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It’s been a tough 12 months for ladies everywhere in the world, and I’d prefer to thank everybody who has contributed to Ladies in Robotics in 2021, whether or not you’ve merely shared details about your self in our group #intros channel, or organized a web based occasion, or made your self obtainable as an advisor in our pilot mentoring program. Maybe you’ve been furthering our mission in an ‘unofficial’ means just by supporting different ladies, and non-binary individuals, who’re working in robotics, or who’re inquisitive about working in robotics.
We acknowledge and admire the group constructing work that ladies do, which is so typically out of the highlight, and on high of every little thing else. Ladies’s work has not often been given financial worth as one among my heroes Marilyn Waring wrote in “Counting for Nothing”. She based feminist economics, now known as triple backside line accounting, and adjusted the best way that the World Financial institution and different world organizations consider economies.
The pandemic has pressured ladies out of the workforce at twice the speed of males, leaving ladies’s participation within the workforce decrease than it’s been for 30 years. And the strain reveals no signal of stopping. Nonetheless, I consider that each time ladies are pressured to step backwards, we transfer ahead once more with renewed dedication and focus. And so my inspiration is renewed to additional the mission of Ladies in Robotics, to help ladies and non-binary individuals who work in robotics, and those that want to work in robotics. We could all discover it laborious to search out time, however small actions in the precise time and place can transfer mountains.
In 2021, our annual showcase featured not 25 or 30 however ‘50 ladies in robotics it’s good to learn about’ from 21 completely different international locations, from business, startups and academia, with specific point out of the ladies featured who’ve fought for the rights of refugees and persecuted ladies, particularly the Afghanistan Ladies’s Robotics Crew. For different ladies, this recognition has helped to boost their profile inside universities or corporations, resulting in elevated alternatives.
Our annual listing additionally implies that there’s no excuse for not together with ladies in conferences, articles, coverage making, job searches and so on. In 2022, I’d like to see us create wikipedia pages for extra ladies in robotics, and create a speaker database, and a quotation listing, much like what Black in Robotics has accomplished, and the work of 500 Ladies Scientists.
The work of girls in science continues to be much less more likely to be cited than that of males. Latest UNESCO analysis has discovered that quotation bias is the beginning of profession lengthy lack of recognition for ladies, beginning with ladies citing themselves much less typically than males do. In 2022, let’s give attention to bettering quotation charges, growing the variety of ladies in panels, journals and conferences, or holding organizers accountable. We are able to goal growing the variety of ladies cited in robotics curricula, studying lists and coursework. As a company we are able to attain out to universities, labs, conferences and journals in a means that particular person ladies can’t.
One other grassroots marketing campaign that we began was the Ladies in Robotics Photograph Problem, which has already resulted in some nice new images of girls constructing robots becoming a member of the picture search outcomes. Since then we’ve realized that peculiar google or wikipedia search steer you to Sophia or intercourse robots, somewhat than referencing actual ladies constructing robots. It’s additionally time to retire the phrase ‘unmanned’. Ladies in Robotics is planning to request that any college nonetheless referencing ‘Unmanned’ Autos ought to substitute with driverless, uncrewed or a greater time period.
The shortage of in particular person conferences is severely impacting the advantages of in particular person networking at a senior stage for ladies in robotics, and so we’d prefer to lastly launch our Advisory Board via a web based networking occasion(s) for senior ladies in robotics, each in academia and business..
We piloted our first mentoring program over 12 weeks with 16 ladies and it was a really profitable expertise for nearly each participant. We all know that there’s a lot of demand to run this system once more however we’ll want extra volunteers to assist arrange the occasions and match mentors/mentees. That is one space through which sponsorship for Ladies in Robotics may very well be helpful, however sponsorship comes with a major administrative value, so we’ll solely search sustainable main sponsorships in 2022.
My gratitude goes to CITRIS & the Banatao Institute, via the Individuals and Robots Lab, for offering me with some funding for the final two years that has allowed me to spend a few of my time on Ladies in Robotics, Black in Robotics and the Society, Robots and Us Seminars.
