Women In Technology - Friday Links - 22/09/2023
Dear WIT Friends,
Here is our selection of links for this weekend is here:
She's the King
Billie Jean King: The Battle of the Sexes was played 50 years ago today. More than a tennis match, it was a catalyst for social change & one of the most important days of my life. We have come a long way since 1973, but we are not done yet. Let's keep going for it.
A role model
We are deeply saddened to learn that Maria Fidecaro, an experimental physicist who joined CERN in 1957, passed away on 17 September. A familiar face to the CERN community until long into her retirement, often seen arm-in-arm with her husband Giuseppe as they made their way through the CERN corridors.
https://home.web.cern.ch/news/obituary/physics/maria-fidecaro-1930-2023
25 by ’25
We are at around half-way of the 25-by-’25 program that aims to increase female representation in the Organisation, in particular in STEM fields:
https://diversity-and-inclusion.web.cern.ch/actions/25-25
The statistics show a clear increase in MPEs in STEM fields in the last years!
From a personal perspective, particularly since this rentrée, I am noticing I am never the only female in a meeting any more -which used to be the case few months ago..and this somehow feels more comfortable! Sure, most of my new female colleagues are at entry-level, mostly TECH, but now we have to make sure they stay! Let’s support them and make sure their work gains visibility.
Quantum revolution
After a recent update this week, the Signal Protocol, used by 1+ billion people, is getting a post-quantum makeover:
https://signal.org/blog/pqxdh/
And as quantum concepts enter more and more into our life, here is a nice series of short forays for beginners with @astrokatie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt1hO7YvNx0
And a series of more advanced lectures from CERN’s QTI:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6583_bOAHxbEWW7XQUl2fQgB8XMvgGvZ
Finally some WIT advice from a quantum physicist:
My advice is to stay aware that there are challenges, and try to keep grounded by knowing that if you face adversity, it is likely institutional and societally driven, and not a reflection of your abilities – push through and find people to lift you up, including the large number of men trying to change the status quo, too.
https://www.fierceelectronics.com/sensors/woman-year-ying-lia-li-science-equity-and-sensors
DALL-E 3
OpenAI’s text-to-image generator still struggles with text, science, faces, and bias:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/openai-dall-e-2
We asked Dall-e and ChatGPT to show us what a founder and CEO of a Fortune 500 tech company looks like. Here are the results:
https://websummit.com/blog/chatgpt-gpt4-midjourney-dalle-ai-ethics-bias-women-tech
I saw the sign
An awkward sign is being removed from CERN’s facilities thanks to some of you; let’s hope that was the last one!
Note that if you see something similar you may contact your Diversity & Inclusion Officer for a straightforward replacement with a gender-neutral sign.
https://diversity-and-inclusion.web.cern.ch/about/who-we-are/diversity-inclusion-officers
Upcoming Events & Job Postings
- Virtual Company Showroom with Renishaw on 29 September: https://alumni.cern/events/122699 (currently hiring Field Service Engineers, Application Engineers and Design Software Engineers amongst others)
- Application for female researchers in AI: https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/shareddocs/bekanntmachungen/de/2023/09/2023-09-15-Bekanntmachung-Nachwuchsgruppen.html
- Moving Out of Academia to Consulting on 6 October: https://alumni.cern/events/120455
Wishing you all a great weekend,
Eva on behalf of the WIT-communications.
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About the Women in Technology (WIT) Community: The aim of this community is to provide an environment in which women are not in the minority when interacting with technology. Our objectives are: to encourage women to play the role of expert; to provide a supportive learning environment; and to build a network between the Women in Technology here at CERN. WIT welcomes members from all genders and all technical fields. Visit cern.ch/wit