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SHPE names STAR winners
Los Angeles, CA - The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has announced the individual and corporate winners of its SHPE Technical Achievement Recognition (STAR) awards. Diana Gomez, national president, says that “On behalf of SHPE, I would like to extend my congratulations to all our STAR winners and thank them for the excellence they bring to the engineering field and the Hispanic community.
“As the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, SHPE is committed to increasing the pipeline of talent in science, technology, engineering and math. It is so rewarding to honor outstanding Hispanic achievement in these disciplines each year.”
The 2007 STAR award winners include:
Company of the year: General Motors Corp (Detroit, MI).
Corporate achievement: Monica G. Varriale, Kimberly-Clark (Roswell, GA).
Jaime Oaxaca award: Christella J. Chavez, Visteon/Ford Motor Co (Nashville, TN).
Junipero Serra award: Carla Traci Preston, Ford Motor Co (Dearborn, MI).
Honorary members: Romeo R. Perez, ExxonMobil (Houston, TX) and Sylvia Trujillo, American Medical Association (Washington, DC).
Educator of the year, higher education: Dr Juan Hinestroza, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY).
Educator of the year, K-12: Denise Captain, Skyline High School (Dallas, TX).
Hispanic in technology, corporate: Alfred J. Griffin Jr, PhD, Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX).
Hispanic in technology, government: Lt Ivan Meneses, PE, U.S. Coast Guard (Miami, FL).
Promising engineer: Erik M. Gutierrez, Boeing (Hazelwood, MO).
Student role model: George Kousaraos-Brands, Northeastern University (Boston, MA).
Professional role model: Dina Requena, IBM; the SHPE North Carolina Professional Chapter (Raleigh, NC).
ITSMF surveys black CIOs in IT
Batavia, IL - The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), a professional mentoring group for top-level minority IT execs, has released “The pathway of black CIOs: retention and regretted loss, analysis of African Americans in information technology.” Key findings relate to recruitment and retention. The study was conducted jointly with Global Lead Consulting, and presented at a special town hall meeting at the August national convention of BDPA.
Since 1996, the report finds, the number of African Americans in IT departments has declined by 8.8 percent, and only 4.4 percent of today’s IT managers are African American. Black CIOs, like others, are attracted to the work and have a passion for excellence. Nevertheless, they are leaving the field in greater numbers than their white counterparts.
When asked directly, 56 percent of the African Americans surveyed indicate they have considered leaving their companies in the past twelve months. They also indicated that compensation, rewards, advocacy and support systems are the most important factors to improve recruitment. Honesty in career planning and a positive relationship with the boss were leading factors for improved retention. Advocacy, support systems and feeling valued and appreciated were the leading factors in advancement.
In many organizations, African Americans in IT are viewed as a talent pool for executive positions in other areas of the firm. For that reason, many go on to other careers before they are seriously considered for a leadership role in IT.
One bright area: corporations are generally doing a better job of bringing diverse groups together across the enterprise through affinity and networking.
For more information or to receive the full text of the report, contact ITSFM executive director Viola Thompson, execdir@itsmfonline.org.
RIT announces science contest
Rochester, NY - The third annual national science fair for deaf and hard-of-hearing students put on by Rochester Institute of Technology is scheduled for March 14-15, 2008 at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Students in grades six through twelve with hearing loss can compete individually or as two- or three-person teams. Judges will choose finalists in middle and high school divisions.
To qualify, the students must submit a 250-word science project summary. The entry deadline is January 15. For more info and application forms, visit www.ntid.rit.edu/prospective/science.
NASA satellites eye coastal water quality
Greenbelt, MD - Researchers armed with data from two NASA satellites have invented a way to map the fleeting changes in coastal water quality from space. Using data from instruments aboard NASA satellites, Zhiqiang Chen and colleagues at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg found they can monitor water quality almost daily.
Traditional methods of monitoring coastal water quality require scientists to use boats to gather water samples. This is typically done only once a month because of the high costs of the surveys. Frequent measurements from space could resolve questions about the specific timing and nature of events that lead to decreases in water quality.
Chen and colleagues addressed turbidity and water clarity, two key indicators of water quality, in Tampa Bay, FL. They used recent advances in satellite sensors combined with developments in data analysis. The team’s findings were published in two papers in Remote Sensing of Environment (Elsevier).
