Black Girls Code founder’s keynote address is highlight of 2014 E-Week activities

Vanderbilt engineering students will showcase their ingenuity through a series of challenging – but fun – competitions and events celebrating National Engineers Week Feb. 16-22.

In addition to spotlighting the engineering profession, competitions and activities are designed to reach out to current and future generations of engineering talent. See the School of Engineering’s E-Week schedule here.

A guest speaker is part of the week’s special events.

Engineering alumna Kimberly Bryant, founder and executive director of Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization that introduces girls of color (ages 7-17) to technology, computer programming and entrepreneurial concepts, will speak on “Behind the Click: Securing the Future for Girls of Color as the Tech Leaders and Creators of Tomorrow,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, in Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium. There will be a reception at 5:30 and a free buffet at 7 p.m.

Her keynote address will be streamed live at http://news.vanderbilt.edu.

Feb. 20 is designated nationally as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Bryant’s visit is sponsored by E-Council, the Dean’s Office, Vanderbilt Student Government, and the school’s chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers.

Bryant was honored in 2013 as a Champion of Change by the White House for her work in tech inclusion and for her focus on bridging the digital divide for girls.

Bryant (BE’89) is an electrical engineering graduate whose career in pharmaceutical and biotech industries spans more than 20 years. She has held a management positions in various Fortune 100 companies, including Genentech, Merck and Pfizer.

Since 2011 Bryant has helped Black Girls CODE grow from a local organization serving only the San Francisco Bay Area to an international non-profit organization with chapters in seven U.S. cities and a chapter in Johannesburg, South Africa. These chapters are serving more than 2000 African and African-American, Latina and Native American girls.

Bryant serves on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project and the national board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology K-12 Alliance.

In 2012 she received the prestigious Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area. In 2013 Bryant was selected by Business Insider as one of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology, and she was named to The Root 100 list and the Ebony Power 100 list in 2013.

National Engineers Week was established in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. It is traditionally held the week of Presidents Day because George Washington was a military engineer and a land surveyor.

READ: Grad’s startup goal is to become the Girl Scouts of technology Aug. 16, 2013

School of Engineering E-Week Schedule