BDPA Foundation

Happy Birthday: Monique Berry (National BDPA President-Elect)

2009-11-12T13:00:00.001-05:00

Today, we celebrate the born day of Monique Berry! Monique is the incoming National BDPA president-elect. She has been a member of the BDPA Philadelphia Chapter since 2003. Currently, she is ending her 2-year term as president of BDPA Philadelphia chapter. Anyone that knows Monique is aware of her passion for BDPA. In her own words,

"As anyone who knows me can attest, I am and have always been very passionate about BDPA. I can remember when I was elected president of the Philadelphia chapter people telling me that I would get tired and burnt out and that my passion would wear off over time. Well, it hasn't. I'm in my second year as a chapter president and as passionate as ever."

Monique is employed by Vanguard; a mutual fund company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Her background includes experience in ERP systems, LMS systems and software development.

Monique is a committed community advocate serving on the boards of community organizations, family and children's services, and faith based community ministries. She's been a volunteer elementary school instructor for Junior Achievement and a computer instructor for Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

Monique is a member of several professional and civic organizations, including the American Society for Training & Development, Project Management Institute, Network of Women in Computer Technology, Society for Human Resource Management and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Her experiences in a variety of boards and organizations bode well for BDPA.

"I can promise that I will conduct myself with civility and respect for others, discussing differences in an open and honest manner. Moreover, I promise to remain passionate about BDPA. I am looking for your passion and committed support of BDPA. Think you are up for the challenge? I urge you to join our conversation here. We are going to change the game."

I join with all of BDPA-nation is wishing our incoming president-elect a truly magnificant birthday!

Get SMART, Get Paid, and Get Ahead

2009-11-12T06:45:00.002-05:00

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. Has your school had a SMART scholar yet?

The 2010 SMART Scholarship deadline is December 15, 2009. Apply here.

Our hope is that BDPA student members take full advantages of all related scholarships available to them in the coming weeks and months.

How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach (St. Louis)

2009-11-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

BDPA St. Louis chapter brought in David Strom, an acknowledged social network expert, as their guest speaker for the Oct 2009 program meeting. The topic was entitled, How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach.

Here is the slideshow presentation:

How to use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to extend your reach

View more presentations from David Strom.

This blog is sharing slideshow presentations from program meetings all around the nation. We do so in the hopes that it brings together more BDPA members from various chapters into a virtual discussion about a wide range of topics. Please let us know if you approve of this idea.

There are 50 slides in this slideshow. Did you learn anything new from Mr. Strom's presentation?

Information Security for Small Business (Orlando)

2009-11-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

BDPA Charlotte chapter president-elect Julius Clark was guest presenter for the October 2009 program meeting hosted by BDPA Orlando chapter. The topic of the presentation was Information Security for Small Business. Here is the presentation slideshow from that program meeting:

Information Security For Small Business

View more presentations from Pablo More.

Is this a topic being covered over the next few months by your chapter? What learnings did you get from reviewing this slideshow?

Happy Birthday: Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

2009-11-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

Benjamin Banneker was born on this date in 1731. He was a self-taught, Black astronomer and mathematician.

He was born in Ellicott, MD. At the age of 22, Benjamin Banneker created a working clock from wood after studying the watch of a friend. It took him two years to finish the clock, which kept accurate time in hours, minutes, and seconds until his death.

Banneker became interested in astronomy through a local surveyor named George Ellicott, who loaned him astronomy books. In 1791, George Washington commissioned George Ellicott and French engineer Pierre L'Enfant to help plan the construction of the nation's capital on a ten-square-mile area of land. Ellicott asked Banneker to be his assistant. A dispute between some Americans and Frenchmen led L'Enfant to abandon it and take the drafted plans with him. Over the course of two days, Banneker reproduced the intricate plans from memory, preventing a major delay.

