🌟 The 3rd Annual Hack4Her Event June 7-9, 2024 🌟

Key Notes

Friday

KeyNote 1: But Girls Just Don’t Like Tech

• Time: 18:15 - 19:00

• Person: Shirley de Wit

• Academic Title: Drs. Ir.

• Professional Title: PhD Candidate

• Affiliation: TU Delft

• Biography: Shirley de Wit is a PhD student at TU Delft who focuses on women in Computer Science. With her double master’s degree in Computer Science and Science Communication, she likes combining her technical knowledge and skills with social sciences. She started her research at VHTO, the Dutch expert center on gender diversity in STEM, and has continued her work at TU Delft. Her work includes research on stereotypes, interest development, and gender-inclusive education. With her research, she hopes to contribute to closing the gender gap in Computer Science.

• Talk Description: Many girls just don’t like technology, or do they? Around 20% of people working in CS are women. Increasing this number would result in more people who can fill CS vacancies and more productive and innovative products. But why do we have this lack of women in CS, and what can we do about it? During this talk, Shirley de Wit will take you along by explaining the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to close the gender gap in CS.

Saturday

KeyNote 2: Diversity and Inclusion through the Lens of Identity Markers and Intersectionality

• Time: 18:00 - 19:00

• Person: Ana Clara Cassanti

• Title: Lecturer in Sustainability at the Institute for Environmental Studies and Diversity and Inclusion Trainer at the Center for Teaching and Learning

• Affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Biography: Ana Cassanti is an Environmental Engineer (UNESP - Brazil) and has a Master’s in Energy and Environmental Sciences (University of Groningen – the Netherlands). Currently, she is a Junior Lecturer in Sustainability at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at Vrije Universiteit (VU) and a Diversity and Inclusion trainer using the VU’s Mixed Classroom Model at the Center For Teaching and Learning also at the VU. She is also currently working on how to engage with stakeholders in meaningful manners by accounting for diversity and inclusion. Previous work experiences account for working within the private sector, as a knowledge/education/youth officer at the Global Center on Adaptation and co-founder of the NGO Brazilian Association to Incentivize Science.

• Talk Description: Join us for an engaging session on diversity and inclusion, viewed through the lens of identity markers and intersectionality. Facilitated by Ana Cassanti, this workshop will delve into the complexity of multiple identities and how they intersect to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression. Participants will explore personal identity markers using the Diversity Wheel, engage in reflective exercises, and discuss the influential concept of intersectionality introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw. This session aims to foster a deeper understanding of how various aspects of identity affect our interactions and perceptions within diverse environments.

Sunday

KeyNote 3: Programmed Inequality: The Story of Margaret Masterman

• Time: 10:15 - 10:45

• Person: Viktoriya Li, Arshana Ramautar

• Title: Student

• Affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Biography: Viktoriya Li is a third-year student from Kazakhstan, graduating from the Vrije Universiteit with a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence. She is currently writing her thesis about Women in Computing under the supervision of dr. D.J. Beckers. LinkedIn.

• Biography: Arshana Ramautar is a third-year student from the Netherlands, graduating from the Vrije Universiteit with a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence. She is currently following the two tracks: Intelligent Systems and Socially Aware Computing. LinkedIn.

• Talk Description: This presentation dives into the contributions of Margaret Masterman, a computational linguist and philosopher. Despite working in a male-dominated field, many of her beliefs and proposals for language processing by computers have now become part of the common concepts in the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Translation fields. We will explore her influential work, including the founding of the Cambridge Language Research Unit, and discuss the social and environmental challenges she faced as a woman in computing. Through her story, we highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women in technology.