Clark Atlanta University has received nearly $10 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help more underrepresented people get data science credentials. The extra funding, which aims to help diversify the data science sector, is the first time any HBCU has received nearly $10 million from an NSF initiative. NSF’s donation marks a new era for HBCUs and equally marks their commitment to providing more Black people with the chance to succeed. A recent NSF report has revealed only 5.56% of computer/information scientists in 2019 were Black or African American. Additionally,
LA-based tech non-profit, Minor-IT has expanded its I.T. training services to help African American and minority youths hoping to succeed in the I.T. industry. Minor-IT, founded in 2019 by Stephen Jones, works to enable minority youth to help them pursue I.T. careers through educational experience, peer-to-peer learning, and networking. They offer guidance and mentoring to help students with the tools needed to achieve unlimited career success. They also sponsor counsel and network with children and teens to help facilitate change in an underrepresented industry. “For me, breaking into I.T., getting
New research by The Plug has revealed nearly 12% of Fortune 500 companies have at least one Black board member who is an alumnus of an HBCU college. The figures released earlier this week highlight the significant role HBCU colleges play in reducing the racial wealth gap and providing more opportunities for Black scholars to excel in their chosen careers. Despite HBCUs making up 3% of colleges and universities in the U.S., it continues to outperform non-HBCU institutions when retaining and graduating first-generation, low-income students. According to the National Science Foundation, almost 18% of Black
Black-owned telecommunications provider, Safaricom, has announced its partnership with the online learning platform, Kodris Africa, to promote coding study classes. The classes, which will be available for all to purchase through tokens on the M-PESA app, will provide children with a year’s worth of online coding classes, which users can activate on their tablets, laptop, or desktop computers. The program, which the Kenyan government first approved in April 2022, will introduce a new syllabus in primary and secondary schools aimed at teaching children one of the most sought-after skills in
Black-owned tech platform, ColorStack, has announced the launch of its second annual Stacked Up Summit. The summit aims to equip Black and Latinx computer science students with the tools they need to pursue a career in tech successfully. The annual summit, which will take place from August 17th to August 19th this year, will feature a range of talks, panels, and networking events with professionals and recruiters from big tech companies like Netflix, Meta, and LinkedIn. In addition, the event, which caters explicitly to Black and Latinx computer science students, will include
On July 11, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, announced that the city will be boosting its STEM programs with the help of a $1.5 million grant from Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company known for developing a COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer’s donation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will specifically support students in two STEM-related initiatives, Exploring Futures and College Now for Careers. The programs help support the city’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational programs. The extra funding will also go towards building a career pathway for students to help them break into the industry. “Thanks
Since the start of the pandemic, the School District of Philadelphia has worked on getting students connected to broadband internet at home and making sure they have the right devices that will help them learn. Back in April 2020, it rolled out a program to get Chromebooks into the hands of more than 117,000 students via the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia and more than $7 million in donations. But with the distribution of thousands of devices comes the need for routine repairs and troubleshooting and that’s where one West Philadelphia High School class
US tech giant Adobe has donated $3million to historically Black colleges and universities and a Hispanic serving institution to help minority students get into tech. Bowie State University, Winston-Salem State University, and a school catering to Hispanic students will receive $1 million donations under Adobe’s new Anchor School Program. The program aims to “provide students with training, career readiness programs, internships, financial assistance, and digital tools.” Adobe’s chief talent, diversity, and inclusion officer, Brian Miller, told Fortune that it’s a “deep, focused partnership” that “really” allows the company to expose
