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Who says girls aren't good in math and science?
Keels and Miller are co-captains of Spelman's robotics team, the SpelBots, who tied for first place in the 2009 RoboCup Japan Open tournament. Keels is in her first year studying computer engineering at Columbia University. Part of a dual-degree engineering program, she will receive her bachelor of science degree from Spelman, and in 2012 she will also earn a bachelor of engineering degree from Columbia. Miller, a computer science major, will graduate from Spelman in 2011.
The award winning application, HBCU Buddy, was conceptualized to educate and inform users about the history of HBCUs. It also provides a virtual tour of the actual campus of choice, and stays cutting edge by utilizing social networking tools that allow students to follow the latest campus events and activities around the community.
Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions, said in a prepared statement:
"HBCU Buddy is an outstanding mobile application, embodying everything this contest is about: Providing a platform for higher education students to develop their innovative ideas into practical and useful e-learning mobile applications."
It took the women six weeks, working eight hours a day, to develop the application, and what is even more astounding is they did while on separate continents. Miller was in Japan for a family cultural exchange program, and Keels was in Charlotte for an internship.
"We used Skype and shared our code using repositories," Keels said.
Both women are aware of the cultural signifance that such an accomplishment embodies. "There are many people, including African-Americans, who hold stereotypes pertaining to these colleges and universities, such as the false belief of HBCUs not being academically challenging institutions - which is far from the truth," said Keels.
"We created this app to educate the masses, inspire the next generation to attend HBCUs, and also demonstrate that HBCUs are still a mecca for producing talented and future leaders in our society," Keels told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
With no professional or faculty assistance, and no budget in developing the application, the scholars credit Dr. Andrew B. Williams, Spelman's department chairman in computer science, with inspiring them to be great.
As reported by TheRoot.com, since 2006, Spelman has received more than $31 million in grant funding for STEM programs and research. The school ranks second nationally in sending black graduates on to science and math Ph.D. programs, and from 1997 to 2006, it produced 150 students who earned Ph.D.s in science and engineering, according to a National Science Foundation survey.
With media coverage prone to highlighting the negative aspects of the African-American community, it is refreshing and inspiring to see two young African-American women attending an HBCU receive global recognition for their intelligence, perseverance, and ingenuity.
This is us, black people. This is what our communities and our parents and our HBCUs are producing. Each success we as individuals attain is a step forward for our communities as a whole.
Jonecia and Jazmine: We salute you.
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