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This week, the Techies Project — featuring the photos and stories of underrepresented technologists in Silicon Valley — launched to widespread acclaim. Funded by Medium and Facebook, and led by photographer Helena Price, developer Martha Schumann and designer Alonzo Felix, the site features over 100 people, with plans to roll out many more throughout the year.

Just over a year ago, I was peering through a window into a San Francisco courtroom, waiting to be allowed inside. I’d been covering the Ellen Pao sex bias trial for five weeks, filing from the courtroom daily. Now the trial was over, and the world was awaiting the verdict. My thoughts on what I felt the outcome should be remained muddled, but time didn’t wait for me. By mid-afternoon, the verdict was out.

Imagine these scenarios: A massive data breach puts the personal information of four million federal employees at risk. Syrian rebels hack into the U.S. electric grid and cause a blackout in a major city. And a major retailer pays $10 million to settle a lawsuit related to the breach of credit card account information. As cyberattacks threaten the security, prosperity and privacy of the United States and its citizens, the University of San Diego announces the creation of its Center for Cyber Security Engineering and Technology to address these challenges through education, training, and research.