By: Kevin L. Nichols 

 
[October 31, 2016] OAKLAND, Ca.  Since the extinction of Affirmative Action, Black and Brown students now rely on tech companies to diversify themselves either for business reasons or for overall goodwill.  The “diversification” process often looks like sending recruiters to (or recruiting from online) top tier Ivy League or prestigious predominately White colleges and universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, or Berkeley to seek out diverse talent.  Lately, since many tech companies have produced their dismal diversity numbers, they have started recruiting at the top tier Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HBCUs”) such as Morehouse, Spellman, and Howard, but it usually ends there.  Attending these schools allow those students not only access to the best instruction and resources, but they also have an irreplaceable intangible advantage that cannot be denied, access to an impeccable network of classmates, alums, and connections.  What happens to the Black and Brown students at non-top tired colleges and universities that want to work in the tech industry? 
 
Not only do they have to bust their butts to get the best grades that they can and develop a strong support system to help them stay in school, but they also must master the art of networking.  Networking is an essential skill that is rarely, if ever, taught to Black and Brown students.  Many people take networking for granted as if students will develop this skill through telepathy or osmosis.  This is not the case.  Networking stems from self-confidence, security, and an extroverted comfortability that many of our students do not possess, especially in subject matters such as science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”).  Therefore, we must focus on developing these skills in a concerted way.  This is one reason why The Social Engineering Project, Inc. (“TSEP”) is so important. 
 
Although there is a greater emphasis on technology and encouraging Black and Brown students to learn coding, the other letters in STEM often get neglected, i.e. science, engineering, and math.  TSEP focuses on science, mathematics, engineering, physics, chemistry, and writing as the underlying fabric of students’ education.  We reinforce this knowledge that they should already be receiving in their current schools.  What they will not get in regular school is how to develop the confidence they need to meet new people, tactics and training on how to connect with people in a professional manner, how to follow-up after meeting people, how to develop their personal and professional brand, and how to actively do their part in the networking continuum.   
 
Often you might hear the phrase, “Your network is your net worth”.  It could not be more true than today.  In the startup world, you cannot even speak to investors or venture capitalists without mutual connections and introductions, thus Black and Brown entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage from the outset.  Thus, we need to teach our young people the intangible skills of networking, in addition to being excellent students, so that they may be successful in the tech industry.   Please support The Social Engineering Project, Inc. as we instill this knowledge in our youth!

Kevin L. Nichols is an entrepreneur, a legal technology, diversity, social media, and political consultant who resides in the Bay Area.  He is a passionate community organizer and activist.  Kevin is affectionately known as The Social Politician™ and The Social Engineer™ who is engineering a better life for the next generation, socially.  For more information, please visit  http://bit.ly/KLNport.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 29, 2016

CONTACT: KEVIN L. NICHOLS, Founder, The Social Engineering Project, Inc.
Phone: (415) 490-8010
Email: Kevin@TheSocialEngineer.org 
Website: wwww.TheSocialEngineer.org 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSocialEngineerProject 
Twitter: @SocialEnginProj 



Science in the City Summer Camp in Oakland Aims to Get Young African American Students Excited About Science


Oakland, CA (July 29, 2016) - The third Science in the City Summer Camp for African American fifth and sixth grade students takes place at the Roses in Concrete Community School in East Oakland from August 8 to August 12, 9 am to 3 pm. The goal of this intensive Google-sponsored camp is to get underserved students of color excited about science by teaching them biology, physics, chemistry and engineering. 

The summer camp is a collaboration between Stanford University's Science in the City research group and The Social Engineering Project, Inc. and aims to make academically rigorous science programs accessible to students of color. Minority students are the most susceptible to summer learning loss. Many families can’t afford to pay for summer enrichment programs.

“The Science in the City Summer Camp makes high-end science instruction available and affordable to underserved students throughout the Bay Area,” says Bryan A. Brown, cofounder and curriculum director of Science in the City Summer Camp and Associate Professor of science education at Stanford University. “The team of extraordinary teachers, scientists, and college students offer camp students something that is hard to come by in the Bay Area; excellent science instruction, examples of minority scientist teaching the courses, and fun engaging science.”

