BDPA IT Showcase Winners (2003-2013)

Milt Haynes and I asked Dr. Jesse Bemley to create a program in 2003 for our High School Computer Competition alumni and college students. We wanted the program to encourage more African American students to seek Ph.D recognition in the hard science fields.

Dr. Bemley created the Information Technology (IT) Showcase.

The BDPA IT Showcase allows student presenters from educational institutions all over the United States to showcase their research papers on advanced computing topics to an audience of students and IT professionals. Some of the topics covered in the past include: intelligent technologies, wearable computing technologies, web technologies, parallel computing technologies, computing curricula and computer graphics technologies.

Here are past IT Showcase Winners:

2003 - Philadelphia, PA
High School Division

• 1st place: Mr. Bryan Bemley, Washington, DC
• 2nd place: Mr. Eric Lamison-White, Bowie, MD
• 3rd place: Ms. Jessica Eggleston, Columbia, SC

College Division

• 1st place: Ms. Swathi Nibhanupudi, University of Cincinnati
• 2nd place: Mr. Wesley Williams, University of Chattanooga
• 3rd place: Mr. Ayyub Wright, University of Memphis
  

2004 - Dallas, TX
High School Division

• 1st place: Andre Strong, Thomas Edison HS, Alexandria, VA
• 2nd place: Eric Lamison-White, Bowie HS, Bowie,MD
• 3rd place: Julian Waller, Carroll HS, Washington DC

College Division

• 1st place: Robert Garcia, DePaul University
• 2nd place: Jessye Bemley, North Carolina A&T University
• 3rd place: Chris Holt, Southern Illinois University
  

2005 - Detroit, MI
High School Division

• 1st place: Bryan Bemley, Carroll HS, Washington, DC
• 2nd place: Eric Lamison-White, Bowie HS, Bowie, MD
• 3rd place: Joshua Wallace, Duval HS, Lanham, MD

College Division

• 1st place: Chris Holt, Southern Illinois University
• 2nd place: Darrell Edmonds, North Carolina A&T University
• 3rd place: Darren Lamison-White, Bowie State University
  

2006 - Los Angeles, CA
High School Division

• 1st Place: Eric Lamison-White, Bowie High School, Bowie, MD
• 2nd Place: Malcom Parker, Mayfair High School, Los Angeles, CA
• 3rd Place: Alicia Simmonds, Frederick Douglass HS, Upper Marlboro, MD

College Division

• 1st Place: Raymond McGill, Jr., Cornell University
• 2nd Place: Jessye Bemley, North Carolina A&T State University
• 3rd Place: Myles Singleton, Illinois State University
  

2007 - Washington, DC
High School Division

• 1st Place: Jahmal Chase, School for Creative and Performing Arts, Cincinnati, OH
• 2nd Place: Amber Gosby, Mt. Healthy High School, Cincinnati, OH
• 3rd Place: Christian Loggins, Eastern High School, Washington, DC

College Division

• 1st Place: Delano Robinson, University of Minnesota Crookston
• 2nd Place: Jessye Bemley, North Carolina A&T State University
• 3rd Place: Darren Lamison-White, Bowie State University
  

2008 - Atlanta, GA
High School Division

• 1st Place: Fred Smith, III, Charter School of Wilmington, Wilmington, D
• 2nd Place: Tyrell Ferguson, North Point High School, Waldorf, MD
• 3rd Place: Cadeal Chase, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, Baltimore, MD

College Division

• 1st Place: Tiffany McCormick, North Carolina A&T State University
• 2nd Place: Bryan Bemley, Bowie State University
• 3rd Place: Jessye Bemley, North Carolina A&T State University

2009 IT Showcase Students

2009 - Raleigh, NC
High School Division

• 1st place: Mr. Naaman Cephas, Hodgson Vo-Tec High School (Newark, DE)
• 2nd place: Mr. Marcus Smith, Pencader Charter High School (New Castle DE)
• 3rd place: Ms. Whitney Wilson, Charter School of Wilmington (Wilmington, DE)

College Division

• 1st place: Mr. Frederick Smith III, California University of Pennsylvania
• 2nd place: Mr. Bryan Bemley, Bowie State University
• 3rd place: Ms. Jovanna Foreman, North Carolina Central University

2010 IT Showcase Winners

2010 - Philadelphia, PA
High School Division

• 1st place: Ms. Cherise Poole, Pencader Charter High School (New Castle DE)
• 2nd place: Ms. Kenyatta Malloy, Friendly High School (Washington DC)
• 3rd place: Ms. Whitney Wilson, Pencader Charter High School (New Castle DE)