Shortly after returning to his farm in April 1791, Banneker issued his first of some ten annual almanacs, which were published by several printers and sold widely in both England and the United States. Banneker charted the movement of heavenly bodies and successfully predicted several solar eclipses. Farmers and navigators relied on this important information.

Banneker and his sisters were born free and grew up on a self-sufficient, 100-acre tobacco farm. Growing up, he spent much of his free time devising and solving mathematical puzzles. It was not until after his retirement from farming at the age of 59 that Banneker began to study astronomy through borrowed books, becoming a man of science and mathematics through unassisted experimentation and close observation of natural phenomena.

Benjamin Banneker died in 1806.

Letter of Inquiry * John & James Knight Foundation

2009-11-09T02:30:00.001-05:00

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA Charlotte chapter to submit a letter of inquiry to the Knight Foundation. We asked them to fund $5,000 for the chapter's annual Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

As a national foundation with local roots, the Knight Foundation seeks opportunities that can transform both communities and journalism, and help them reach their highest potential. They believe nothing big happens without a big idea, nothing new without a new idea. In every project they fund, the idea comes first. Here are five basics components they will be looking for in our idea:

Discovery of the facts.
The vision to see what's possible.
The courage to push for change.
The know-how to get it done.
The tenacity that gets results.

We have been told that the review of our letter of inquiry should be complete by mid-January 2010. We will keep you informed on our progress.

Grant Recipient: BDPA Cincinnati ($591)

2009-11-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $591 grant request from BDPA Cincinnati chapter. The funds will be used to support the chapter's upcoming Education Banquet that recognizes the students that participated in this year's national high school computer competition. The chapter will be unveiling a scholarship named in honor of past Bemley scholar Brandon Berry.

Please call BETF on (513) 284-4968 or email us if you want to make a tax-deductible pledge in support of the restricted Cincinnati Chapter Fund.

Did you know that BETF has provided $177,080 in support of BDPA programs and services so far this year? Our high-powered directors are focused on raising funds necessary to support the Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program around the nation. Is your chapter taking full advantage of BETF as you make your 2010 plans?

Corporate Citizenship Remains Priority

2009-11-07T03:00:00.000-05:00

Despite an economy that has eaten away at corporate profits, most U.S. companies are making no major changes to their corporate-citizenship efforts, says a new report from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and the Hitachi Foundation. [SOURCE]

Among the minority that say they will change their practices, almost four in 10 plan to reduce their giving, over a quarter plan layoffs and two in 10 will reduce spending on research and development for sustainable products.

Most of the 756 executives surveyed for the report say the corporate sector should be more involved in addressing major societal issues, with almost two in three saying businesses should step up their involvement in the health-care debate.

Seven in 10 companies say the driver behind their corporate-citizenship involvement is boosting their reputation, with an equal number saying it fits their corporate culture and values.

"This survey shows that business leaders understand that corporate citizenship entails great responsibilities as well as extensive rights," Barbara Dyer, president and CEO of the Hitachi Foundation.

Large companies are more likely to maintain their corporate-citizenship efforts during the recession than their smaller counterparts, but large companies are more likely to lay off staff than smaller companies.

What is happening with your corporate employer as it relates to being a good corporate citizenship from a BDPA perspective?

Nonprofits' Budgets Down; Needs Up

2009-11-06T01:15:00.000-05:00

Local nonprofits are unimpressed by economists' prognostications that the recession is ending.

Donations are falling, and agencies are looking for creative ways to find new donors and dollars. If they don't succeed, half think they will have to cut services when people are needing it most. Seventy percent of them reported requests for help are up in a recent poll by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, while 61 percent said donations were down.

In the economic scramble, many nonprofits are seeking new ways to raise money, such as through Web sites and electronic social networking, and they are trying to find more grassroots donors to give small amounts.

Click here to read the rest of this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.

