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The powerful woman behind Intel’s new $300 million diversity initiative

Intel president Renée James is building a pipeline of female and other groups of underrepresented engineers and computer scientists. Amidst the barrage of new TVs and connected fitness trackers unveiled at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas came a surprising announcement from chipmaker Intel: a $300 million investment in training and recruiting female and other groups of under-represented computer scientists.

IME ARCHIBONG: FACEBOOK EXEC DISCUSSES WHAT STARTUPS CAN LEARN ABOUT DIVERSITY FROM IBM

Ime Archibong is best known as the director of product partnerships at tech giant Facebook where he leads a team working to connect Facebook’s products and strategies with various business partners. Archibong and his team have worked on everything from the Facebook Messenger app to a relatively new initiative called Internet.org, which aims to connect the world to the internet. Prior to working at Facebook, Archibong attended Yale and Stanford and worked for several years at IBM, a global leader in not only technology, but diversity initiatives. We spoke with Archibong about his path to Facebook, the lessons that tech companies in their infancy can take from industry giants like IBM and why he has the utmost faith that Silicon Valley can and will solve its widespread diversity problems.

Takeaways from CES2015: Wireless Innovation, Diversity and Openness

Once again, I made my gadget obsessed friends green with envy by attending the International Consumer Electronics Show -- sacred ground for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. By the end of CES, tech journalists and casual guests have identified their favorite gadgets that were created by some of the most hyper-enthusiastic entrepreneurs you will ever meet. To be sure, that 3-D printer capable of producing a dress perfectly tailored for Mignon made the cut, but the main import of this year’s show, were the powerful messages that 3,600 exhibitors are sending about the impact of technology in our lives. Below are my top three takeaways.

Here’s What It’s Like to Be a Person of Color in Technology

“Ever wonder what it's like to be a person of color in technology and computer science?” In connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, James Mickens—a computer scientist in the Systems group at Microsoft Research—opted to participate in a Reddit AMA in hopes of answering this question. James Mickens (photo courtesy of MIT CSAIL) Mickens is also currently teaching at MIT CSAIL as part of the school’s MLK Visiting Scholars program, which is aimed at getting more people of color into academia. Which is clearly a relevant effort, particularly in his specific field: According to GigaOm research, just 4.5 percent of computer science degrees are awarded to black students.