KMi or the Knowledge Media Institute is one of Milton Keynes’ most diverse and inclusive educational institutes. It is dedicated to conducting research in computer science and technologies with a focus on social justice. To encourage more participation from the BAME students and create awareness about subjects like computer science among these communities, KMi is offering an annual summer scholarship to people from Black, Asian or Ethnic Minority backgrounds.
The scholarship welcomes applications from BAME students aged 16-20 years. Although applicants with existing computing skills will be appreciated, prior knowledge of programming will not be required for all scholarship projects. Upon selection, the successful candidates will get a chance to conduct a short-term computer science project of up to 6 weeks during June-August’s summer months. These projects are expected to enhance the candidates’ computer science skills and improve their employability and provide them with a social advantage. The students will be able to conduct their projects online, at the Open University campus or through a combination of both, and for which they will receive a non-repayable funding grant of up to £4,000. The best part of this annual scholarship is that the award winner will get to carry out their project under the mentorship of KMi Academic Researchers and/or PhD students, many of whom are conducting pioneering R&D in their respective fields.
The topics for the scholarship project have been carefully chosen to reflect the tech and computing demands of the modern world and are as follows:
- Robot Assistants in the Wild
- Identifying Bias in Mainstream News Sources
- Modern Day Mind Control. Can We Use Sensors to Help Learn to Control the Flow of Blood to Our Brains?
- Misogynoir: Intersectionality in Online Abuse
- Benchmarking Environmental Sensors
You can find more information about the scholarship here.