Episode 69 – Hey Shaniqua! What’s the weather?

Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen

Guest: Dr. Gloria Washington

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Episode Description:

In this episode of Modern Figures, Dr. Gloria Washington shares her inspiring journey in computing, from the struggles she overcame to her passion for uplifting Black women in the field. The podcast delves into Dr. Washington’s experiences in academia, industry, and now as a professor, where she passionately works to elevate the voices and opportunities for those following in her footsteps. Dr. Washington recounts the profound influence of her mother’s encouragement and how the unexpected challenges she faced, including financial decisions and personal losses, honed her determination to succeed.

Key Takeaways:

• Dr. Gloria Washington’s journey in computing was significantly influenced by personal resilience and the encouragement from her mother.
  
•  Transitioning from industry to academia allowed Dr. Washington to focus on mentoring and inspiring the next generation of Black women in computing.
  
•  Her work at Howard University has contributed to increasing the representation and success of Black students in STEM fields.
  
•  The “Watch Me Code” program aims to engage young Black men in computer science and entrepreneurship, changing perceptions and opportunities within their community.
  
• Dr. Washington’s research on improving voice assistant technology aims to address biases against Black voices, advocating for more inclusive tech advancements.
  

Gloria’s Bio:-::

Gloria Washington is an Assistant Professor at Howard University in Computer Science. At Howard, she runs the Affective Biometrics Lab and performs research on affective computing, computer science education, and biometrics. Currently, she is leading research that explores the role of affect/emotion and imposter syndrome on performance in computer science courses. Additionally, she is exploring the link between technology, mental health, and Black women’s hair texture. Finally, she also works closely with clinicians within the Howard University Hospital to develop technologies for improving the lives of children and teenagers with Sickle Cell Disease through creation of tools for keeping track of their pain and encouraging them in moments of depression. The ABL is currently funded by the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, Northrop Grumman, Dell, and Microsoft. Before coming to Howard, she was an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Computing Science at Clemson University. She performed research on identifying individuals based solely from pictures of their ears. Dr. Washington has more than fifteen years in Government service and has presented on her research throughout industry. Ms. Washington holds M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from The George Washington University, and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Lincoln University of Missouri.