Ricky Riley, Author at Blerds

May 25, 2015May 30, 2015

UNCF Announces Michael Jackson and Ray Charles Scholarships

The United Negro College Fund strives to make education affordable for African-American students by providing financial resources where other scholarship organizations fall short.

On May 19, the UNCF has announced that singer, dancer and King of Pop Michael Jackson along with R&B legend Ray Charles will have scholarships in their honor. Each scholarship has different requirements. However, both scholarships are only awarded to students who attend UNCF colleges and universities.

The Michael Jackson Scholarship is available to all students who are high school seniors and college students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. Perspective applicants will need to complete an application on the UNCF site, write an essay and submit a transcript.

The UNCF states that “the scholarship will provide an award up to $5,000 depending on the financial need of the student as verified by the attending university or college. This is a one-time award to be disbursed in September 2015.”

The Ray Charles Endowed Scholarship is for college juniors who have a 3.0. Perspective applicants will have to complete an application and demonstrate unmet financial needs. The total amount awarded to the student is up to $4,500.

Both of these scholarships are due in June. Michael Jackson Scholarship applicants would need to complete all materials by June 13. For the Ray Charles Endowed Scholarship, the date is June 14.

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015

Theories Abound About Black Panther’s Introduction to Big-Screen Universe

When news about Black Panther joining the Marvel cinematic universe hit the Web earlier this year, there were many different theories on how he would be introduced prior to his own solo film.

In the recent Avengers: Age of Ultron, director Joss Whedon and company dropped hints about Black Panther’s homeland, Wakanda. There were hints about one of his major villains, Ulysses Klaw, and about Vibranium, which is a common resource to Wakanda.

According to Sean Erickson of Movie Pilot, “some of the more interesting photos from the set of Captain America 3 have been of a big fight between Cap, Falcon and Crossbones taking place in what is almost certainly Black Panther’s home turf of Wakanda.”

In the past two days, there have been leaked photos of the set and villains. These photos can lead one to think that the Winter Soldier may be in Wakanda on assignment. Maybe he is en route to assassinate the ruler or rulers. From this information, Black Panther could team up with Captain America and the Falcon to take down the common menace.

There was an earlier theory that Iron Man and Captain America would have tried to persuade Black Panther to join their respective causes, but that may not be the case because Spider-Man is rumored to be in the film as well.

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015

Two Black Scholars Elected Members of the National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious organization founded on March 3, 1863, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, features this nation’s finest scientists. During the Civil War, Sen. Henry Wilson helped create the bill that would bring the NAS to reality.

The organization strives to elect the most distinguished and most qualified scientists. This year, it added two Black scientists who fit that criteria. Scott V. Edwards and Jennifer A. Richeson are currently the only Black scientists who are part of the organization.

Edwards is currently the Alexander Agassiz professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University. In addition to his work as a professor, he is the curator of birds for the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. “A native of Hawaii, Edwards is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard. He earned a Ph.D. in zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Edwards has been on the faculty at Harvard University since 2003,” according the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Richeson is the endowed chair of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in psychology at Northwestern University. At the university, she also teaches African-American studies. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education goes on to say that Richeson has been on the faculty at Northwestern since 2005. Previously, “she taught at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Richeson is a graduate of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University.”

The two were officially inducted as members of the NAS on May 11.

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015

Scientists Reveal Nanocell That Mimics Human Memory

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed nanocell technology that could restore the memories of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. Professor of electrical and computer engineering Dmitri Strukov, lead researcher Mirko Prezioso, research assistant Farnood Merrikh-Bayat and researcher Gina Adam make up the research team.

The nano memory cell is estimated to be 10,000 times thinner than the width of a person’s hair strand. At this point of its development, the cell has the capability to store and process data simultaneously like a real brain cell. There are 100 different synapses that also are able to perform image classification. In the near future, the cell will be expanded to act like the human brain.

According to writer Ellie Zolfagharifard for Dailymail.com, “in the latest demonstration, the circuit with artificial neural network was able to successfully classify three letters; ‘z’, ‘v’ and ‘n’. It analyzed the letter by their images, each letter stylized in different ways or saturated with ‘noise’ in a process similar to how we humans pick our friends out from a crowd.”

The cell is comprised of memristors that act like neurons and transmit electricity. These memristors were created in the 1970s by circuit theorist Leon Chua, and memristors are still vital to this type of research and innovation.

Writer Emma Tiller for the New Hampshire Voice believes “ethical issues involved in experimenting on the brain could be minimized by replicating a brain outside the body.”

The fascinating thing about this research is that millions of people can live a healthier and happier existence. Only time will tell if technology like this is feasible on a large scale.

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015

Military Tech and a 19th Century Engine Could Revolutionize Solar Energy

A new way solar energy will be harnessed could change how people worldwide get their electricity.