“The Science in the City Camp is so important because it focuses on the underlying subjects that are crucial in maximizing career options of African American youth,” says Kevin L. Nichols, Founder, President and CEO of The Social Engineering Project. “Although there are a lot of buzz words, emphasis, and resources being steered towards ‘coding,’ software programing and ‘app’ creation, career options, particularly in tech, are limited if you develop an aversion to math, chemistry, physics, and engineering courses at an early age. Our goal is create a love for STEM while students are young so that they can pursue any professional career that they choose. We just hope that it is tech related.”

“By the end of the week, the goal is to provide students with three vital outcomes,” says Bryan Brown, PhD. “First, it is our sincere hope that students will grow in their love of science. Through working in a number of disciplines, we hope students gain an understanding of the joy of science and how unique each area of science can be. Second, we hope the students will grow as learners. The students will be challenging during their time in the camp. The result of this challenge will be students who develop a deep understand of science ideas. Third, the camp is design to motivate the students to believe they can become scientists. Students will be taught by teachers of color and students of color. The idea is to model excellence in science learning at every level.”

This year there are 45 registered coed students; the majority are attending the camp as scholarship students. Bryan Brown oversees the course curriculum, which will be taught by six college students from various colleges across the country. This year's camp is funded for the first time by a grant from Google.org, which helps pay the teachers, the cost of materials (such as test tubes for chemistry class, solar balloons, hover crafts, and marshmallow launchers) and healthy meals for the students and staff.

If you are interested in covering the camp, please contact Kevin L. Nichols (415) 490-8010 or Kevin@TheSocialEngineer.org. 

SCIENCE IN THE CITY SUMMER CAMP
DATES:                 Monday, August 8 through Friday, August 12th
TIME:                    9:00 am to 3:00 pm
LOCATION:          Roses in Concrete Community School
                             4551 Steele St, Oakland, CA 94619


About
The Social Engineering Project (www.TheSocialEngineer.org) is an Oakland-based social impact venture that aims to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry. It was founded in March 2016 by Kevin L. Nichols who was involved with the first two Science in the City Summer Camps in 2013 and 2014. 

About
The Science in the City research team (scienceinthecity.stanford.edu/) at Stanford University is comprised of former science teachers who examine how to improve science teaching and learning in urban contexts. The Science in the City website provides a venue for students, teachers, and colleagues to exchange ideas and to hear about new research findings. 

About 
Kevin L. Nichols, Founder, President & CEO of The Social Engineering Project, oversees the fundraising and administrative responsibilities of the Science in the City Summer Camp. Kevin L. Nichols has worked in multifaceted capacities in some of the most prestigious international law firms in the country, such as Morrison & Foerster, Paul Hastings, and Holland & Knight. His interest in diversity and technology began while he was a mechanical engineering/diversity intern at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Later, he became the Executive Director of the California Diversity Council. Kevin has become a social networking expert and full-time consultant specializing in litigation technology (eDiscovery), diversity, and social media marketing for the legal industry. Nichols has been featured on LinkedIn’s Hall of Fame, Yahoo’s Blog, the San Francisco Examiner, CNN Money, MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal. For a full biography and CV, please visit http://bit.ly/KLNport . 

About
Bryan A. Brown is an associate professor of science education at Stanford University, a member of Stanford’s Science in the City research team, and a cofounder of The Social Engineering Project. His work in the center for research on teaching at Stanford focuses on improving urban science education. He focuses on exploring how language and identity impact urban students’ learning. Dr. Brown is a former high school science teacher who earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Hampton University, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of California, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was the 2007 winner of the National Association for Research in Science Education’s (N.A.R.S.T.) award for outstanding early career scholarship. Dr. Brown is the founder and executive director of Etu Schule, a non-profit organization that supports the educational development of minorities throughout the state of California.

About
Roses in Concrete Community School (rosesinconcrete.org/) is a charter school in East Oakland that opened in the fall of 2015. It is an immersion school, with classes taught in Spanish and English, serving the diverse population of the area. The school also serves as a community center, partnering with local nonprofit organizations to provide wrap-around services in education, health, housing, and job training to families in the area. 
​
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                                               By Kevin L. Nichols -The Social Engineer™ 

[June 20, 2016]  OAKLAND.  Thankfully, there has been a lot of attention drawn to STEM related careers and the desire to encourage more African Americans to learn how to code.  Unfortunately, there has been a lack of emphasis of core mathematics, science, physics, chemistry, and engineering.  Having a firm grasp in these subjects and a thirst for knowledge can inspire young people to pursue many different careers, including technology.  Thus, Science in the City was created.

