NCTech4Good

where tech meets social change

where tech meets social change

Race in Technology

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Speaker: Rochelle Newton – The discussion of race in technology will highlight the increasing need for employees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math/Medicine (STEM) and the shockingly low numbers of people of color employed in STEM. The browning and greying of America has amplified an urgent need to rethink inclusion. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and Blockchain are poised to disrupt many, if not all, areas of the economy in the coming years. As more companies move to automation, robotics and smart technologies will eliminate many jobs creating vast inequities for people without the skills to compete in an ever changing market. Shared economies are increasing as new innovations come online. With options to share a ride, rent a home, crowdfunding, couchsurfing, reselling, coworking, and other shared economies, technology will change how we live and work.

Race in Technology discusses the impact of emerging technologies on the economy from the lens of race and gender.

Rochelle Newton
Dr. Rochelle Newton is a senior Information Technology (IT) Manager for Duke University School of Law and has worked in IT since 1977 in both the private and public sector. She holds a doctorate in Higher Education with a concentration in Leadership. She is a known advocate for underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). She speaks frequently on the topic of mentorship for girls and women in STEM. She is a subject matter expert in cybersecurity and other areas of technology. She serves as a consultant for companies as the plan their IT strategies. Newton is also a radio talk show and discusses those uncomfortable topics with her listeners. In her dissertation thesis, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), she explored fully online courses highlighting the underlying presumption of a one-size-fits-all model in education and has become a focus of her career. She writes and speaks on the issues facing many non-traditional students, such as understanding the needs of the learner and formulizing that success is more than admission, classroom, and an instructor. She understands that for traditional students, access to education is equally challenging as many are unprepared for the rigor and the social hierarchy of education at every level. In addition to education, race, and technology, women issues such as mentorship, pay inequity, and promotion, food insecurity on college campuses, are also focuses of her speaking engagements. Dr. Newton has authored numerous papers and presented on the challenges faced by women of color in STEM.

Digital Equality and Access for All

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Speaker: John Samuel – Today, nearly 20% of Americans live with a disability — and digital content is difficult or impossible for them to navigate, understand and consume.

Digitally equitable content is designed to create a universal experience that is inclusive of people who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or those with cognitive and/or physical disabilities, such as the inability to use a mouse.

When organizations see people with disabilities use their website, it raises empathy and awareness of accessibility issues. Therefore, we will demonstrate how blind users navigate the web, using assistive technology, and share best practices for making your website accessible for all people!

John Samuel
John G. Samuel is an innovative business development expert, with over thirteen years of experience building strategic partnerships, designing profitable business models, and transforming organizations around the world. He is currently leading the technology service strategy for LCI, one of the largest employers of Americans who are blind, with responsibility for building the new LCI Tech business. He has a proven record of accomplishment of leading startup initiatives, most recently helping build Homestrings – Movement Capital, an USAID backed crowdfunding platform, and previously starting a Joint Venture in Cameroon for Aster, a global telecom infrastructure company, where he generated over $45 million in revenue and brought internet access to millions of people across Africa. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Carolina State University, Poole College of Management and a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University, School of Business. John is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).

A New Rosetta Language: Hi-Tech Teens and Computer Science

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Come see how inspiring our youth helps to create a better future for technology! Our session will be divided into three portions. First, we want to give a presentation outlining the motives behind our efforts. Some of the questions we will address include: why high school students? Why is diversity in technology important? What are some of the factors that prevent girls from participating in computer science, and how did we address these in our program? The second portion of the session will be presentations from the Hi-Tech Teens students themselves. They will showcase the result of 6 weeks of work, with program demonstrations. The final portion of the session will be a short Q&A session with the students, to give them a chance to reflect on the program and share their experiences with the audience.

Speaker: Betsey McFarland

Organization: Wade Edwards Learning Lab/WiCS@NCSU

Speaker Bio: The Wade Edwards Foundation & Learning Lab (WELL) and NC State University Women in Computer Science (WiCS) organization have partnered together to create a program to introduce young people to the exciting world of programming. Holding mentorship sessions once a week with two sections (one exclusively reserved for females, the other co-ed), the program hopes to inspire its participants to overcome social and experience-based barriers to succeed in one of the most in-demand fields of the modern age. Representatives from both organizations as well as student participants will present an overview of the program, lessons learned, challenges faced, future goals and most importantly – the experience of the young people involved in the program.

Session Tags: Mentorship, Student Presentations, Women in Computer Science, Diversity, Programming, Technology Skills, Positive Youth Development

NCTech4Good, an affiliate of NTEN and TechSoup’s NetSquared, is the local resource for nonprofit technology information. Join the sharing and networking at monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. usually at UNC-TV, and our annual conference, https://www.nct4g.org/. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @nctech4good, and with the hashtag #nct4g.