From a young age, Pamela Gibbs wanted to know all the things. As an avid reader, her interest in solving the great mysteries of the world and speaking truth to power led her to pursue a career in research (and to spending a lot of time being grounded). It comes at no surprise that she ended up pursuing degrees in several disciplines, giving her a set of broad perspectives and experiences. Today, Pam is pursuing her doctoral degree while working in human factors engineering at Walmart. In this...

If you visit Dr. Denae Ford Robinson's website you’ll learn a lot about her. One of the first things you’ll see is that she’s focused on dismantling barriers in computer science. And so are we! Denae is passionate about understanding how identity plays a role in retaining underrepresented people in tech, with a specific research focus on cognitive and social barriers in socio-technical ecosystems. We talk a lot about this and the strategies she’s seen that make a difference, including...

Gloria Opoku-Boateng met Kyla at the 2018 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference. And Kyla knew we had to interview her to share her unique story. She started her computing education in Africa while her father was working as a missionary. In high school, she and her siblings fell in love with technology. And as a result, Gloria decided to pursue computer science in college. Since she stayed in Africa to get her degree, While she didn’t have to contend with racism, she did...

Here’s a secret: you don’t have to get a degree in computing to have a career in the tech industry. Our next guest has degrees in physics, optical engineering, and engineering education, but none in computing. Today, she works for the oldest technology company in the world! Dr. Lauren Thomas Quigley’s story gives us the perspective that is often shared in engineering classrooms across the country, that completing a degree in engineering teaches you how to solve problems. It’s an algorithm...

In late 2019 we asked our followers on social media what they wanted to know. At the time, it was a chance to encourage participation from attendees at the Grace Hopper Celebration in Orlando in a social media challenge. But after reviewing all of the questions, we realized we should probably dive deeper into our responses. This episode focuses on answering questions related to diversity and inclusion. As Black women, we know what it’s like to exist at the intersection of two underrepresented...

Dr. Juan Gilbert is passionate about diversifying computer science and the professoriate. He is a first generation college student whose parents instilled in him the value of education. Juan purposefully chose to be a scholar-athlete but by serendipitously became a computer scientist. His attempts to avoid graduate school obviously didn’t pan out and we are so grateful. Learn more about how he developed his model for recruiting underrepresented students, and in particular, black students and...

Dr. Nicki Washington is unapologetically dope. She literally wrote the book. No, seriously! Her book entitled, Unapologetically Dope: Lessons for Black Women and Girls on Surviving and Thriving in the Tech Field, is just one of the many reasons you want to know this Modern Figure. She is a trailblazer, and is working tirelessly on ensuring pathways into tech remain available to the next generation of the black tech workforce. Nicki is also one of our favorite people to follow on social media....

At 14 years of age, Jeremy and Kyla couldn’t have imagined being the CEO of a tech company. Today’s guest, Moria Bowman, has been working on businesses since she was 10! Growing up in an entrepreneurial family inspires her drive to create and sustain her companies. But she has no plans to involve her other siblings. As a homeschooler, her time is a bit more flexible than other kids her age. This gives Moria time to invest in her company. Zinger, is a ride-share app designed to protect its...

Dr. Colleen Lewis is our favorite ally for underrepresented populations in computing. Though she is a white female, we felt it was important to bring her on to the podcast to showcase how she has leveraged her privilege to dismantle racist systems and structures to improve the experiences of others. In other words, she’s BEEN at the cookout, and now she’s on our podcast. Her work is at the intersection of computing and education, where she focuses on issues related to gender and diversity....

In late 2019 we asked our followers on social media what they wanted to know. At the time, it was a chance to encourage participation from attendees at the Grace Hopper Celebration in Orlando in a social media challenge. But after reviewing all of the questions, we realized we should probably dive deeper into our responses. This episode focuses on answering questions related to higher education. It includes suggestions for students in high school and college. We also talk about the resources...

Dr. Colleen Lewis is our favorite ally for underrepresented populations in computing. Though she is a white female, we felt it was important to bring her on to the podcast to showcase how she has leveraged her privilege to dismantle racist systems and structures to improve the experiences of others. In other words, she’s BEEN at the cookout, and now she’s on our podcast. Her work is at the intersection of computing and education, where she focuses on issues related to gender and diversity....

Episode 15 - Big Goals & Big Data Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. Renata Rawlings-Goss  LinkedIn - Dr. Renata Rawlings-Goss Twitter - @GossRenata Web - Good With Data Description: Would you say no to the Alvin-Ailey Dance School? Dr. Renata Rawlings-Goss did in the name of science! Though she was enrolled in a competitive performing arts program during high school, a PBS commercial inspired her to pursue an interest in astrophysics. Her undergraduate...