Message from Los Angeles Chapter President

2009-11-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

BDPA Los Angeles is the 12th largest chapter in the nation. They recently created a Facebook Cause in order to reach out for support in that popular social network. We are pleased to share this month's message from BDPA Los Angeles chapter president John Malonson with his chapter's stakeholders:

Greetings BDPA LA family,

I'd like you to take a moment and think about all of the professional skills and abilities that you personally have to offer...

Done?

When was the last time you shared these talents outside of the workplace?

Each year, BDPA Los Angeles helps 15-25 students improve math, computer science and information technology skills through the High School Computer Competition program. Our vision is to increase academic excellence by taking our students from "The Classroom to the Boardroom."

Every year for the past twenty years, BDPA Los Angeles sends its five top students to represent the LA chapter at the annual National BDPA Technology Conferences across the nation.

Our High School Computer Competition Program (HSCC) curriculum includes:
Relational Database Management & Design (MySQL)

Web Application Development (HTML, CSS, PHP)

Computer Science 101 (Software & Hardware)

Analytically Solving Real-World Business Cases

The Art of Presenting

Time Management

Team Dynamics and the Importance of Team Work
Help us combat disinterest in Math & Science by supporting our cause. Our organization is entirely volunteer based and relies on the continued support of our members and partners.

Whether it's working on behalf of shaping our future young leaders or educating your peers in new technology, BDPA Los Angeles provides a variety of opportunities for you to give back to your community. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our next event!

- John Malonson, president
BDPA Los Angeles chapter
president@bdpala.org

What are your thoughts about John's message this month? Is your chapter president engaging in this type of open dialogue on monthly basis as well?

Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race and Computing

2009-11-05T00:30:00.001-05:00

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.

BETF Prepares Students for IT Careers

2009-11-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is making the choice to prepare high school students for global advancements in information technology, but it starts with a student’s choice to want to learn more. BETF addresses the dilemma that educational, technical and career opportunities still reach African Americans and other underserved communities at a very slow pace. Since 1996, BETF has awarded scholarships to high school students to assist with their continued education at over 100 colleges and universities across the country.

BETF is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity established in 1992 to financially support 21st century student education and technology initiatives across the United States. BETF focuses a great deal of our funding on programs and services provided by BDPA at a local and national level.

BDPA was founded in 1975 from concern that people of African descent were not adequately represented in the workforce of the new and emerging computer industry. Today, BDPA is a professional membership organization that encourages and helps to prepare high school and college students pursue careers related to information technology.

Some examples of BETF-funded programs include:

Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) - Local chapters conduct SITES training programs for K-12 youth in their communities. These programs are designed to expose our youth to the concepts of computers and give them the expertise to develop web applications.

High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Alumni - BETF is working with a number of volunteers around the country to make contact with alumni from a quarter century of high school computer competitions. It is our effort to actualize the BDPA continuum of taking our community "from the classroom to the boardroom". We intend to maintain contact with HSCC Alumni throughout their college and professional careers.

BDPA IT Showcase - Dr. Jesse Bemley accepted the challenge of creating a program that would (a) provide an outlet for college students to be showcased at the annual BDPA technology conference and (b) encourage our young people to continue their education into Ph.D. programs in science, technology, engineering or mathematics [EXAMPLE]. We want to see the BDPA IT Showcase program expanded in 2010 and beyond.

BETF seeks to establish relationships with individuals and families that recognize the importance of higher education and information technology as positive choices for the youth in our communities to be successful.

BETF provides you with a receipt after your donation for income tax purposes since financial contributions to BETF are 100% tax-deductible. Your choice to help will make the student’s choice to want to learn more easier.

Please choose to give today.

Intel Foundation

2009-11-03T01:45:00.000-05:00

Intel Corporation is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in the U.S. communities where the company has a major presence, through grants, donations, sponsorship, and other forms of philanthropy and giving.

Their primary giving focus is education. Intel has a strong interest in supporting K-12 and higher education, and community programs that deliver the kind of educational opportunities that all students will need to prepare themselves to succeed in the 21st century. Intel vigorously supports education through donations and grants for programs that advance science, math, and technology education, particularly for women and underserved populations.

