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Good Black News

Harvard Professor Karine Gibbs Wins $875,000 Packard Fellowship

By goodblacknews on November 2, 2012

In 1988 the Packard Foundation established the Fellowships for Science and Engineering. The goal was to allow some of the nation’s most promising young scientists to pursue their work without the worry of financing their work.

Now each year 16 fellows are selected from 50 major research universities. Each fellow receives a total of $875,000 over the ensuing five years. To be eligible, faculty members must be in the first three years of their academic careers in the fields of physics, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, biology, computer science, earth science, ocean science, or in any field of engineering. There are no restrictions on how the fellows use their funds to compliment their research. Since 1988, more than 400 faculty members have become Packard Fellows, receiving more than $230 million in grants.

Karine A. Gibbs, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, is one of the 16 Packard Fellows this year. Her research focuses on identifying the mechanisms underlying self-recognition in the bacterium Proteus mirabilis.

A native of Jamaica, Dr. Gibbs was raised in Baltimore. She is a graduate of Harvard University and holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Stanford University.

article via jbhe.com

Shonda Rhimes Sets Up Sci-fi Thriller At ABC Based On Novel “Mila 2.0”

By goodblacknews on October 31, 2012

Shonda Rhimes and her producing partner Betsy Beers, have teamed up with David DiGilo for a sci-fi drama/thriller at ABC titled Mila 2.0, an adaptation of a yet-to-be-released novel by Debra Driza of the same name.  Mila 2.0 is the first book in a what will be a series of novels about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

It’s being described as a Bourne Identity–style trilogy with action, with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. DiGilio will pen the script and executive produce alongside Rhimes and Beers.

Rhimes also has I Hate L.A. Dudes, with Issa Rae, and The Mix with writer John Hoffman – both currently set up at ABC; and the FBI drama Under the Gun, with writer Peter Nowalk for NBC. All in addition to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice, all on ABC already, although Private is in its final season.

article by Courtney via blogs.indiewire.com

Terry Callier, Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 67

By goodblacknews on October 30, 2012

R.I.P. Terry Callier, Chicago singer and songwriter, who in the 1970s developed an incantatory style that mingled soul, folk and jazz sounds around his meditative baritone (his most well-known song is “Occasional Rain”), then decades later was rescued from obscurity when his work found new fans in Britain.  To learn more about his life and music, read the nytimes.com article about Callier here and watch his collaboration with English trip hop duo Massive Attack below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvZK-kG030&w=560&h=315]

 

First African-American Female Chess Master Could Be Brooklyn Girl

By goodblacknews on October 29, 2012

Rochelle Ballantyne is a 17 year-old teenage girl from Brooklyn who is on her way to becoming the first Black female chess master. Ballantyne is one among a group of teens from I.S. 318 middle school in Brooklyn who will be the stars of a new documentary called “Brooklyn Castle”. The documentary chronicles the outstanding achievements of the middle school students.

65 percent of the students at I.S. 318 middle school in Brooklyn are living below the federal poverty level but the school still holds close to 30 national championships and is the highest ranked junior high team in the country. Rochelle is unique because until she joined the team, all the champions had been boys.

Ballantyne has been profiled in Teen Vogue where she shared her story and how she has stayed motivated along her amazing journey to chess stardom. The Brooklyn teen says that her grandmother is the woman behind much of her success.

She says:

“My grandmother taught me to play when I was in the third grade. I was really active as a child, and she wanted to find a way to keep me relaxed and get my brain going. When I first started playing, she introduced to me the idea of being the first African-American female chess master. I didn’t think about it much because for me it seemed like an impossible feat, and I didn’t think it could happen. I wasn’t as focused and dedicated as I am now. I didn’t think I was a good chess player—people told me I was, but it wasn’t my mentality at that moment. But then after she died, that really affected me, because she was the one person that always had confidence in me. She never pushed me, and she always respected me for who I was. I have to reach that goal for her.”

