Alice Sheppard: Citizen Science – A way to widen participation?

Alice Sheppard’s presentation from the Finding Ada Conference 2020.

Synopsis

What is citizen science? We’ll look at some examples of scientific discoveries and activity by people who aren’t employed as scientists – and find out how we can use this increasingly popular activity to lower the barriers for women.

About Alice

Alice Sheppard is Community Manager at UCL’s Extreme Citizen Science research group. She was the lead moderator of the first Galaxy Zoo discussion forum, looking after the volunteers, and her main interest is the management and care of volunteers in citizen science.

Twitter: @PenguinGalaxy

Tina Vinod Q&A: Bridging the Gender Divide in Tech, 1 Technologist at a Time

Q&A with Tina Vinod after her presentation at the Finding Ada Conference 2020.

Synopsis

The gender divide in tech is a reality. Almost 63% of women in tech who re-enter the industry feel that a break was detrimental to their career progression. This talk will cover VAPASI the ThoughtWorks’ certified free technical women returnee program for women technologists on a career break. The training program is designed for women who are keen to get back to tech. It has a holistic approach to inclusion that goes beyond just training to empowering and driving positive social change.

Link

Website: thoughtworks.com/talktech/vapasi

About Tina

Tina Vinod is the Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Change for ThoughtWorks India. A feminist at heart with a strong belief that an inclusive organisational culture brings about the best in teams and individuals. She comes with 20+ years of experience with a passion for gender and LGBTQ+ inclusion, WIT, social change initiatives, mental health & wellness and equity in the workplace. Tina is actively involved in contributing to non-profits supporting marginalised communities.

Twitter: @Tina_Vinod
LinkedIn: /TinaVinod
Instagram: @Tina.Vinod

Tina Vinod: Bridging the Gender Divide in Tech, 1 Technologist at a Time

Tina Vinod’s presentation from the Finding Ada Conference 2020.

Synopsis

The gender divide in tech is a reality. Almost 63% of women in tech who re-enter the industry feel that a break was detrimental to their career progression. This talk will cover VAPASI the ThoughtWorks’ certified free technical women returnee program for women technologists on a career break. The training program is designed for women who are keen to get back to tech. It has a holistic approach to inclusion that goes beyond just training to empowering and driving positive social change.

About Tina

Tina Vinod is the Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Change for ThoughtWorks India. A feminist at heart with a strong belief that an inclusive organisational culture brings about the best in teams and individuals. She comes with 20+ years of experience with a passion for gender and LGBTQ+ inclusion, WIT, social change initiatives, mental health & wellness and equity in the workplace. Tina is actively involved in contributing to non-profits supporting marginalised communities.

Twitter: @Tina_Vinod
LinkedIn: /TinaVinod
Instagram: @Tina.Vinod

Alice Clark Q&A: Using Social Media to Increase STEM Engagement Amongst Women

Q&A with Alice Clark, after her presentation from the Finding Ada Conference 2020.

Synopsis

Alice Clark talks about how we create a spark by creating characters and stories that girls and women can relate to & accessing the social media generation.

When it came to role models growing up, Alice knew the big names: Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Florence Nightingale, but had never connected with their stories, so she went on for all of her education without a role model and without a purpose. It wasn’t until 2020 that she started really finding out more about these women and dug deeper into their stories, past the contribution to science and the awards. What has drawn her into their stories are often the aspects outside their big achievements – their lives, their loves, the obstacles society presents.

What part does social media play in increasing the engagement and participation of young women in STEM? Alice examines the concept of a ‘woman in STEM influencer’ on social media and how this fits into other engagement tactics. She looks at viral phenomenon like I look like an engineer (2015) or This is what a scientist looks like (2012-2014), as well as current influencers, with new movements like @chloetheengineer’s #stompingoutstereotypes.

About Alice

A civil engineer working in the construction industry, Alice has been a passionate advocate for women in STEM since her uni days as a volunteer for Robogals. This year she stumbled across the #steminist movement on social media and has taken a journey to learn about how social media could help us advance women in STEM.

Instagram: /thataussiesteminist
LinkedIn: /alice-clark-028144117

Alice Clark: Using Social Media to Increase STEM Engagement Amongst Women

Alice Clark’s presentation from the Finding Ada Conference 2020.

Synopsis

Alice Clark talks about how we create a spark by creating characters and stories that girls and women can relate to & accessing the social media generation.

When it came to role models growing up, Alice knew the big names: Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Florence Nightingale, but had never connected with their stories, so she went on for all of her education without a role model and without a purpose. It wasn’t until 2020 that she started really finding out more about these women and dug deeper into their stories, past the contribution to science and the awards. What has drawn her into their stories are often the aspects outside their big achievements – their lives, their loves, the obstacles society presents.

What part does social media play in increasing the engagement and participation of young women in STEM? Alice examines the concept of a ‘woman in STEM influencer’ on social media and how this fits into other engagement tactics. She looks at viral phenomenon like I look like an engineer (2015) or This is what a scientist looks like (2012-2014), as well as current influencers, with new movements like @chloetheengineer’s #stompingoutstereotypes.

About Alice

A civil engineer working in the construction industry, Alice has been a passionate advocate for women in STEM since her uni days as a volunteer for Robogals. This year she stumbled across the #steminist movement on social media and has taken a journey to learn about how social media could help us advance women in STEM.

Instagram: /thataussiesteminist
LinkedIn: /alice-clark-028144117