Advancement for Minorities and Women

As a Ph.D. student, I took on a leading role in ``The Summer Internship Program for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Undergraduates in Computer Science'' sponsored by Georgia Tech. In this program, faculty members and graduate students sponsor projects. The goal of this program is to get minority students interested in doing research and attending graduate school.

At Rensselaer, President Jackson, who is the first African-American Women to serve as a university president is extremely committed to university diversity and providing opportunities for disadvantaged minorities and women. As part of that commitment, the Computer Science Department is providing ``Toper'' Awards in addition to Research and Teaching Assistantships to attract these students. One of my new PhD students, Ms. Bouchra Bouqata has been the recipient of a $2,000 ``Toper'' Award.