SHPE members name Kimberly-Clark 2007 employer of the year
Dallas, TX - Responding to a broad member survey, SHPE members have chosen Kimberly-Clark as 2007 employer of the year. Voting members include engineers and technical professionals as well as college students.
In other survey findings, all members said career advancement was the most important factor in selecting a job, with 83 percent of students and 73 percent of professionals rating it as extremely important. Some 22 percent of students plan to pursue an engineering career in the aerospace industry, 21 percent in energy/utility/gas and 17 percent in computer tech/software.
Asked about the best sources of information for job opportunities, 66 percent of students rated career fairs as an excellent source, 58 percent relied on “having worked there myself” and fifty-five percent looked to “knowing someone who worked there.”
The employers were ranked based on upward mobility and growth opportunities. Other highly ranked companies were IBM, Procter & Gamble, Texas Instruments and Verizon. Chosen as best organizations for recruitment practices and SHPE involvement were Kimberly-Clark, IBM Corp and the Boeing Co.
Retired Sandian Regina Hunter launches new software product
Albuquerque, NM -Regina Hunter, retired from Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM), is launching Safe at Home, a new software product based on the Sandia-developed Risk Assessment Method-Property Analysis and Ranking Tool (RAMPART) software. Hunter’s new software allows homeowners to assess risks arising from accidents, fire, crime inside or outside the house, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornados and winter storms. It analyzes the risks of death, injury, property and content loss, loss of use of the home, and first-responder delays.
Hunter led the development of the parent software while still working at Sandia. RAMPART, she says, is the first risk-based approach to building management. It is used by the U.S. General Services Administration to assess the risks of terrorism, natural disasters and crime on the nearly 8,000 federal buildings it manages nationwide. Hunter says that in developing Safe at Home her company, Ducks in a Row, has improved the databases used in the original RAMPART software in several ways.
Safe at Home is part of the Home Safe line of software developed at Ducks in a Row. Home Safe is designed to help homeowners manage their risk by providing easy-to-use software that incorporates the fundamental principles of risk analysis without requiring users to study the subject.
Creating Futures gets grant to expand programs
Oakbrook Terrace, IL - The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Educational Foundation and Ricoh Americas are expanding training options in the CompTIA Creating Futures program. CompTIA is committed to advancing the long-term success and growth of the IT industry and helping people get the skills and credentials they need for productive careers in IT. Creating Futures helps folks transitioning out of the military, people with disabilities, at-risk youth and dislocated workers find jobs in IT.
Ricoh Americas donated a hundred places at its Ricoh university for online training to the program. Students have access to online mentoring 24/7 and do coursework at their own pace. All materials are available on line.
Creating Futures participants may earn CompTIA A+, network+, server+ and security+ certifications as well as Microsoft certified systems engineer 2003 and systems admin 2003 designations.
For more information, visit www.comptia.org.
CS teachers call for more role models
New York, NY - The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) says that between 1996 and 2004, the number of undergrad women choosing to major in CS declined by 80 percent because fewer and fewer students are being exposed to CS or choosing to major in related degree programs at the university level. This is translating into a decline in the number of workers ready to enter the computing fields, says exec director Chris Stephenson.
“To remain competitive, we all know we need a workforce prepared to fill new positions in technological fields,” says Stephenson. “But any strategy to increase the number of people going into computing fields to meet future needs must include outreach to girls and women. They are a vital piece of this puzzle.”
CSTA supports and promotes the teaching of CS and the other computing disciplines. Its website is csta.acm.org.
NSF study reports on women in chem
Washington, DC - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released “It’s Elemental,” the report of a three-year study of women’s careers in the chemical industry. Judith Giordan, program director for NSF’s integrative graduate education and research traineeship program, notes that while there have been some surveys of women on academic career tracks, no comprehensive work exists on women and their managers in STEM-intensive industrial settings.
“As industry is the largest employer of these graduates, we wanted to determine and share how women can get ahead and what could hold them back from the career success they want,” she says.
The report reveals that women and their managers have differing attitudes and perceptions about career advancement. Most women rated two items as high on their lists. “Blowing your own horn,” they say, “is a key element for success and recognition.” So is taking part in “highly visible projects, where contributions can be recognized.”
Ruth Fassinger, principal investigator for the project, notes that most women stated they want support and opportunities to get ahead. “Both the women and the managers we surveyed said that mentoring is hugely important,” she adds.
“It’s Elemental: Enhancing Career Success for Women in the Chemical Industry,” is available at www.education.umd.edu/EDCP/enhance_site.
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