“In the remote Northern Cape province, huge mirrors reflect the sun across the brown Kalahari sand. This is the test site for Swedish company Ripasso, which is using the intense South African sun and local manufacturing know-how to develop their cutting-edge kit,” explains Jeffrey Barbee for The Guardian.

Work on the project began in 2011. The South African team is led by Jean-Pierre Fourie who has overseen the project in the extreme desert temperatures for four years.

The system works by taking sunlight that is directly hitting the satellite-dish-like apparatus and converting it into electricity. The 100-square-mile apparatus has solar panels that do the work. While most other solar energy generators with photovoltaic panels only get 23 percent to 25 percent of the sunlight, this machine gets 35 percent.

All of the sunlight is focused into one hot point that then turns the energy into electricity to power a 19th century engine created by Swedish inventor the Rev. Robert Stirling. The engine was created for steam-powered boats. Ripasso has been using updated models of the engine for submarines.

“The technology looks good to me. I’ve seen it working, and I believe it meets the efficiency goals. The technology is proven with years of performance in the navy,” according to Paul Gauche, director of the Solar Thermal Energy Research Group at the University of Stellenbosch.

The problem with new tech is that it is very difficult to get funding from financial institutions. Ripasso will have to learn to adapt in order to continue this project.

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015

11 Black Male Directors Besides Spike Lee Who Have Established A Respectable Career Behind The Camera

Carl Franklin

Notable Works: House of Cards (2013-present), Out of Time (2003), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Impact: Franklin was a former actor working on the hit 1980s show The A-Team. He has directed Denzel Washington in two neo-noir films that show off his flair and style for directing crime drama and action scenes — Devil in a Blue Dress and Out of Time. In the 2000s, he became a major TV director, working on House of Cards and 2014’s The Affair for Showtime. Franklin is making a Tupac Shakur biopic.

Ernest R. Dickerson

Notable Works: The Walking Dead (2010-present), Juice (1992),
The Wire (2003-08)

Impact: Dickerson began his career in film and TV as a cinematographer shooting most of Spike Lee’s early films. He is the most prolific TV director on this list. He has worked on many Showtime, HBO, FOX and ABC TV shows since the 2000s. Aspiring television directors should look at his body of work.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015

Google’s Self-Driving Cars Are Coming to Consumers in 2020

Google’s self-driving cars are just a few of the “top secret” projects the mega company has been working on in the past decade. The first working prototype hits the roads this summer to show the world Google’s commitment to the project.

According to The Associated Press, “This prototype is the first vehicle built from scratch for the purpose of self-driving, Google says. It looks like a Smart car with a shiny black bowler hat to hide its sensors, and it can drive, brake and recognize road hazards without human intervention. It has more capabilities than the prototype Google introduced last May, which was so rudimentary it had fake headlights.”

The prototype has been involved in 11 accidents. Though these incidents have been minor, there is clearly more work to be done.

The news of the prototype began Wednesday when Google showed it to the public during a demonstration on its campus in Mountain View, California.

“With 360 degrees of awareness, the self-driving cars are gaining new insights into dangerous driving behaviors, including drifting lanes and red light running,” reports ABC News digital reporter Alyssa Newcomb.

The fascinating aspect to the project is that 20 self-driving cars has gathered an estimated 100,000 miles driving in urban areas.

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

Georgia Tech Highlights Black Men in STEM

For almost a decade, the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees awarded to Black males has not increased nationwide.

So Georgia Tech put together a national panel May 5 in Washington, D.C., to discuss the issue and provide solutions to increase the graduation rates of Black men in STEM fields. The panel was led by Gary May, dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. In fact, the majority of the panel was made up of Black men working in STEM.

According to Georgia Institute Technology News, “joining May on the panel were: Rodney Adkins, former senior vice president of IBM and a Georgia Tech alumnus; Reginald DesRoches, Karen and John Huff School Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech; Jeremy Feaster, Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering at Stanford University; Darryll Pines, dean of the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland; Guy Primus, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Virtual Reality Company; Karl Reid, executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers; Cedric Stallworth, assistant dean for outreach, enrollment and community for the College of Computing at Georgia Tech; John Silvanus Wilson Jr., president of Morehouse College; and Kyle Woumn, computer science major at Georgia Tech.”

The panel discussed reasons why many Black males fall behind in STEM fields. The panelists discussed how they succeeded and what solutions could help increase numbers. They also emphasized the need for mentors, hands-on STEM programs in K-12 programs to get young people interested, and they wanted corporations and parents to get involved.

Blerds has covered STEM, discussed solutions for the issues and provided examples of successful Black men and women of all ages in STEM.

Georgia Tech is one example of Black people helping Black people to expand STEM careers to younger people. It is quite possible other institutions of higher learning will discuss and take action to include more Black males in STEM.