CMD-IT News Center 2021
CMD-IT News Center
News Archives
Rewatch our “Accessibility, Part One: Using Technology While Blind” webinar
In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, from December 6-12, the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) hosted part one of the “Accessibility: Using Technology...
How to use tech to create productive work environments
The lack of inclusive technology makes navigating in a digital world harder, and aside from designing products that are inclusive of those with disabilities, it increases the overall user...
Data Sovereignty for Native Communities
In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, a year dedicated to highlighting the Indigenous community’s history, culture, and traditions. As we learned at the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard...
Three Tech Career Opportunities Designed To Support Indigenous People
In recognition of Native American Heritage Month this November, we are drawing attention to STEM and tech opportunities for Indigenous people. As of 2015, Native Americans made up only 0.3...
LEAP Alliance: Computer Science Ph.D. Application Deadlines
The LEAP Alliance now includes three cohorts of universities focused on computer science doctoral programs. Many of the graduate application deadlines are rapidly approaching, especially for the...
The impact of Tapia: Khalil Griffin’s story
The year was 2015. Khalil Griffin was entering his senior year at Stanford University. As a computer science student, he had the opportunity to intern with Google on three different occasions. As he...
Hispanics in Computing group helps foster community
The rise of Hispanics in Computing When Dr. Jose Andre Morales traveled to College Station in 2008 for a three-day workshop geared towards providing guidance to minority groups who were going into...
How CMD-IT is teaming up with Google Research to diversify computing
As part of Google’s effort to make computer science research careers more accessible, Google Research has continued to provide support for dissertation fellowships for CMD-IT’s Diversifying...
CMD-IT Receives NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance Grant
The National Science Foundation has awarded the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT an NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance grant. The grant totals $2.25 million...
2021 CMD-IT Innovation Challenge Award Winners
Our Innovation Challenge Participants did not disappoint when it came to their projects. All of the projects were creative and could certainly impact various community. We do want to acknowledge all...
Tapia 2021 Doctoral Consortium Best Presentation
We want to thank all of our Doctoral Consortium participants for their wonderful work in presenting their research. A special thank you to all the judges that supported the PhD students and provided...
Tapia 2021 Post Award Winners
We want to congratulate all of our poster participants for a great job in presenting their poster this year. We also want to acknowledge all of our Poster Winners in both the Tapia 2021 Poster...
7 Moments from #Tapia2021 We Loved
To our CMD-IT and Tapia community of sponsors and supporters: we did it! Thanks to the support of so many, we were able to successfully host the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of...
University of North Texas Receives 2021 CMD-IT University Award for Retention of Minorities and Students With Disabilities in Computer Science
CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2021 – The Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology (CMD-IT) announced the University of North Texas (UNT) as the recipient of the fifth annual...
Tapia Celebrates 20 Years of Building Community within Computing
CEO and President Valerie Taylor speaking at the 2017 Tapia conference. The 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference marks the 15th conference and the 20-year...
How to Create a More Inclusive Learning Environment for Students with Disabilities
Now that universities are returning to in-person instruction this fall, the question of accessibility is one that needs to be answered. You may be concerned about how to accommodate students with...
Timing of Tapia 2021 and Yom Kippur
To our peers in the Jewish community: We deeply apologize for the conflict in scheduling of this year's Tapia Conference. Yom Kippur, which falls on day two of our event, is the Day of Atonement -...
How Lack of Workplace Diversity Cultivates Three Types of Dangerous Techno-Racism
Techno-racism is an insidious form of discrimination that poses a threat to equity in the United States. This technology-based racism permeates everything from facial recognition software...
8 Ways Corporations Can Support the African American/ Black Community Beyond Juneteenth
Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a step in the right direction and significant to the African American/ Black community, but there is still tangible work that needs to be done. The federal...
Our Community Is Stronger Together
CMD-IT stands for the Center of Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT. Our community is composed of people from the following groups: Black/African Americans, Indigenous/Native Americans,...
An Interview with Eliana Valenzuela Andrade, #Tapia2021 Student Posters Chair
Eliana Valenzuela Andrade is the Chairperson of the 2021 Tapia Conference Student Posters/ACM Student Research Competition and a Professor at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo. We spoke to Eliana...
An Interview with Lynn Riley, #Tapia2021 Industry/Government Panels & Workshops Chair
Lynn Riley is the 2021 Tapia Industry/Government Panels & Workshops Chair and Chief Information Officer of Kilroy Blockchain. We caught up with Lynn to talk about this year’s Tapia Conference...
An Interview with Stephanie Ludi, #Tapia2021 Technical Panels and Workshops Chair
Stephanie Ludi is the 2021 Tapia Conference Technical Panels and Workshops Chair and Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, University of North Texas. We spoke to Stephanie about...
An Interview with Brianna Blaser, #Tapia2021 Accessibility Chair
Brianna Blaser is the Chair of the 2021 Tapia Conference’s Accessibility Committee and Project Manager for AccessComputing at University of Washington. We caught up with Brianna to talk about what...
Ways We Can Fight Burnout
Mental health is essential and relevant in all industries, including ours. In our line of work, we are constantly working from various devices and developing multiple instruments and platforms.
