LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE CONFERENCE

Unconscious Bias and Gender Equality in Science, Engineering and Technology

Organised by the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative, University of Cambridge

WiSETI announces a one-day conference to be held on 6 September 2005 at St John's College, Cambridge.

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/personnel/equality/wiseti/events/.

Despite the documented benefits of equality within industry and the expected benefits within academia, the number of women in science,  engineering and technology (SET) remains low, with the numbers falling away at each level whether the number of entrants is high as in biology or low as in physics and computing. This conference will discuss factors that may retard the progress of women, in particular, gender schemas and unconscious bias, and ways to enable women to reach their full potential.

The emphasis will be on practical measures to improve the recruitment, retention and advancement of women. These will be of interest to those involved in managing scientists and engineers, including Heads of  Institutions and Principal Investigators within higher education, as well as Human Resources Specialists, Equality and Diversity Specialists and women in SET.

The keynote speakers include Professor Virginia Valian of City University New York, who is an authority on gender schemas and unconscious bias, Dr

Sean McWhinnie of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Caroline Fox, Programme Manager of the Athena Project and Professor Julia Goodfellow, Chief Executive of the BBSRC.

Virginia Valian, who is a professor of Psychology and Linguistics at the City University of New York, is a cognitive scientist and the author of 'Why so slow? The Advancement of women' (MIT Press, 1999), which discusses the evidence that our unconsciously held beliefs about gender affect the advancement of women in academia and the professions.

Dr Sean McWhinnie and Caroline Fox are authors of the Joint Report of the Royal Society and the Athena Project: 'Good Practice in University Chemistry Departments' (Royal Society of Chemistry and the Athena Project, 2004), which is available from the Athena project website at  www.athenaproject.org.uk/reports.htm.

The Athena project launched the SWAN Charter at the Institute of Physics on 22 June. The SWAN Charter (www.athenaswan.org.uk/) recognises excellence in employment practices aimed assiting the recruitment, retention and progression of women in science, engineering and technology.

There is no charge for this conference.

For more information see

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/personnel/equality/wiseti/events/.