Campus news in brief

China and CMU to provide scholarships

Last Friday, Nov. 20, Carnegie Mellon President Subra Suresh met with members of the China Scholarship Council to approve new fellowships which seek to provide support for Carnegie Mellon graduate students of Chinese origin.

These fellowships, added to funding and federal grants from the university, creates a sum total of $32 million in financial support that will span across the next five years. These fellowships will allow more Chinese students to study at the university without the burden of the large price tag attached to this institution.

As part of this program, the China Scholarship Council will provide full tuition and a two-year stipend to as many as 20 Carnegie Mellon doctoral students and four master’s degree students. The university will provide its usual financial support after this time has ended.

These fellowships will provide support for doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields as well as students in the social sciences, humanities, design, and architecture. Additionally, these fellowships will support students pursuing a master’s degree in the arts, drama, and music.

This agreement, overseen by China Scholarship Council Secretary-General Jinghui Liu, adds to the longstanding history of collaboration between Carnegie Mellon and China.

Alumna organizes LATINY conference

2012 Carnegie Institute of Technology alumnus Luza Jaramillo has organized the first ever LATINY technology conference.

Jaramillo is of Colombian decent. With recent numbers from Google Inc. showing the company’s Hispanic workforce in the single digit percentages, Jaramillo thought it prudent to host a technology conference focused on Hispanic diversity in the tech industry.

As a student, Jaramillo attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in 2010, sponsored by Carnegie Mellon’s Information Networking Institute (INI).

INI Director Dena Haritos Tsamitis has long supported conferences and initiatives that promote diversity in the technological workplace. “Sponsoring students to attend Grace Hopper and similar minority-serving conferences is just one facet of the INI’s commitment to diversifying the field,” said Tsamitis. “However, it is not simply about attracting more women to the field. Our focus is on removing barriers and enacting a culture shift that embraces all individuals, no matter their gender, ethnicity or background.”

Jaramillo became involved in the Latinas in Computing organization through these many events sponsored by INI.

Now, in 2015, Jaramillo has worked to organize LATINY, a conference poised to be held in South American cities which provides a platform similar to the Grace Hopper Celebration conferences.

LATINY debuted on November 9 in Santiago, Chile. The conference hopes to broaden interest in the technological industry among diverse students.