Contact: Morgan Anderson, Public Affairs
Telephone: (503) 456-1515
Fax: (503) 264-1823
Email: morgan.anderson@intel.com

Geographic Focus: Chandler, AZ; East Palo Alto, El Dorado, Fremont, Placer, Sacramento, Santa Clara Counties of California; Colorado Springs, CO; Worcester and Middlesex Counties of Massachussetts; Morris County, NJ; Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia Counties of New Mexico; Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties of Oregon; Austin, TX; Salt Lake City area, UT; Pierce and Thurston Counties of Washington; Russia Morris County of NJ; With a special emphasis on organizations providing services in Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties Salt Lake City area Pierce and Thurston Counties of WA.

Women in IT: The Facts

2009-11-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

Women in IT: The Facts, sponsored by National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), brings together the latest findings from recent research on technical women.

This report gives you:

A "coherent story" about the current state of affairs for technical women, synthesizing the best available data into one, easy-to-access resource

An overall summary of the key barriers to women's participation in technology AND promising practices for addressing these barriers

A benchmark for measuring the effects of national industry efforts to increase women's participation

Data and tools that support your organization's change efforts

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

Message from Cincinnati Chapter Past President

2009-11-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Frank Hill served as president of BDPA Cincinnati chapter in 2006-2007. The chapter won national Chapter of the Year in his first year and runner-up for Chapter of the Year in his second year. Also, the chapter earned awards for both chapter management and professional service during those same two years.

Frank took some time to share his thoughts yesterday to BDPA Cincinnati stakeholders. I'm passing along those thoughts to a larger audience:

Good morning BDPAer's,

It's Saturday morning and I'm grading assignments for a class that I'm teaching. The title of the assignment that I'm grading now is "The Time of Your Life." The student chose this title, however,

It provided inspiration to me share this email. It got me thinking about the inspirational side of teaching. During the current recession many people are re-tooling and learning new skills and this is a great time for this to happen. At the same time, the demand for folks to teach and coach is up.

The thought that I would like for you to consider is whether you can gain as much or more from teaching a class as attending classes. I was personally in this position about 10 years ago. I was talking to a friend about re-tooling and what would be the best way to accomplish this. I had signed-up for classes at one of the training centers in town and my friend who had known me for a long time said something to me that I had not considered. He knew my background and told me that I should be teaching some of the classes that I had signed-up for. Although this did not sound rational at the time, the thought stuck with me.
Less than a year later, opportunity knocked, as it does from time-to-time. One of the instructors at a local college had an emergency hospital stay. I was asked to fill-in for him. I filled-in to teach a web programming class and as the saying goes, "the rest is history" I have been teaching computer related courses to BDPA student and local college students since that day. I am now, also engaged in the web development business. My business and my professional growth have been greatly enhanced by the teaching experienced.

Opportunity knocks; BDPA has an objective of advancing careers and upgrading technical skills in the community. BDPA Cincinnati also has a $121,000 software grant from Microsoft as well as facility support from local sponsors.

The chapter has the where-with-all to do a great deal of training, the chapter need some of you to decide whether you can benefit from a teaching experience. If you are inclined to embark on this journey and have "The Time of Your Life", drop me a line.

Have a great morning!
Frank Hill, past president
BDPA Cincinnati chapter

Are you going to take Frank up on his offer?

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, Nov 2009)

2009-11-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Has anyone noticed that BDPA membership numbers are dropping? We have less members than at any time since October 2007. There is a great deal of pressure on the incoming BDPA administration to raise morale and engage the membership in a way that allows BDPA to flourish again. We can ill-afford another two years as rough as we've experienced in 2008-2009.

The 45 BDPA chapters in BDPA-nation average 49 members (down one from last month).

