Spelman has recently entered a partnership to bring more women of color into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Historically Black College and University (HBCU) has teamed up with SMASH, a STEM racial justice nonprofit focused on addressing inequities in education, according to a press release. The collaboration is kickstarting a new social change-focused program for 25 female high school students, who will be offered the opportunity of “building computer science skills, accessing career mentorship, completing college preparatory workshops, and more.” “SMASH x Spelman is coming to fruition at just the right time. As technology becomes ubiquitous across all aspects of our society, the voices, experiences, and expertise of Black women are critical to the creation of a more equitable future,” said Tamara Pearson, Director of the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM at Spelman College in a statement. “A future where technology is leveraged for the...

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, has recently proposed regulations for the use of artificial intelligence. In 2018, Pichai pledged Google’s promise to use AI responsibly , citing its own internal guidelines for use. Now, as noted by a recent report from Forbes , Pichai is advocating for setting a global standard for AI that could prevent companies and others from using it without restrictions or accountability. Google has long been a proponent of AI, including the use of software for diagnostic purposes in cancer detection and blindness prevention , project facilitation in Google Assistant support, teaching tools, and forecast prediction , among other purposes. Used for good, AI can be a critical resource to promote health, safety, education, and social change . “ It can’t solve every problem, but its potential to improve our lives is profound, ” Pichai wrote in a blog post. However, the misuse of AI is what Pichai finds particularly disturbing,...

A new coding program at a juvenile correctional facility in California is teaching incarcerated youth how to build websites and apps in an effort to reduce recidivism rates. Code.7370 is an 18-month training program supported by The Last Mile, a non-profit organization working to provide offenders with marketable job skills that lead to employment. The program—based at the O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton—is part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s juvenile justice reform proposals working to move the state’s Juvenile Justice Divison out of corrections officials’ control and into the health and human services providers. “If we’re going to get serious about changing the trajectory of the lives of these young children, I think we need to do it through a different lens,” said Gov. Newsom in an interview at the facility. According to the Division of Juvenile Justice , an early 2017 report showed 74.2 percent of California youth were re-arrested, 53.8 percent were...