Science in the City is a day camp that will take place during August 8-12, 2016 at Roses In The Concrete School located at 4551 Steele St, Oakland, CA 94619.  It is joint project with The Social Engineering Project, Inc., Stanford University, and Google.  

​For more information and to register for the camp, please visit http://stanford.io/28JI6zK .

Kevin L. Nichols is an entrepreneur, a legal technology, diversity, social media, and political consultant who resides in the Bay Area.  He is a passionate community organizer and activist.  Kevin is affectionately known as The Social Politician™ and The Social Engineer™ who is engineering a better life for the next generation, socially.  For more information, please visit  http://bit.ly/KLNport.

​

Please join us for:
A Conversation with Black Attorneys in High-Tech
 
How do we grow the ranks, manage careers,
and create more business opportunities?
 
 
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 6:00pm
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 
405 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
 
 Join CMCP, ACC SF Bay Area, and RVM Enterprises, Inc. at Orrick in downtown San Francisco to celebrate Black History Month with a networking reception and panel discussion featuring African American in-house counsel at leading technology companies including Cisco, Google, Reddit, and Tesla. 

 
The Negro National Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing 
will be performed by: 
Dr. Candace Johnson
University of California Berkeley - Department of Music
 

Panelists:
 
 
 
Saidah Grayson Dill
Director - Employment Law
Cisco Systems
 
 
 
Robert Harmon Jr.
Associate General Counsel
Tesla Motors, Inc.
 

 
 
Andy Hinton
Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer
Google Inc.
 
 
 
Melissa Tidwell
General Counsel, 
Reddit Inc.
 
Moderated by:
 
  
Robert White
Executive Director
California Minority Counsel Program
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
CMCP and ACC Members: No Cost
Non Members: $25
 
 Please visit  ​http://bit.ly/1Uh1yjN to RSVP

By Kevin L. Nichols -The Social Engineer™ 

[November 2, 2015] OAKLAND.  Last Wednesday, I attended a Fireside Chat featuring Essence Magazine founder, Ed Lewis at the Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park hosted by Andreesen Horowitz.  Ken Coleman, entreprenuer and tech giant, lead the candid yet intimate interview. 

But before Ken asked Ed questions, billionaire, Ben Horowitz, introduced him.  Apparently, Ken has also been influential in mentoring Ben from their HP days in the Valley.  Recently, Ken and his lovely wife received a hall of fame award from Black Enterprise at its TechConnext Conference in Santa Clara.  There, many of the panelists such as Lo Toney and Erik Moore, paid homage to Ken for his leadership, mentorship, and tutelage.  I hope to be mentored by Ken one day myself.

During the interview, Ed talked about the irony that several Black men came together to start a women's magazine, how it got its name, how they added a jazz/music festival to its brand, and why they sold it to Time Warner.  If you would like the detailed answers to these topics, I encourage you to pick up Ed Lewis's book The Man from Essence: Creating a Magazine for Black Women (I got my copy that night but he had to catch a flight so I was not able to get it signed).

 
The night ended on an ultra positive note, because I was able to meet the "Godfather of Tech", Roy Clay.  Roy is probably most known for being a computer consultant for prospective investments in start up companies such as Tandem Computers, Compaq and Intel Corporation.  He was also instrumental in the formation of HP's computer division and lead the group that created the 2116A computer in 1966 and its software.  This was a magnificent moment in history where various tech giants were live and in-person, not in a book or on Wikipedia.  I am most humble and grateful to be afforded opportunities like this to encourage and inspire underrepresented minorities/people of color to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and engineering.

​




​Kevin L. Nichols is an entrepreneur, a legal technology, diversity, social media, and political consultant who resides in the Bay Area.  He is a passionate community organizer and activist.  Kevin is affectionately known as The Social Politician™ and The Social Engineer™ who is engineering a better life for the next generation, socially.  For more information, please visit www.kevinlnichols.com.

[April 22, 2015] OAKLAND.  Thanks to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, there has recently been a lot of talk about technology and its lack of diversity.  Some of the Silicon Valley tech giants have pledged to do something about the disparities of underrepresented minorities, women, LGBT, persons with disabilities, veterans, etc., however, it seems that there has been a lot more “talk” going on but little action.