There is plenty of good news in the membership numbers. First, someone needs to uncover the magic potion that is being used to grown membership in Raleigh, NC. BDPA Triangle chapter (president, Rick Leggett) has grown for the past nine (9) months in a row culminating with a new chapter membership record high (206) this month ... breaking their previous high of 195 (Oct 2009). I am going to see if Rick would be willing to share some of this thoughts on membership growth on our blog this month.

BDPA Cincinnati (president, Janice Lee) and BDPA Dallas (president, Kimberly Vaughn) each rose one spot in the rankings over the past month. BDPA Cincinnati chapter hasn't been ranked this high since April 2009. BDPA Dallas chapter hasn't been ranked this high since July 2009. BDPA Washington DC (president, Perry Carter) dropped down to 9th place, its lowest ranking since August 2007.

Finally, we celebrate the fact that BDPA Chicago (president, Rhonda Boyd) maintains its place as the largest chapter in the nation for the 31st month in a row!

The top ten chapters in terms of membership as of 11/1/2009 are:

Chicago - (chapter president shown in photo)

Triangle - (all-time chapter record high, 206 members)

Philadelphia

Atlanta

Richmond

Detroit

Cincinnati - (jumped one place this month)

Dallas - (jumped one place this month)

Washington DC - (dropped two places this month)

New Jersey

The first five (5) chapters on this list are in the BDPA Century Club with at least 100 members. BDPA Chicago chapter tops the list with 477 members!

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation provided over $175,000 in funding this year to support the programs and services carried out by these chapters at local level. Our hope is that you will consider making a donation to BETF this year. You can securely donate online or you can give BETF a call on (513) 284-4968 to discuss your pledge offline.

What are your thoughts on the benefits of membership in BDPA?

Message from Cleveland Chapter President

2009-11-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

BDPA Cleveland is the 20th largest chapter in the nation. The president of this northern Ohio chapter is Ken Wilson (shown in photo with Cleveland chapter founder Norman Mays). I've known Ken for 20 years. He served as the chapter president back in the early 1990s as well. In fact, Ken probably holds the world record for most years between service as chapter president. Ken shared the following message with his chapter stakeholders:

Dear BDPA Members & Friends:

For a while now we have sought ways to rejuvenate our Cleveland Chapter by doing new and exciting things. A while ago, we announced the initiation of a “technology peace corps” type initiative called the BDPA Information Technology Corps (IT Corps) which is intended to address community development by applying our members and students’ computer skills throughout the year on short projects. We have an opportunity to start that process in earnest now.

I first need your participation in a special recognition event to honor our students that participated in this year’s Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program and High School Computer Competition (HSCC). The event will be on November 17th at John Carroll University, at 6:00 P.M.

To attend this event, we additionally invited civic leaders, business persons, and parents to explore two simple questions in a brief panel discussion: What are the pressing issues in our Greater Cleveland communities that impede the growth of this area? Do you foresee a role for computer technology to address these priorities?

The most important contribution we are asking for is candid input on development priorities so that we can get the IT Corps rolling relevantly. Our youth teams will be using this information to shape projects that they will undertake here in Cleveland and later on internationally. For example, next year, the BDPA IT Corps has been invited to Nairobi, Kenya to extend the same format of inquiry and community development in our first international mission.
I would appreciate that you attend and send a confirmation email. The recognition ceremony and panel discussion will take place on the John Carroll University campus, University Heights, Ohio, 44118, in the Dolan Center for Science & Technology, Room A202 & 203, on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 6:00 P.M. Light refreshments will be served. The program will begin promptly at 6:30 and will last 90 minutes. We would appreciate that you confirm your intentions to attend by sending a confirmation email to rsvp@bdpa-cleveland.org, or calling (216) 773-0700 and leaving a voice-message, or sending a text-message to this same number, at your earliest convenience.

We will have parents and their students there being honored that evening. It would be great for us to show up in force to show we truly appreciate them and their continuing interest in BDPA and our Chapter. Also, this event is our very best opportunity to put our information exchange back on track. I hope I can count on you to be there. Please RSVP.