Episode 14 - Pink & Green Robot Queen Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: De'Aira Bryant Instagram - @DeeGotRobots Twitter - @DeeGotRobots Web - www.deairabryant.com Description:  De’Aira is a graduate student conducting interdisciplinary research focused on helping children through social robotics at Georgia Institute of Technology. Listen in as she discusses what it’s like to be a “high profile graduate student” traveling the world, sharing how we can...

Episode 13 - In charge, INTech, and in grad schoolHosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullenGuest: Khalia BraswellInstagram - @digital.diva, @intechcampTwitter - @KhaliaBraswellWeb - https://www.khaliabraswell.com,  https://intechcamp.orgDescription:Imagine taking a leap of faith to start something new when you secure in your perceived dream tech job. Khalia Braswell took the reins of her career to pursue her dream of creating a organization that serves her community and it is...

Episode 12 - Squad Goals Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Isa Watson Instagram - @isadwatson Twitter - @isadwatson Web - https://www.isawatson.com Description: Join us as we chat with Isa Watson. She talks about her childhood rooted in curiosity, kindness, and humility, fostered by her parents. Hear about her experience transitioning from the HBCU community to an Ivy League. Though she began as a Chemistry major, Isa skillfully navigated Silicon Valley, and is...

Episode 11 - Started from the Java, Now We Here Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Dr. Kyla McMullen(@Dr_Kyla (Twitter), @drkylanol (IG)) of Modern Figures Podcast Description: In this episode, Dr. Kyla McMullen takes a seat on the opposite side of the podcast table to become a guest for the day.  Dr. McMullen talks about her journey into computing, although she could not have cared less about school as a student. Today, her work in 3D audio is being used to augment interfaces in virtual and...

https://youtu.be/V7lVr9wOnCs Episode 10 - Code[Dot].play(); Hosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Dr. Raquell Holmes (@raquellholmes)  of improvScience and cestemer  Description:  From biology to biomedical research, and ultimately high performance computing, Dr. Raquell Holmes has had a very “circuitous” journey. In college, she had professors who weren’t able to help foster her interest in mathematics.  But one professor gave her the support she needed, by...

https://youtu.be/55IdEhtoaXw Episode 9 - Making History Every Day: Privacy, Security, and Authorship Hosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Dr. Siobahn Day (@drsiobahncday) [http://www.siobahncday.com] Description:  With parents in computing, a career in CS was a natural fit for Dr. Day. Math was her favorite subject because she could check her answers. She was developing websites in middle school and by the time she reached HS she knew she wanted to attain a...

https://youtu.be/iVe7ojlAxLI Episode 8 - Never Hustle Backwards (Part 2) Hosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Nancy Douyon (@therealnancydouyon) Description:  Humanities in technology and culture in research.  Users in design and training the teacher. Branding herself for conscious customizing. These are a few of Nancy’s favorite things.  In the sequel to her previous episode, Nancy schools us on the importance of inclusive UX (user experience) design and...

https://youtu.be/n0RGY87vI_s Episode 7 - All Work and All Play Hosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Nancy Douyon (@therealnancydouyon) Description:  Listen in as Nancy Douyon, The Missy Elliot of Technology, gives insight into how her inquisitive nature opened doors. Nancy attributes much of her success to “hood logic” and not knowing any better. But truth be told, Nancy has a tenacious, never give up attitude that stems back to her Caribbean roots. We loved...

https://youtu.be/UZ18TxMMoAQ Episode 6 - Lady Boss: Black Tech FoundersHosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy WaisomeGuest: Dr. Angelique Johnson (@thevissionaire)Description:  In this episode you’ll meet Dr. Angelique Johnson, Founder and CEO of MemStim. Learn what it’s like starting and running a company that combines computing and medicine to develop microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for cochlear implants. She shares some of her strategies for pitching to...

https://youtu.be/rFKE9g3ukZ0 Episode 5 - InstaBrand (Developing Your Personal Brand) Hosts: Dr. Kyla McMullen and Dr. Jeremy Waisome Guest: Jamie Berger Description: : From math to CS, Jamie has experienced several transitions along her educational journey. In this episode, we dive deep into what it’s like to be a graduate student. Learn how her love for video games inspired her to pursue research.  Jamie believes programming is an art form. And as the developer of Lyrics 2...