 

Vator Splash is taking place today and tomorrow in Oakland.  Vator, Inc.’s mission is “to help great entrepreneurs find funding, and for investors to get in on the ground floor of tomorrow’s leading companies.  There a lot of workshops and seminars designed to marry entrepreneurs with investors, which in theory, will provide opportunities for underrepresented groups to have access to the tech world, but does not affect the tech giants or more mature startups disparities in the valley.  Similarly, the PushTech 2020 Summit will take place on May 6th.  This event will feature more panels regarding funding opportunities, a pitch competition, and supplier diversity opportunities for small businesses.  Nevertheless, at first blush, these events are not targeted at having a significant impact on moving the needle from diversity being the noun, versus inclusion being the verb in changing the face of Silicon Valley to reflect at least the population of the Bay Area, the State of California, or the nation.

 

Not everyone has the determination, motivation, creativity, and other qualities needed to be a successful entrepreneur.  Moreover, there is this misnomer that everyone who works at a startup in Silicon Valley is right out of college, with a computer science or engineering degree, or a coder.  There are numerous other jobs in tech that are not just hardcore science related jobs, such as sales, HR, recruiting, accounting, legal, real estate, etc. and increasing diversity in these areas makes tech more inclusive.

 

The way that I see it, there are three areas of focus in order to make the tech world more inclusive:

 

1. Pipeline – Tech companies need to fund nonprofit organizations designed to encourage youth to pursue careers involving math, science, and engineering (AKA STEM).  There are many notable organizations such as my friends, Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girls Code, Kalimah Priforce’s Qeyno Labs, and Wayne Sutton’s BUILDUP that are making a tremendous impact inspiring youth to pursue technology.  Moreover, my friend, Professor Bryan Brown and I have partnered to expose 11-12 year olds to math and science at Stanford University’s Science in the City camp and I am planning a STEM related camping conference this fall for a 150 high school students.  Investing in the future creates the necessary pipeline to have underrepresented groups at the table when it is time to hire eligible talent.
2. Seeking and Retaining Eligible Talent –  It is not enough to recruit at a few Black colleges, all women colleges, etc., tech companies need to also seek these individuals out at the mainstream institutions that they recruit at.  Furthermore, they need to have a retention policy/plan in place to make these underrepresented groups (which some make up 1% of the workforce based on the study referenced earlier in some cases) feel welcome and included.  At least Affirmative Action gave employers incentives to consider diverse talent before hiring them.  Tech now needs its own version of the Rooney Rule , which requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs.
3. Retraining Those Suffering From Age Discrimination – Surprisingly, if you are 38 or older, you are “over the hill” in Silicon Valley.  There is a huge disparity of age in tech, where older job seekers feel that they are overlooked for opportunities.  Although the younger generation has moved away from Facebook and Twitter to Snapchat and Vine, older (in this case 38+) are capable of learning coding, software languages, IT, etc., in addition to the traditional skills like accounting, finance, HR, management, legal, etc. The tech industry needs to soften it’s emphasis on the “hip culture” of t-shirts and khakis at work, playing volleyball at lunch, and the like and diversify its workforce with people that can still get the job done (and have a little fun too!).  This is in-line with President Obama’s New TechHire Initiative to provide pathways for the middle class  to get jobs.

 

Making the tech industry more inclusive has more benefits than meets the eye.  Today, I was fortunate enough to attend an event called “Building An All-In Bay Area” organized by the San Francisco Foundation and sponsored by PolicyLink and USC’s Program for Environmental & Regional Equity.  It basically was a satelite overview of data complied from extensive research on equity, or lack thereof, throughout the Bay Area.  For example, although the racial/ethnic composition is projected to increase until 2040, the Black population is projected to decrease.  Wages grew significantly for middle and high wage workers aged 25-64 from 1979-2012 in the Bay Area, but decreased for lower waged workers.  Lastly, people of color have lower wages and higher unemployment rates. It might be naive, but more inclusivity in the tech industry will allow people of color to earn higher paying jobs, the ability to live in the communities where they work, have their tax paying dollars be applied to the schools that their children will attend, and improve the Bay Area’s overall quality of life.

 

For more information about the study on Equity, please visit http://nationalequityatlas.org.

Kevin L. Nichols is an entrepreneur, a legal technology, diversity, social media, and political consultant who resides in the Bay Area.  He is a passionate community organizer and activist.  Kevin is affectionately known as The Social Politician™ and The Social Engineer™ who is engineering a better life for the next generation, socially.  For more information, please visit www.kevinlnichols.com.