Sincerely,
Kenneth L. Wilson, President
BDPA Cleveland Chapter

I hope that BDPA Cleveland chapter has a large turnout for the event on November 17. If you cannot be there in person ... but, you want to show your support for the chapter's youth education programs --- please consider leaving a COMMENT below with a pledge for the BDPA Cleveland chapter fund maintained by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). The funds will be restricted for use in the Cleveland area. What say u?

Monsanto Fund Grants (Deadline: January 1)

2009-10-31T09:30:00.003-04:00

The Monsanto Fund, the charitable arm of the Monsanto Company, provides support to nonprofit organizations in communities around the world, with priority given to communities where the company has employees, facilities, or strategic business interests.

Funding is focused on four areas:

nutritional improvement through agriculture
the environment
science education
support of company communities

Eligible applicants, which include U.S. and international nonprofit organizations, governmental units, private schools and hospitals, and medical research organizations, must qualify as tax-exempt public charities or the equivalent, and provide proof of tax-exempt status. Grant requests must be for a minimum of $25,000.

The next application deadline is January 1, 2010. Visit the Fund's website to access application guidelines and regional contact information.

Take Action for Net Neutrality

2009-10-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

I was pleased to receive invitation to join a conference call today with Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) regarding his Internet Freedom Preservation Act (H.R. 3458) bill. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act would protect Network Neutrality under the Communications Act, safeguard the future of the open Internet, and protect Internet users from discrimination online.

Rep. Markey is best known for his work in Congress on the global warming issue. However, he made it evident during the conference call that he feels the time for net neutrality legislation is now.

Rep. Markey is one of seven congressional leaders to co-sponsor HR 3458. He asked that bloggers and other online activists encourage other members of congress to co-sign this legislation. You can find online petition that allows you to write your congressional representative in the 'Take Action for Net Neutrality' section of this website.

Rep. Markey also suggested that BDPA members participate in the debate currently taking place within the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The conference call helped me to better understand the importance of supporting Net Neutrality. I appreciate Rep. Markey, Garlin Gilchrist II (The SuperSpade) and Timothy Karr (Free Press) for providing this open forum of discussion by Black bloggers!

What are your thoughts on the Net Neutrality movement?

AmeriCorps State and National Grants (Deadline: January 26)

2009-10-30T02:30:00.000-04:00

Subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2010, the federal government announces the anticipated availability of approximately $363 million to award new, re-competing, and continuation AmeriCorps State and National grants.

The grant categories are: State Commission and National Competitive including Professional Corps and Fixed-Amount Grants; State and National EAP; States and Territories without Commissions; and Indian Tribes. In the FY 2010 competition, the Corporation's funding priorities are projects that address compelling, unmet needs in one or a combination of the following five national service priority areas which are described more fully in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Education
Clean Energy/Environment
Healthy Futures
Veterans
Opportunity

The total funding available for these grants will be set by Congress through the appropriations process now underway. If the President's fiscal year 2010 budget request is fully funded, the agency anticipates approximately $363 million to be available for new, recompeting, and continuation grants in all of the AmeriCorps State and National grant categories.

Applications to the Corporation are due January 26, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and successful applicants will be notified in early June 2010.

HSCC Testimonial: Syed Azfar (Boston Metrowest)

2009-10-29T04:30:00.000-04:00

One of the powerful aspects of the BDPA experience is the work we do with young people. We seek to introduce young people to technology at a young age so that they have an option of creating a future for themselves in the information technology (IT) industry.