Queen Latifah Returns To Daytime on CBS in Fall 2013

By goodblacknews on October 29, 2012

Queen Latifah is returning to daytime television with The Queen Latifah Show, a daily syndicated talk show which will air on CBS TV stations across the country starting in fall 2013, according to Deadline.com.  Produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, in conjunction with Latifah’s Flavor Unit Productions and Sony TV, this is Latifah’s second foray into daytime talk – the first occurring from 1999-2001 on the identically-titled The Queen Latifah Show.  The new show intends to feature celebrity interviews, human interest stories, comedy, pop culture and musical performances.  It is also expected to showcase Queen Latifah’s talents, blending comedy and music into her hosting duties.

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Serena Williams Beats Sharapova to Win WTA Championship

By goodblacknews on October 29, 2012

ISTANBUL — After smacking her 40th and final winner of the match on a forehand service return on championship point, Serena Williams clenched her left fist, then punched the air with her right. She then skipped to the net as winner of the WTA Championships for the third time, having defeated Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-3, in the final Sunday. After the two shook hands, Williams turned and waved to the crowd on all sides of the sold-out Sinan Erdem Arena, a crowd that brought a level of noise and enthusiasm to the championships far exceeding previous events.

“Now that I can be honest, I really wanted to win and win this title and put a little pressure on myself,” Williams said in her postmatch news conference. “Yeah, I wanted it so bad, but I didn’t want to say it. I’m really excited that I was able to win it.”

Williams added: “I was like a heavy favorite going in to win this title, so for me it was really important. I mean, for my own sanity, so to say. I really wanted it, even though I didn’t need it. Like I don’t think I needed to do anything else this year — or any other year — but I really wanted to end on a good note.”

Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Honors Chuck Berry

By goodblacknews on October 28, 2012
Honoree Chuck Berry performs during the 2012 Awards for Lyrics of Literary Excellence at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library And Museum on February 26, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images)

Honoree Chuck Berry performs during the 2012 Awards for Lyrics of Literary Excellence at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library And Museum on February 26, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images)

Berry, a rock pioneer with early hits that included “Roll Over Beethoven,” ”Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode,” was in 1986 the first inductee into the Hall of Fame.  To mark the American Music Masters award presentation, the rock hall has mounted a special exhibition with items including Berry’s stage clothes, a guitar and his 1958 Chess Records recording contract.

Four Great Reads To Jumpstart Your Career

By goodblacknews on October 28, 2012
(Image: Thinkstock)

Are you a young job-seeker fresh out of college? Are you an office baby looking to move up in your career? Are you a college senior who is months, weeks or even days away from walking across the stage? If you answered yes to any of those questions, here are four books that can help you jump start your career post college graduation.

Have No Career Fear: A College Grad’s Guide to Snagging a Job, Trekking the Career Path, and Reaching Job Nirvana (2007) by Ben Cohen-Leadholm, Ari Gerzon Kessler and Rachel Skerritt

Written and edited by three college graduates with contributions from more than 100 graduates, this guide teaches graduates how to be more aggressive, inventive and persistent in looking for a job and how to how succeed and gain respect once they enter the workplace. Advice includes how to network, negotiate a salary and deal with difficult bosses.

ColorComm Offers Something New for Professional Women of Color

By goodblacknews on October 28, 2012

If you are a woman of color who works in communications, Lauren Wesley Wilson thinks she has the perfect organization for you. She is the founder of ColorComm, an initiative that aims to uplift women in the communications industry.

BlackEnterprise.com sat down with Wilson to find out why the young dynamo’s ColorComm organization is different than the numerous other professional programs dedicated to people of color.

Founded in 2011 as a small, invite-only luncheon in Washington D.C., ColorComm has blossomed into a thriving 60-strong membership organization with hundreds, if not over 1,000, enthusiastic supporters.

“What makes ColorComm really stand out is that most professional organizations provide networking just for the purpose of getting a job,” explained Wilson. “This takes networking to a higher level. It’s about learning and growing and when possible, connecting personally. It doesn’t always have to be about landing a job because frankly a lot of these women are happy with their careers.”

Share & Tweet Video To Help Raise Money To Fight Breast Cancer

By goodblacknews on October 27, 2012

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrMvuaUXMkk&w=560&h=315]

Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals pledge in the video above that for every Twitter ‘Retweet’ or Facebook ‘Like’, they will donate 25 cents to breast cancer charity. Please help spread awareness and raise funds!