleague of ours in Columbus OH. He shared the following message on Facebook tonight:

Hey Columbus- Help me find my niece Kiarra Robinson. She has been missing since Sat. Oct 30th. She is 17 yrs old and was last seen possibly on the North side or Hilliard area. She was wearing sweat pants, tank top and a blue hoodie.

My family would appreciate all your help in locating her. Thanks for your help and prayers. Her picture is my profile picture.

That is picture of Kiarra shown above.  Any support you can provide in helping Reggie and his family locate Kiarra would be very much appreciated!  Reggie can be reached via his email address or his Facebook page.

Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race and Computing

The number of African Americans receiving undergraduate and advanced degrees in computer science is disproportionately low, according to recent surveys. And relatively few African American high school students receive the kind of institutional encouragement, educational opportunities, and preparation needed for them to choose computer science as a field of study and profession.

In Stuck in the Shallow End, Jane Margolis looks at the daily experiences of students and teachers in three Los Angeles public high schools: an overcrowded urban high school, a math and science magnet school, and a well-funded school in an affluent neighborhood. She finds an insidious "virtual segregation" that maintains inequality.

Two of the three schools studied offer only low-level, how-to (keyboarding, cutting and pasting) introductory computing classes. The third and wealthiest school offers advanced courses, but very few students of color enroll in them. The race gap in computer science, Margolis finds, is one example of the way students of color are denied a wide range of occupational and educational futures. Margolis traces the interplay of school structures (such factors as course offerings and student-to-counselor ratios) and belief systems—including teachers' assumptions about their students and students' assumptions about themselves.

Stuck in the Shallow End is a story of how inequality is reproduced in America -- and how students and teachers, given the necessary tools, can change the system.




The information in this book makes it more imperative than ever that BDPA chapters get serious about their efforts to implement a meaningful Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program in their city. We can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines.

Contact BETF by email or phone (513.284-4968) if you want support in SITES fundraising.

IBM Foundation

IBM Foundation allocates resources to specific projects and programs that fit within their targeted areas of interest. The overwhelming majority of grants are initiated by IBM, do not stem from unsolicited proposals, and involve multi-year commitments. Subsequent grants will grow out of these efforts after the current grants have run their course.

While not encouraged, unsolicited proposals are reviewed on an ongoing basis. If your organization chooses to submit an unsolicited proposal, please note the following guidelines and address the requirements outlined below.

Guidelines

IBM only considers requests submitted by organizations which have a tax-exempt classification under Sections 170(c) or 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Priority is assigned to requests involving IBM technology or the volunteer efforts of our employees. In making a grant decision, they also consider what other types of IBM support (Matching Grants, Fund for Community Service, United Way) an organization may already be receiving.

Application Process

Nonprofit organizations or educational institutions wishing to submit unsolicited proposals to IBM should make an initial inquiry in the form of a two-page letter. In the event that the proposal is of interest to IBM, additional information will be requested. Videotapes and other supplemental materials are strongly discouraged at this initial stage. The letter should include the following information:

1. Brief statement fully describing the mission of the organization, the amount of money requested, and the purpose of the contribution;
2. Description of the problem you wish to address, the solution you propose, and how IBM technology, and IBM volunteers, if appropriate, will be incorporated;
3. Proposed project budget with all other anticipated sources of income;
4. Plans to measure and evaluate program results;
5. Name, address and telephone number of the project contact person.

Applications should be directed to the local Corporate Citizenship manager.

It appears that we have co-located BDPA chapters in: Atlanta, Austin, Baton Rouge, Bay Area, Boston, Central Illinois, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Detroit, Gr. Birmingham, Gr. Columbia, Gr. Tampa Bay, Hampton Roads, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Lexington, Los Angeles, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New York, No. Delaware, No. Virginia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Richmond, Seattle, So. Florida, St. Louis, Triangle and Washington DC.

All other proposals should be sent to:


Vice President
Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs
IBM Corporation
New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504


Does your chapter have any IBM employees in it? If so, this might be a funding source worth exploring. What say u?

Microsoft Charlotte Campus Kicks Off Citizen Schools Computer Apprenticeship Program

Soulclap to Stephanie Lampkin for sharing with us a 'great news' message about the work of BDPA Charlotte chapter member Kevin Robinson and his colleagues at Microsoft. She wrote:

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Microsoft Charlotte Campus launched our successful Citizen Schools apprenticeship What is a Computer Really? The first sessions were led by Ed Lau, Pierre Debnam and Ricky Mohamed of Premier National Services and Kevin Robinson of BCS Operations.

The students were extremely enthusiastic and highly engaged. We are partnering with Citizen Schools at Eastway Middle School to give students 21st century skills. Ed taught students about the hardware components of a computer assisted by Ricky, Pierre and Kevin, who led hands-on activities and ice breakers.

More volunteers are lined up to expose students to the diverse talents and backgrounds of our Microsoft IT Professionals. Thank You! to our Microsoft employees for your commitment and for sharing your career path and stories to help inspire youth. For details regarding the program and our Microsoft engagement contact Kevin Robinson, Project Lead, Microsoft Citizen Schools Apprenticeship Program.

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It is exciting to see BDPA members and BDPA sponsors engaged in any and all efforts to increase the passion (and knowledge) of K-12 students in science, technology and math. Kudos to Kevin and his Microsoft colleagues for 'walking the walk'! I look forward to seeing some of the students from Eastway Middle School participating in the BDPA Student IT Education and Scholarship (SITES) program in the next few years!

Can BDPA IT Showcase Winners Join White House Science Fair Next Year?

Last month, President Obama hosted the first ever White House Science Fair, bringing together middle school and high school students from around the country and their award winning science, engineering and technology projects. The White House Science Fair was a part of the President’s Educate to Innovate initiative to move American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.

Check out this behind the scenes video from the White House Science Fair, including Bill Nye the Science Guy and hosts of the show Mythbusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage.





How cool would it be for the winners of the high school division of the BDPA IT Showcase to be able to participate in the 2011 White House Science Fair? Anyone know how we can 'make it so'?

Thomas J. Long Foundation

The Thomas J. Long Foundation has a proud tradition of supporting charitable organizations in the East Bay Area and Hawaiian Islands since 1972.

The Foundation operates on a responsive grant making basis and awards grants in five selected fields of interest. One of the selected fields is 'education', which is a match for our SITES program.

Grant proposals are considered semi-annually in the spring and fall using a competitive application process. The application form is only available from the Foundation office. Non-profit organizations that meet all of the qualifications described in the Grant Guidelines are invited to submit a request for a grant application. Requests for an application are accepted between May 15 – July 15 for consideration during the Fall grant cycle.

Grants are made primarily in Northern California and Hawaii. Preference is given to organizations domiciled or providing service in the following East Bay counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma.

It appears that this funding source is only available for our BDPA Bay Area chapter ... especially if they operate in one of the five East Bay counties listed above.