Here is the story of a young man, Syed Azfar, who participated in the student IT education & scholarship (SITES) program hosted by BDPA Boston Metrowest chapter back in 2004:

Before I joined BDPA in 2004, I did not know anything about developing websites. All I did on the computer was play games and instant message with friends. It all changed when I joined the BDPA Boston Metrowest chapter. Every Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, we met in Cambridge, MA and started going over HTML. It did not take me long to develop an interest in creating websites. As soon as the first session was over, I went home and started writing codes from the HTML book that I received from the program. The examples given in the book allowed me to understand the basics, which helped me to merge it into a website. During the next few months, we learned how to create databases and connect website to it in order to view and save information.

After months of training, it was time to put it to the test. We flew down to Dallas, Texas for three days to participate in the high school computer competition. The competition took place in two parts.

The first part was the oral, where we answered questions on the history of the information technology (IT) industry and the organization.

The second part involved developing a website for a video company. The website would need to access a database of movies and based on the query would need to provide the results. We only had 8 hours to complete this task. Looking around the massive room, it was evident that the next couple of hours would test our knowledge and our focus. After we were done with the competition, we were encouraged to attend the seminars given by IT professionals on different topics ranging from the new structures of developing websites to emerging technologies to the future growth of the IT field.

Attending that BDPA conference was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had and to this day I am still part of BDPA and I encourage young students to join this great organization. I am very fortunate to have learned about this organization and to be part of it.

Syed Azfar is currently a student at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) majoring in Electrical/Computer Engineering. He is a web development fanatic who loves using new technologies to enhance his web skills. He created his own company to develop websites for his clients.

If you enjoyed this testimonial ... please take a moment to do one of two things. Either use the COMMENTS option below and share your thoughts with us *or* support our efforts to train more young people like Syed by making a secure online donation to the BDPA Foundation!

Black Web 2.0 Goes Inside Windows 7 with Cordell Jones (Video)

2009-10-28T04:00:00.001-04:00

I met Markus Robinson, co-founder of Black Web 2.0, during the Blogging While Brown conference a couple of years ago. As such, I was very interested when he conducted an interview with Windows 7 Program Manager Cordell Jones.

I encourage all BDPA members to view this entire interview:

It is great to see young brothers making an impact on a major IT initiative such as Windows 7. The sad thing was that these brothers are talking about an Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) event from college instead of a BDPA experience. Hopefully, BDPA can begin to make stronger inroads with our college programs in the future.

Anyhow, what did you learn or enjoy from this video?

African Americans: Prepared to Lead at the Senior Levels in Information Technology

2009-10-27T05:15:00.000-04:00

The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) is proud to announce that 18 IT African American professionals are ready to leap into leadership after completing the ITSMF Executive Protégé Program.

The goal of the Executive Protégé Program is to fill the pipeline with African Americans ready to advance to the senior levels of information technology. Graduates of the program also help fill an ongoing and growing void in the IT industry.

Published survey results indicate the IT industry is facing a talent crunch and many CIOs feel finding skilled professionals is their greatest challenge. "As a result of this data it is not a far leap to conclude that if we do not have the talent at the professional or mid-management levels, we may not have enough people in the pipeline to reach the executive levels," say Zack Lamelle, ITSMF Chairperson.

ITSMF has mobilized its efforts around solving this issue. The ITSMF Executive Protégé Program provides the mentoring and leadership development mid-level African American managers in information technology need, to advance to the senior and C level in IT. It is the only national leadership development program focused on cultivating executive talent among African American IT professionals.

The leadership development and mentoring occur in a structured collaborative environment where seasoned veterans share their success secrets and help protégés strategize for upward mobility. Using one-on-one coaching, enrollees gain insight and a higher sense of awareness of the behavioral and relationship abilities needed to become a leader in the IT profession.

Participants in the program learn from experienced senior leaders from some of the world's top fortune 500 companies like Lockheed Martin, Wachovia Bank, Marriott International and Microsoft. "We offer guidance, advice and counsel based upon real world experience," says Allen Sample, senior vice president for Marriott International.

