The Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference 2007

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This CISE Special Project award provides funding for approximately sixty undergraduate, graduate student, and MSI faculty to attend the 2007 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference which will be held on October 14-17, 2007 in Orlando, Florida. The intellectual merit of this proposal involves enabling a larger number of students to attend and benefit from the unique environment provided by the Tapia Conference. They will have access to the many researchers and technical presentations at the conference. In addition, the students themselves can present their own work in a poster session (part of a national competition sponsored by the ACM) and at a PhD Consortium, giving them the opportunity to get feedback from discipline specialists. The Tapia Conference provides an incredibly supportive environment for students from the under-represented groups in Computing ? Native Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans ? to engage in intellectual discourse with a range of researchers. Students will also meet many of their peers from other institutions which will enable them to build their personal networks and form professional relationships that can last for their entire career. This award will also fund travel support for some faculty at MSIs, giving them the opportunity to accompany their student mentees and make important technical contacts for themselves.The broader impacts of this proposal include outreach and opportunities for a diverse set of students and faculty in computing. Students and faculty who attend the Tapia Conference will be exposed to role models, mentors, and professional peers. The experience will strengthen their commitment to and skills in computing, increasing their persistence and professional success.