My name to motion is so that you can make your volunteer labor impactful by investing your time in a name to motion with a giant consequence. I hope it’s one among our Ladies in Robotics actions, however in every little thing you do you symbolize ladies in robotics and allies. Finest needs to you all for 2022. And thank you to the 2021 Ladies in Robotics Board of Administrators! Our full Annual Report is right here.
- Counting for Nothing (initially If Ladies Counted) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Women_Counted by Marilyn Waring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Waring
- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/19/great-resignation-mothers-forced-to-leave-jobs
- https://www.techrepublic.com/article/women-and-middle-managers-will-lead-the-great-resignation-into-2022/
- https://en.unesco.org/information/unesco-research-shows-women-career-scientists-still-face-gender-bias
Reflections from the Ladies in Robotics Board of Administrators:
We’re very grateful for the work of our Board Members over the past 12 months and we thank Kerri Fetzer-Borelli, Hallie Siegel and Ariel Anders for his or her imaginative and prescient and expertise on the 2020 and 2021 Board. We’re delighted to have them be part of our Advisory Board in 2022.
Allison Thackston:
Ladies in Robotics group and help in 2021 was completely different from earlier years after we relied loads on native chapters, meetups, and networking. With many places of work locked down and other people extra hesitant to do occasions in particular person, we’ve struggled a bit. On the intense facet, we’ve been citing our on-line presence, bettering our web site, and growing our social media outreach. Within the 12 months forward, I hope we proceed this development.
Cynthia Yeung:
Launching the Venture Advance mentorship program was a spotlight of my service on the WiR board in 2021. We now have obtained plenty of nice suggestions from the inaugural cohort which we are able to use to enhance the programming for the second cohort in 2022. One of many key success metrics was the share of returning mentors (demand is limitless in two-sided marketplaces; provide is the constraint) and we’re happy to report that each one mentors are inquisitive about returning for the second cohort. It’s personally gratifying to be ready to implement the sort of program that I wished to have entry to earlier in my profession. On a macro stage, I consider that sturdy focus and measurable progress on a small variety of initiatives will bode effectively for WiR’s influence roadmap.
Lisa Winter:
2021 was a 12 months of self-reflection and a check of persistence. I feel 2022 would be the 12 months when lots of us take greater dangers as we attempt to determine a greater work/life stability. I want to see extra communication on the WiR Slack, particularly giving job recommendation and engineering recommendation. What I take pleasure in about different websites that I feel we might incorporate is extra sharing of non-public initiatives; connecting over them and in addition studying.
Laura Stelzner:
WiR gives group and help in a area the place it may be lonely being one of many few ladies at your organization/division. As the sector of robotics grows we want to present ladies and non-binary individuals all of the superb profession alternatives that exist, by offering them with mentorship, networking, management and profession development alternatives.
Laurie Linz:
2021 was a quiet 12 months for Boulder/Denver, we didn’t maintain any native (in particular person) conferences. I do have excellent news and that’s I’m in course of with organising some in particular person occasions once more. We’ll method with warning given the covid scenario, however glad to be beginning once more.
WiR helps ladies stage up or launch their profession in robotics. We welcome these not able to launch with networking and academic help. Be taught, launch, stage up.
Sue Keay:
One of many issues that retains me awake at night time is questioning what essential challenges we would have solved already and what applied sciences are lacking due to the dearth of range in robotics. That’s why Ladies in Robotics exists, to assist to help the small variety of ladies who’re contributing to creating robotic applied sciences and to encourage extra to affix our ranks. The worldwide listing of girls in robotics has been an essential strategy to sign the essential contributions that ladies are making on this house and to boost the profile of robotics as a sound profession alternative for ladies. Becoming a member of WiR is acknowledging that we could be doing higher with range in robotics and should present a lot wanted help to a girl in robotics who could also be questioning their purpose for remaining in such a male-dominated area. My very own expertise has been that ladies have all the time been my biggest supporters and I really feel much less alone by being a part of WiR.
Sue Keay (Robotics Australia) with Erin McColl (Toyota Analysis Institute) with a Ghost Robotics platform.
Silicon Valley Robotics
the business affiliation supporting innovation and commercialization of robotics applied sciences.
Silicon Valley Robotics
the business affiliation supporting innovation and commercialization of robotics applied sciences.
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