College Division

• 1st place: Mr. Frederick Smith III, California University of Pennsylvania
  
• 2nd place: Mr. Naaman Cephas, Delaware Technical & Community College
  
• 3rd place: Mr. Ahmed Mahamad, University of Minnesota

2011 - Chicago, IL
High School Division

• 1st place: Ms. Whitney Wilson, Pencader Charter High School (New Castle DE)
• 2nd place: Ms. Nathasha Sowell, Warren Central High School (Indianapolis, IN)
• 3rd place: Mr. Marcus Smith, Pencader Charter High School (New Castle DE)

College Division

• 1st place: Mr. Michael Bijou, Bowie State University
  
• 2nd place: Ms. Shaneece Davis, North Carolina Central University
  
• 3rd place: Mr. Bryan Bemley, Bowie State University

2012 - Baltimore, MD
High School Division

• 1st place: Ms. Tyra Foulks, Irmo High School (Columbia, SC)
• 2nd place: Mr. Wesley Walker, Groveport Madison High School (Groveport, OH)
• 3rd place: Ms. Brandi Taylor, Irmo High School (Columbia, SC)

College Division

• 1st place: Mr. Michael Bijou, Bowie State University
  
• 2nd place: Mr. Bryan Bemley, Bowie State University
  
• 3rd place: Mr. Adwait Walimbe, University of Minnesota

2013 - Baltimore, MD
High School Division

• 1st place: Mr. Jared Sherrod, Delaware Academy of Public Safety and Security (Wilmington, DE)
• 2nd place: Mr. Ian Crowder, Oak Park River Forest High School (Oak Park, IL)
• 3rd place: Ms. Brandi Taylor, Irmo High School (Columbia, SC)

College Division

• 1st place: Ms. Jazzmine Bess, Florida A&M University
  
• 2nd place: Ms. Jessica Boardley, University of Delaware
  
• 3rd place: Mr. Bryan Bemley, Bowie State University

 These are truly some remarkable students. We will follow their educational progress to determine how many of them receive their Ph.D. in the hard science field. In the meantime, it would be great to hear from you. What are your thoughts as you review this list of winners?

Overview: BDPA IT Showcase

The BDPA IT Showcase is an advanced technology forum where High School and College students from across the nation demonstrate their research and theories in the fields of information technology. Papers will be published in the IT Showcase Proceedings. The purpose of this program is to encourage more students of color to advance their education to the Ph.D. level in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) curriculum.  Click here to see more detailed overview.

BDPA IT Showcase founder Dr. Jesse Bemley notes, "Attendees will be amazed at the thoroughness of the research and the advanced topics presented at the IT Showcase. The IT Showcase treats the audience to challenging 'outside-the-box' thought."

The projects focus on various “advanced thought” topics including: artificial intelligence, database technology, web design technology, wired and wireless communication technology, IT security, data mining, global position systems, graphical processing units, soft computing, production planning tools, high performance computing, cloud computing, green technology, virtual technologies, nanotechnology, robotics, operating systems, IT certification, social media and much more.

The Showcase presentations consist of demonstrations where applicable. Three awards (First, Second and Third Prize) are made in each of two categories: High School and College (undergraduate). In recent years the top performers in the IT Showcase have won college scholarships funded by Johnson & Johnson.

Over the past few years there were 46 undergraduate papers and 74 high school papers presented from students in 14 states, 33 high schools, 12 universities and three community colleges. Our hope is that all 46 local BDPA chapters will find a way to send a student ... ideally one of their HSCC alumni ... to participate in the next BDPA IT Showcase.

Bemley Scholar Ahmed Mahamad Graduates with Health Sciences Degree from University of Minnesota

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to recognize Bemley Scholar Ahmed Mahamad for his successful graduation from the University of Minnesota (Rochester) with a bachelor of sciences degree in Health Sciences.

Ahmed has a powerful BDPA legacy. He is one of the rare students in history to win three (3) national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. He won those three championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as a member of the HSCC teams trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. As a result of his excellence Ahmed earned multiple college scholarships including the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship awarded by BETF to support his educational efforts at the University of Minnesota.

Ahmed joined with two other HSCC alums (James Arama and Adwait Walimbe) in 2010 to create the StartLounge. StartLounge was a visual, social interface that engaged users with Facebook integration to let them preview Facebook news feeds and photos.

As a college student Ahmed continued to support his BDPA family. He was a student instructor for BDPA Southern Minnesota for a number of years and he was a participant in the 2010 BDPA IT Showcase held in Philadelphia PA. His research topic during that year's IT Showcase was entitled, 'Robotics Bioinformatics and Medicine' [paper / poster].