An Interview with Khalil Griffin, #Tapia2021 Program Deputy Chair
Khalil Griffin is the 2021 Tapia Conference Deputy Program Chair and a Software Engineer at Google. We spoke to him about his year and his hopes for the future of Tapia. Tell me what you are...
An Interview with Christian Benscome Lopez, #Tapia2021 Academic Panels & Workshop Chair
Christian Lopez is the 2021 Tapia Conference Academic Panels and Workshops Chair and an Assistant Professor of Computer Science with an affiliation in Mechanical Engineering at Lafayette College. ...
An Interview with Elaine Short, #Tapia2021 Scholarships Deputy Chair
Elaine Schaertl Short is the Deputy Chair of the 2021 Tapia Conference Scholarship Committee and the Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Tufts University where she directs...
Mental Health Awareness
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? For many, the pandemic shed light on issues that weren’t apparent prior. We all had to adjust our way of living to adhere to the new “normal.”...
An Interview with Andrea Delgado-Olson, #Tapia2021 Birds of a Feather Chair
Andrea Delgado Olson is the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Birds of a Feather Chair and the Founder and CEO of Native American Women in Computing and STEM. Tell...
An Interview with Fernanda Eliott, #Tapia2021 Student Posters Deputy Chair
Fernanda Eliott is the 2021 Tapia Conference Student Posters/ACM Student Research Competition Committee Deputy Chair and an assistant professor of computer science at Grinnell College. We spoke to...
An Interview with Samuel Rebelsky, #Tapia2021 Engagement Chair
Samuel Rebelsky is the 2021 Tapia Conference Committee Chair and Professor of Computer Science at Grinnell College. We spoke to Sam about what he is hoping the committee will bring to the Tapia...
An Interview with Valerie Nelson, #Tapia2021 Industry/Government Panels & Workshops Deputy Chair
Valerie Nelson is the 2021 Tapia Conference Industry/Government Panels & Workshops Deputy Chair and an Applied Research Mathematician at the Department of Defense. We spoke to Valerie about her...
An Interview with Tania Roy, #Tapia2021 Doctoral Consortium Chair
Tania Roy is in the 2021 Tapia Conference Doctoral Consortium Committee and an Assistant Professor at New College of Florida. We spoke to Tania about what she is working on today and her hopes for...
An Interview with Kendra Walther, #Tapia2021 Accessibility Deputy Chair
Kendra Walther is the 2021 Tapia Conference Deputy Chair of the Accessibility Committee and a Senior Lecturer of Information Technology at USC Viterbi School of Engineering. We spoke to Kendra...
5 Reasons to Attend CMD-IT/ACM Tapia Conference this year
Networking events are crucial for students and entry-level professionals to establish meaningful connections with industry professionals, peers, and potential employers. This year marks the 20th...
An Interview with Omar Florez, #Tapia2021 Technical Panels & Workshops Deputy Chair
<Omar Forez Interview> Tell me about where you grew up and what work your parents did. I grew up in Peru, I studied computer science there and did a lot of research when I was an undergrad as...
Celebrating Jerri Barrett
It was in 2016 in Austin, TX that Jerri Barrett helped CMD-IT with her first Tapia Conference. She was passionate about Tapia, giving toward its attendees, and offered new ideas and insight. For the past five years, Barrett has written press releases for CMD-IT, managed our newsletters and social media, and help us foster the safe, warm, and welcoming community we’re increasingly growing.
Google Cloud Supporting the NSF CISE-MSI Program
Google has partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support Computer and Information Science and Engineering Minority-Serving Institutions Research Expansion (CISE-MSI Program)....
An Interview with Fatimah Richmond, #Tapia2021 Scholarships Co-Chair
Fatimah Richmond is a UX Researcher at Google and the Co-Chair of the 2021 Tapia Scholarship Committee. We spent a little time catching up with Fatimah on how life has changed over the last year.
An Interview with Raja Kushnalgar, #Tapia2021 Academic Deputy Chair
Raja Kushnalgar is the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference Academic Panels and Workshops Deputy Chair and the Director of the Information Technology program in the Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.. We spoke to Raja about his life and what he is looking forward to at #Tapia2021.
#StopAsianHate – CMD-IT’s Statement concerning AAPI Racism
CMD-IT stands alongside all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and grieves with them over the loss of the Atlanta, GA shooting victims that left eight people dead, most of whom were women of Asian decent.
The Inspiring Women of Today and Tomorrow
March is Women’s History Month, but why wait for one month out of the year to acknowledge and honor women when we can celebrate their achievements every day? This month and year-round, we celebrate...
From FLIP the Script to LEAPing Forward: Why the Change?
Previously known as Diversifying Future Leadership in the Professoriate (FLIP) Alliance, the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) in collaboration with the faculty and...
An Interview with Patricia Ordóñez , #Tapia2021 Program Chair
Patricia Ordóñez is the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference Program Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Puerto...
Robert Parke, #Tapia2021 General Chair Interview
Robert Parke is the 2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing General Chair and a Senior Lecturer of Information Technology USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Rob spent a...
Career Fair Cancelled
Based on the feedback from our community, we have determined that the current timing is not advantageous for the Career Fair. Therefore, the event scheduled February 3 – 4, 2021 has been CANCELLED.