www.diversityinsteam.com Diversity in STE A M
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CONFERENCE WRAP-UP
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ince 1994, AnitaB.org has held its annual Grace Hopper Celebra- ion, a five-day event dedicated to connecting women profes- sionals to STEM-centered jobs. Like most events in 2020, this year's celebration happened virtually in response to the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 social distancing. The event was attended by over 30,000 people around the world, featured 250 guest speakers, and was sponsored by big-name corporations, such as Google, Apple, Northrop Grumman, Accenture, IBM, and Western Digital. The celebration was just like any other year of the convention, dedicating all of its panels to specific and relevant topics across the world of the STEM field and inclusive technology. Attendees were able to listen in on panels that varied from coding techniques, artificial intelligence and supercomputers to accessible workplaces, the importance of deconstructing racism and sexism, and workplace harassment. Panels, such as, Seeing Beyond Yourself: Effective Allyship, Advocacy, and Activism for Women in Computing, Trans- forming Healthcare and Empowering Women With FemTech, and Becoming Visible: Increasing Engagement & Talent Pipelines for Women of Color in Tech, stood as shining examples of Grace Hop- per's mission to empower women in the STEM field and give them the proper resources to grow and become educated. Though the same in content, motivation and education, the Grace Hopper Celebration's virtual platform was not the only new aspect of the conference. Amid the pandemic, the celebration did a tremendous job in ensuring resources and panels focused COVID-19 and how those in the STEM field have been affected by it, both per- sonally and professionally. Of the panels that focused on the outcomes of the pandemic, they all took a slightly different approach on how the pandemic could be viewed. Some panels took a more informative approach, utilizing their expertise to share data that could specifically help the STEM and business worlds. Temiloluwa Prioleau's panel, Leveraging Data Sci- ence in the fight against COVID-19, was one of the most fascinating examples of this. Using her background in data science, Prioleau has been studying the analytical data of COVID-19 and organized a proj- ect entitled, C19 Insider Scoop, where she was able to use data science to separate the evidence of the virus from the numerous
2020 Virtual AnitaB.org Celebration Delivers
Annual Grace Hopper event consisted of intriguing panels and much more
amounts of false information that also existed. Through Prioleau's presentation of the more factual, data-backed information sur- rounding COVID-19, attendees were able to better understand the pandemic and better prepare for the repercussions the virus could bring post-COVID. Other panels used the circumstances of the pandemic to highlight the importance of their own field and how it can be utilized to better business. For example, Mallory Montgomery and Nanneh Chehras' panel, Beyond A/B Tests: Two Causal Models, Applied to a Hypo- thetical COVID-19 Intervention, used their expertise as economists to demonstrate how their work in STEM could directly improve business. Both economists working for Amazon, Montgomery and Chehras used their specific findings of COVID's impact on Amazon to educate their attendees on how their work in economics can be applied to predict trends in business when something such as the pandemic is introduced. Panels like this not only inform attendees of the importance of specific areas of the STEM field but also remind those in the field of their importance and the different ways their work can be applied. But no matter what approach was taken in discussing COVID as it applies to STEM, business, or personal life, the common denomina- tor through all of the panels was the focus on driving change toward intersectional gender and pay parity for the tech industry, and new discoveries that had been made during quarantine. Through the pandemic, Kelly Mayes of Roblox saw how computer programming is a vital part to maintaining human interaction in a time of social distancing. In her panel, Roblox - Satisfying the Need for Human Connection: How A 120 Million+ Community Gamed the Pandemic, Mayes shared how online game Roblox has satisfied the need for bonding and communication that was disrupted once stay-at-home orders were in place. Because of the existence of digital platforms, made possible by the STEM field, those affected by the repercus- sions were able to value and continue to receive their need to be interactive. The conference's namesake, Grace Hopper, was a pioneer in the STEM field and diversity, using her work in computer programming to better our lives today. The virtual presence of this year's confer- ence in combination with the same great content that is presented every year serve as a testament to the importance of STEM and the diversity that needs to be present within it. Despite the complica- ions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grace Hopper Celebra- ion not only existed through unprecedented times but also thrived and led to new revelations in STEM and in the name of inclusive technology.
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