Ahmed is the 'future face of technology'. His graduation this weekend from the University of Minnesota is simply another step in his personal quest to rise from 'the classroom to the boardroom'. Whenever BETF donors or volunteers begin to waiver in our commitment to support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services we merely need to remember the example of Ahmed Mahamad. Today, I ask all of you to join BETF in tipping our caps to this talented young man ... and if your heart tells you ... please help us provide more college scholarships in the future for other young 'uns like Ahmed!

Congratulations Ahmed ... University of Minnesota graduate, Class of 2013!

Seeking Students for BDPA IT Showcase

BDPA Charlotte chapter is actively recruiting high school and college students to participate in the 2013 BDPA IT Showcase. Chapter member Kevin Robinson created this promotional video to help get the word out.



The message applies nationwide. BDPA understands that there are too few African Americans stretching themselves to obtain PhD in computer science or other STEM-related curriculum. That is the deeper purpose for the BDPA IT Showcase. We want to show our students role models as well as encourage them to showcase their research and presentation skills. Please let us know if you know of a high school or college student interested in participating in the 2013 BDPA IT Showcase!

Who Am I? - Dr. Jesse Bemley (Founder, IT Showcase and High School Computer Competition)

BDPA and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation strive to make a difference in both the Black community. We have some serious people who volunteer to implement programs that will advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. We don't always get a chance to know our BDPA leaders in a personal way. This blog decided to try and provide you with a different perspective ... a different look ... at our BDPA leaders.

Who Am I?

Dr. Jesse Bemley

IF I WERE A...

• MONTH, I would be... April
• COLOR, I would be... Black
• TIME OF DAY, I would be... Morning
• SUPERPOWER, I would be... USA
• FLOWER, I would be... Rose
• SONG, I would be... 'No Charge' (Shirley Caesar)
• CAR, I would be... Neon
• ITEM OF CLOTHING, I would be... suit
• ANIMAL, I would be... a Pit Bull
• FOOD, I would be... Turkey
• MOVIE, I would be... True Grit
• CITY/TOWN, I would be... Memphis
• SPORT, I would be... Football

Dr. Bemley is the creative genius behind both the BDPA High School Computer Competition and the BDPA IT Showcase. What isn't well-known is that Dr. Bemley is also a past president of the BDPA Washington DC chapter.

Our hope is that Dr. Bemley will join us here on the blog to share deeper insights into these things via the COMMENTS feature! What did you learn about BDPA's intellectual beacon via this blog post that you may never have known otherwise?

Message from BDPA Corporate Sponsor (GEICO)

BDPA is very excited that over 100 corporations have invested in its programs, scholarships and services. Corporations support the BDPA mission to advance the careers of African Americans in the information technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom. These corporate sponsors see a tangible return on investment when it comes to recruitment, retention, community outreach, supplier diversity and market share.

It always helps when BDPA members become corporate champions. For example, past National BDPA executive director Midge Johnson attended the 2012 Dignitaries Reception held during the recent annual BDPA Technology Conference in Baltimore MD. She was enthusiastic by what she saw ... and she took the story back to her employer, GEICO. A few weeks later GEICO agreed to recruit diverse talent at our annual BDPA Career Fair that will take place August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC as well as co-sponsor the 11th annual BDPA IT Showcase!

Earl Pace (BDPA founder), Midge Johnson (GEICO), Wayne Hicks (BETF executive director)

Midge shared her reflections on the process with us:

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"I attended the 2012 National BDPA Technology Conference in Baltimore earlier this year. As I walked through the Career Fair, I noticed several insurance companies recruiting diverse IT talent at the Career Fair. I also noticed that GEICO’s name, the company that I work for, was nowhere to be seen anywhere. At that point, I decided that it was on me to ensure that GEICO is represented at future National BDPA Technology Conferences with a continuing local presence. I literally took the program from this year’s VIP Reception, which included the names of three of our insurance competitors, to the GEICO Corporate Community Citizens president. I showed her that GEICO needed a presence with and in BDPA and I would take the blame for not really championing them.

Earlier this year, as a the co-chair of the Black History Month Celebration at GEICO, I invited Earl Pace, Jr. to be the opening celebration keynote speaker. Our focus was not to relive the past but to emphasize our accomplishments and contributions to this country as a people. Everyone including the GEICO chief executive officer was very impressed with his presentation which made an unforgettable impression on the powers that be. Because of Mr. Pace, I strongly believe that they were open to my approaching them after the National Conference in Baltimore to become a BDPA Sponsor."

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There are many sponsorship opportunities for Corporate America to consider as it looks to support BDPA programs, scholarships and services. If you think that your company or your employer might be interested ... please reach out to us by replying to the post ... or by email (corpsales@bdpa.org).