Gendered and Inclusive Research and Innovation (GIRI) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): ‘Putting the diversity of human-beings centre-stage’

Ignoring gender, age and ethnicity etc. in research and innovation has severe – sometimes even fatal - consequences. A few years ago - for the first time - a Swedish car manufacturer used crash test dummies that actually resemble the bodies of women. With this, they hopefully turn around the fact that women are involved in accidents less often than men, but when they are, they are injured more severely.

To make women, people with an ethnical background or older people etc. visible in our research and innovation, we need to include the diversity of human-beings to its full extend. GIRI puts the diversity of humans centre-stage. In the 2022 DEWIS Symposium, Carmen Leicht-Scholten (RWTH Aachen University), Mara Tanelli (Politecnico Milano), David Abbink (TU Delft) and Claudia Werker (TU Delft) share their ideas on GIRI in STEM with you. They introduce general principles of how to tackle this kind of research and innovation as well as provide examples. In principle, all STEM research and innovation affecting human-beings can be turned into GIRI. Therefore, we will also give you the opportunity to discuss in groups how to turn such research projects in GIRI projects yourself

Claudia Werker: “If you include gender to represent the diversity of human beings in research, e.g. in testing drugs not only on men between 18 and 45 years old, you get a much more diverse picture on how these drugs work in different kinds of people.”

Rob Mudde (Vice-Rector Magnificus, TU Delft), will present the DEWIS Award to the TU Delft employee who has made an extraordinary contribution to realising an inclusive work environment and to increasing gender equality and gender diversity at TU Delft for women scientists. More information about the DEWIS Award can be found here.

PROGRAMME

13.00h-13.30h   Walk in with lunch

13.30h-13.40h   Welcome by Dr. Claudia Werker (DEWIS board member, TU Delft)

13.40h-14.00h   Gendered and Inclusive Research and Innovation (GIRI) in
                              STEM by Dr. Claudia Werker (Chairperson of the IDEA League working group GIRI in STEM, TU Delft)

14.10h-14.30h:  Socially Responsible Perspectives on Data, Algorithms and
                             Digitalization- Why gender matters? by Prof. Carmen Leicht-Scholten (RWTH Aachen  
                             University)

14.30h-14.50h   Inclusive and Smart Mobility by Prof. Mara Tanelli (Politecnico di Milano)

14.50h-15.10h   BREAK

15.10h-15.30h   Inclusive Robots at Work by Prof. David Abbink (TU Delft)

15.30h-16.00h   How to realize GIRI in STEM? (Groups’ discussion)

16.00h-16.10h   Wrap-up

16.10h-17.00h   DEWIS award ceremony: presentation of the nominees by Zofia Lukszo (DEWIS Chair, TU Delft) and
                          award nomination by Prof. Rob Mudde (Vice-Rector Magnificus/Vice-President
                          Education, TU Delft)

17.00h-17.30h   Closing and drinks