Congratulations to Ayanna Howard – 2018 Richard Tapia Award Winner

CRA and CRA-W Board Member Ayanna Howard was recently named the recipient of the 2018 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science and Diversifying Computing from the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology (CMD-IT). The Richard A. Tapia Award is awarded annually to an individual who demonstrates significant research leadership and strong commitment and contributions to diversifying computing.

From the announcement:

“Ayanna Howard has been a leading innovator and researcher in the fields of robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence,” said Valerie Taylor, CMD-IT CEO and President.  “Applications of her work have included the development of assistive robots in the home, therapy gaming apps and remote exploration of extreme environments.  Throughout her career she has focused on bringing girls, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities into computing through programs related to robotics.  Ayanna’s focus on engaging people with disabilities resulted in the creation of Zyrobotics, LLC., which provides inclusive mobile technologies that make learning accessible.”

Howard will be presented with the award at the 2018 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference. She also received CRA’s A. Nico Habermann award in 2016.