To qualify for the program, mid-level managers must possess excellent communication skills, have achieved the level of first line manager, commit to completing the 12-month program and obtain a recommendation from an ITSMF member, an ITSMF Corporate Partner, or a protégé channel organization. They must also gain sponsorship and support from a senior level company manager for the duration of the program and be recognized as a high potential employee, promotable to at least two levels above their current position.

This year's graduating protégés are:

Gloria Anderson; Hewlett Packard, Technical Program Manager

Irvin Bishop; Coca Cola Company, Director Global Interactive Marketing, IT

Rhonda Boyd; Allstate, Portfolio Management Advisor, Technology Mgmt. Office

Jason Carter, Bank of America, former Vice President and Senior Technology Manager

Danielle Desalu; Cisco, Wireless Systems Engineer

Christopher Essex; UBS, Director, IT

Lucia Eversley; Procter & Gamble, Business Performance Solutions Leader

Dwight Forbes; Hewlett Packard, Civilian Agencies Presales Manager

Damon Frost; Procter & Gamble, Section Manager, GBS Leader

Shirley Johansson; Procter & Gamble, Systems Manager

Nikkia Miller-Blakes; Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon), Global Application Development Manager

Mike Nation; Coca Cola Company, Program Manager, Global Financial Development

Sharon Ransom; IBM, Americas Director of Services, Support and Education, Tivoli Software

Kimberly Summers-Sims; Hanesbrands, Director, Project Management

Tammara Turner; Microsoft, Social Engineer

Bennette Veals; Procter & Gamble, Employee Services Client Manager

Olden Warren; Procter & Gamble, Senior Project Manager

Ronnie Watson; Johnson & Johnson, IT Franchise Director

I encourage these 18 brothers and sisters to find a way to reach back and support BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) as they rise up the career ladder.

2010 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship

2009-10-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) devoted her life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields.

In honor of Anita's vision, Google announced the 2010 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, awarding a group of female students each a scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year. All finalists and scholarship recipients will also be invited to attend a 3-day Scholars' Retreat at the Googleplex in 2010.

The Google Anita Borg Scholarship program is available to students studying computer science in Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and the United States.

Candidates must:

Submit application by deadline of February 1, 2010
Be a female student entering her senior year of undergraduate study or enrolled in a graduate program in the 2010-2011 academic year at a university
Be enrolled in Computer Science or Computer Engineering program, or a closely related technical field as a full-time student for the 2009-2010 academic year
Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or 4.5 on a 5.0 scale or equivalent in your current program

This is a remarkable scholarship opportunity that should be shared with all of our High School Computer Competition (HSCC) alumni. Do you know any young women that are seniors in college or doing post-graduate work?

Where Are They Now? Hercules

2009-10-25T11:00:00.002-04:00

What it was: An extremely popular line of graphics cards for IBM PCs and compatibles. Hercules first appeared in 1982, the year after the IBM PC was launched, and was known for its high-quality text; it was as synonymous with graphics in the 1980s as Creative’s Sound Blaster was with audio a decade later.

What happened: When fancy color graphics replaced Spartan text displays, Hercules continued to be a prominent brand for years, though it never dominated as it did in the early years. But in 1998, it was bought out by competitor Elsa, which then went bankrupt and sold the Hercules brand to French tech company Guillemot. (In researching this article, I’ve come to the conclusion that one sale or merger is usually bad news for a venerable brand, and a second one is usually near-fatal.) Guillemot continued to make cards under the Hercules name for several years. But industry consolidation in the graphics biz was ongoing and brutal, and in 2004 it ceased production of them.

Current whereabouts: The Hercules name lives on, but in an array of tech gadgets that doesn’t include graphics cards: Guillemot uses it for notebooks, Wi-Fi and powerline networking gear, sound cards, speakers, iPod accessories, laptop bags and more. I wish them luck. But it’s a little as if McDonald's stopped selling burgers to concentrate on tuna salad, Philly cheese steaks, BLTs and Reubens.

SOURCE: 'Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die' by Harry McCracken.