Symposium: Experiences of Gender in Academia

Thanks once again to everyone who came and took part in our Symposium Experiences of Gender in Academia.

We had a lot of fruitful discussions and it has given us many ideas and plans for the future!

OPENING

The day began with a welcome from Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences. He emphasized the importance of not looking backwards at past mistakes but looking forward about what we can do, stating that diversity and inclusion are very much on the agenda of the Faculty.

KEYNOTE

We then had a lecture from Pravini Baboeram of ECHO – the Expertise Center for Diversity Policy. We discussed several statements and whether we thought they could be classified as inclusion, exclusion, or diversity. Following this discussion Pravini shared the definitions of diversity and inclusion used by ECHO, what they mean and how they can be applied. She introduced us to the dimensions of diversity and some key ways that we can tackle diversity and inclusion from top-down and bottom-up perspectives.

You can find her presentation here: Pravini Baboeram – Experiences of Gender in Academia Symposium

MEET THE NETWORKS

First Anja Volk, winner of the Westerdijk Award 2018 and founder of WICS (Women in Information and Computing Sciences) introduced their network, why they were established, their goals and future plans. She also introduced us to the “I am a scientist” Exposition which aims to break down the stereotype of what a scientist looks like.

Learn more about the exposition here: “I am a scientist” Exposition

Jana Cox, chairperson of YWOG (Young Women of Geosciences) then introduced the network, why the Faculty of Geosciences needs to tackle diversity and inclusion, how the network was founded, past events and future goals.

Thirdly, Emma Giakoumatos of WISE (Women in Science Eindhoven) presented their network, why the group was founded, their goals, aims, and their events.

PANEL DISCUSSION

A panel discussion consisting of Janneke Plantenga (Diversity and Inclusion Task Force), Tine Beneker (Diversity Committee), Emma Giakoumatos (WISE) and Jana Cox (YWOG) tackled three key topics:

1. Why does diversity matter at universities?

2. How can we create a positive discussion about diversity and inclusion and communicate with all members of the faculty?

3. Practical solutions – hiring policies and working environment

ALL-INCLUSIVE GAME

Participants then played the All-Inclusive Game developed by Morals at Work, where we discussed daily situations that occur and how we can best tackle them to create an inclusive workspace at our universities.

CLOSING WORD

A summary of the day was then given by Lonneke Roelofs, secretary of YWOG. We were also introduced to Franca Geerdes, Confidential Advisor for the Faculty of Geosciences who described her experiences of how far we have come with diversity and inclusion compared to when she began her career.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Once again we would like to thank the speakers: Pravini Baboeram, Anja Volk, Emma Giakoumatos, Jana Cox, & Wilco Hazeleger; the panel members: Emma Giakoumatos, Janneke Plantenga, Tine Beneker, & Jana Cox; and the organizing committee: Kim Hagemans, Lonneke Roelofs, Frances Dunn, & Jana Cox.

Special thanks to our photographer Lisanne Braat who also made the fantastic video below!

We once again gratefully acknowledge the financial contribution of the Diversity Stimulation Fund and the help of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.