UIC College of Engineering Receives Melinda Gates-Backed Funding

Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda Gates investment company, awarded a grant to The University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Engineering to engage and retain women in its undergraduate computer science program. The program will target women and other underrepresented groups at UIC and nearby community colleges.

“We want to see a 12.5% increase in the representation of women graduating from our undergraduate computer science program and we want 100% of those women to have meaningful internships on their resumes when they graduate,” said Robert Sloan, in the press release. Sloan is a UIC professor and the head of computer science.

The grant is among the largest gifts granted to the school’s College of Engineering.  

Pivotal Ventures is an investment and incubation company created by Melinda Gates.  They partner with organizations and individuals who share their urgency for social progress in the United States and work to grow understanding around issues, expand participation, encourage cooperation and fuel new approaches that substantially improve people's lives.

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