Diversity and Inclusion Working Group

Motivation

Each society is constituted by individuals that, by definition, are diverse one from the other. Diversity within any group or society is a winning factor as it implies the presence of different viewpoints and ideas that can significantly empower the group, which will be able to produce effective results thanks to such diversity. The main challenge is that diversity, in all its aspects, needs to be actively understood, respected, and preserved. In particular, diversity in race, gender, age, socio-economic status, religion, and physical abilities determine differences in behavior, ways of learning, as well as specific needs and constraints. Each group participant should be able to cope with these differences and act in a positive way in response to these.

In this context, Informatics Europe can operate at least at two levels.

• On the one side, we, as the Informatics community, need to ensure that software systems behave respecting diversity. This is particularly critical when considering machine learning algorithms that require training on data based on human characteristics or behavior, but also when designing the UI of software systems.
• On the other side, we, as a community of educators in Europe, should focus on how to take into account of diversity in the education process. While the European Commission is actively promoting the importance of ensuring gender equality, the broader area of diversity should be put under the lens as well. Proposals for the definition of best practices for education that take diversity into account in the admission, learning, and examination process could be analysed and disseminated through the various departments.

Long-term Goals

• Empower Informatics Europe members. to ensure the diversity dimension is considered in their education process. 
• Contribute to designing software systems that behave respecting diversity.
• Defining best practices to cope with diversity through inclusion in Informatics.

WG Operation

• Chair: Simona Motogna, Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania.
• Secretary: Claire Matti, Haute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
• Monthly online meetings on every third Wednesday (from 15:00 to 16:00 CET/CEST).

Current  Activities

At present the working group is focused on collecting European initiatives on diversity and inclusion in Informatics Research and Education and building a network of interested parties. The following activities related to this goals:

Would you like to join us in our current diversity initiatives or suggest a new task force to promote and enrich diversity in informatics? Join our Working Group here.

Visit our Diversity and Inclusion webpage to know more about initiatives and outcomes on the topic by the Informatics Europe community.

• WG Members

• Current members:

  • Simona Motogna, Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania (Chair)
  • Claire Matti, Haute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud, Switzerland (Secretary)
  • Antinisca Di Marco, University of L'Aquila, Italy
  • Elisabetta Di Nitto, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
  • Ana-Belén Gil-González, University of Salamanca, Spain
  • Svetlana Hensman, TU Dublin, Ireland
  • Sarah Jane Delany, TU Dublin, Ireland
  • Beate List, Google
  • Cristina Manresa, Universitat de les Illes Balears/Sociedad Científica Informática de España, Spain
  • Davide Martinenghi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
  • Maristella Matera, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
  • Lili Nemec Zlatolas, University of Maribor, Slovenia
  • Ayushi Rastogi, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  • Covadonga Rodrigo, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain
  • Florence Sèdes, SIF / University Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier
  • Alexander Serebrenik, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands
  • Anna Szlávi, NTNU, Norway
  • Marta Turcsanyi-Szabo, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
  • Claudio Zandron, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italy