e-Newsletter: September 2006
SMASH Students Win Accolades and Publicity in the World of Technology
As another successful five weeks of the Summer Math & Science Honors (SMASH) Academy on campus at UC Berkeley came to an end, the students of SMASH were making big waves outside of the classroom. A group of SMASH students won a PFT Best Education Podcast Award for a podcast they created on SMASHcast.org. In addition, SMASH students attended and spoke at BlogHer ‘06, a conference focusing on women in the world of blogging.
Fordham University’s Regional Educational Technology Center (RETC) and Podcast for Teachers awarded SMASHcast.org winner of the Best Education Podcast Award in the Best Student Project Podcast category. Since last November, SMASH students have been creating radio programs for the web called podcasts. In their podcasts, they talk about science, technology, their schools, and their lives. An episode called, “Bottlin’ it up,” about the differences between tap and bottled water, won the award. The awards recognize outstanding teacher, student, and school work in educational podcasting, and everyone involved in the innovative SMASHcast.org is honored to be a winner.
In addition to winning an award for podcasting, a group of SMASHcasters attended and spoke at the BlogHer Conference ‘06 in late July. Four students represented SMASHcast.org and two spoke on a panel about group blogging. There was a great response to the students, and they were mentioned in blogs all over the Internet. For example, they were profiled on the Jet Set Show, a prominent video blog, and Steve Garfield, the “grandfather” of video blogging, called them, “SMASHing!” Another highlight from the conference was when people in attendance were so impressed with how the SMASHcasters presented themselves that they wanted to know their “secret of success” so that they could use it with their own children. The students’ appearance was a significant achievement for them and SMASHcast.org.
“Corporate Leavers” Project Collaborates with First Fridays of the Bay Area
Level Playing Field Institute’s Corporate Leavers Project- which is conducting research on why talented women, people of color, and LGBT individuals choose to voluntarily leave their corporate/professional positions- has teamed up with First Fridays of the Bay Area to host five dinner and discussion nights.
Participants at the first dinner and discussion night, hosted in Oakland, shared a number of poignant stories about their workplace experiences. There were stories of isolation, stereotyping (among other types of inappropriate behavior), and working “twice as hard to get half as far.” For example, a sales manager related how a colleague of his recently said to him, “I want to talk ‘ghetto,’ like you.” Another participant told how she was at an event when her name sticker fell off. A manager picked it up off the floor and slapped it onto the seat of her pants. She and her colleagues were shocked into silence, not knowing how to respond.
First Fridays joins a rapidly growing list of organizations that are partnering with Level Playing Field Institute to gain a better understanding of the types of workplace experiences that prompt professionals to leave their positions in order to change sectors, join the non-profit world, become entrepreneurs, or stay home with family. Sometimes there is a single event that triggers the decision; other times the cumulative effect of subtle barriers and slights is the critical factor. To learn how your company, employee resource group, or professional organization can participate in the Corporate Leavers Project, please contact Caroline Barlerin at 415-946-3055 or cbarlerin AT lpfi DOT org. Participation can take many forms, from hosting a focus group or dinner discussion to posting an online interview link on a website or in an email publication.
First Fridays is a predominantly African American organization which provides networking and social opportunities for the professional community. The mission of all First Fridays chapters is to promote personal and business-related interactions among African American individuals, organizations, and businesses. For additional information about First Fridays of the Bay Area, please visit www.1stFriday.com. To learn about First Fridays gatherings in other parts of North America and in the Caribbean, please visit www.FirstFridaysUnited.com.
IDEAL Welcomes 21 Outstanding New Scholar
IDEAL welcomes 21 incredible new scholars, for a total of 50 scholars for the 2006-07 school year. With a range of interests and majors from anthropology to environmental engineering to bilingual education, this talented group of new scholars will have a big impact at UC Berkeley and IDEAL. Made possible by a $1 million challenge grant from Level Playing Field Institute Board Member Mitch Kapor, IDEAL was able to admit 13 incoming freshmen, its biggest freshman class ever. In addition, the grant allowed IDEAL to make a one-time only intake of eight outstanding transfer and continuing Cal students, balancing the expansion of the freshman class.
All of the new students met and bonded with the present scholars at the yearly overnight retreat that took place in early August. In addition, the 21 new scholars will be officially introduced to the extended IDEAL community and general public at IDEAL’s Back to School Reception in Berkeley on September 18th, an event that will also celebrate existing scholars’ summer achievements. With the start of the school year and the growing number of students, this is an exciting time for IDEAL.
IDEAL Receives $10,000 Grant from HSBC
Level Playing Field Institute’s Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership (IDEAL) Scholars Program has received a $10,000 grant from HSBC--one of the largest banking and financial services firms in the world. Despite the organization’s worldwide presence, HSBC is relatively new to California and is eager to become a part of the local community as it develops its statewide locations.
HSBC’s education initiatives are guided by the belief that “education is the key to prosperity.” HSBC funds education projects around the world with the following goals in mind: to give young people hope, a positive attitude, opportunities for success, and a better future. They understand that impacting the future of even a single student could have a profoundly positive impact on her/his community, city, and even country.
Read more about HSBC’s education-related projects here
Read more about IDEAL here
Congratulations to Board Member Marsha Simms
Level Playing Field Institute Board Member Marsha Simms has been named Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers’ Committee is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Marsha’s two-year term of office will begin in September, and she will serve as Co-Chair with Robert Harrington of Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson (Charlotte, NC).
Congratulations are also in order for a profile of Marsha that appeared in the September issue of Essence (“Law and Order: At the top of her field, Marsha E. Simms balances corporate clients and community involvement” p. 138).
Marsha is a partner in the Corporate Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York, where she practices in the areas of debt financing and restructuring. She joined the Level Playing Field Institute Board of Directors in March.
For additional information about the work of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law--which includes projects addressing voting rights, education, housing and community development, environmental justice, employment, and minority business needs--please visit www.LawyersCommittee.org.
We're Hiring
Level Playing Field Institute is part of a group of non-profits, including Open Source Applications Foundation and The Mitchell Kapor Foundation, sharing a San Francisco office. We're seeking a Senior Communications Director; find out more by reading the job description at kei.com.
Upcoming Events
- September 16 – Out & Equal Workplace Summit (Chicago) – Freada Kapor Klein, founder and Board Chair of Level Playing Field Institute, will present a workshop entitled, Out and “Outta Here!” The Hidden Bias and Barriers that Jeopardize LGBT Retention.
- September 18 – IDEAL Back to School Fall Reception – Introducing 21 new scholars and celebrating scholar summer achievements – Bancroft Hotel, Berkeley.
- October 25 – IDEAL on the Rise! – Reception, Silent Auction & Music - The City Club, San Francisco.
- Read about more upcoming events