Presentation by Professor Thomas James, Indiana University

On Tuesday, September 10, 2019, we welcomed and were honored to have Professor Thomas James from Indiana University be our second presenter for our Internet2 Inclusivity Initiative webinar series. To watch his presentation, you may visit the following link, Thomas James, Indiana University's Advocates and Allies Group.

His presentation focuses on the male allies group he helped form at Indiana University called Advocates and Allies for Equity. This pilot program was formed in 2017 with funds from their Provost and support from the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity. It is designed to involve male faculty in the transformation of departmental cultures and practices by gaining a better understanding of issues of bias and privilege and raising awareness of strategies to promote engagement and equity. It is adapted from an NSF-ADVANCE grant program initially developed in 2008 at NDSU and has been successfully adopted by several universities since that time. To learn more about their Advocates and Allies for Equity group and the work they are conducting, please click here.

Presentation by Professor Nathan Ensmenger at Indiana University

This lecture was given by Professor Nathan Ensmenger at Indiana University on February 18, 2019. This lecture was delivered to his I222: The Information Society course, but given the importance of the topic, he opened it up to the entire School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering (SICE) and Indiana community. The talk begins with the iconic "Lena Image," which has been used since the early 1970s as a way to test and calibrate various systems for image processing and computer visualization. It’s undoubtedly familiar, as there was pushback against using it given its origins (fully expanded) as a Playboy centerfold. It surfaced last fall in SICE on the cover of a course syllabus, setting off a discussion in the school, and Ensmenger used his lecture to put all of it into context.

The lecture is about an hour and 15 minutes, but is WELL worth watching all the way through. He lays out the evolution of the gendered nature of computing, from the early days when programming was women’s work to today when it’s, well... something else.

To view the video, please click here.

Avis Yates Rivers Presentation

On Thursday, October 11, 2018 we were honored to have Avis Yates Rivers be our first presenter for our Internet2 Inclusivity Initiative webinar series. To watch her presentation, you may visit the following link, Avis Yates Rivers, the challenges in attracting and retaining a diverse workplace.

Her presentation focuses on the tech industry (and business as a whole) and the challenge in attracting and retaining women and people of color into the workplace. This is a complex and persistent issue plaguing U.S. companies, universities and government agencies that could have a continuing and profound impact on our nation’s security and competitiveness.  What innovation are we missing from brilliant minds from diverse perspectives?  What is being done to close the gap?  What could be done to make quantum leaps in making tech accessible to everyone?