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Inclusiveness in Tech Spaces: Examples from Bio-IT

Inclusiveness in Tech Spaces: Examples from Bio-IT

This talk was given at the InterMine Community Outreach Call on June 6th, 2019
Video: https://youtu.be/jXvZ7P9tjok?t=1560

Complete notes from the call: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VhfFbOwx95UZP-sRDVib8HNGPCXCfnpDVGh8VAbeI0c/edit

Malvika Sharan

June 06, 2019
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  1. About me • Computational biologist in European Molecular Biology Laboratory

    (EMBL) • PhD in bioinformatics (RNA and infection biology), Germany (2016) 1
  2. About me • Computational biologist in European Molecular Biology Laboratory

    (EMBL) • PhD in bioinformatics (RNA and infection biology), Germany (2016) • 9 years in bioinformatics field 1
  3. About me • Computational biologist in European Molecular Biology Laboratory

    (EMBL) • PhD in bioinformatics (RNA and infection biology), Germany (2016) • 9 years in bioinformatics field • 4 years in computational teaching and outreach 1
  4. About me • Computational biologist in European Molecular Biology Laboratory

    (EMBL) • PhD in bioinformatics (RNA and infection biology), Germany (2016) • 9 years in bioinformatics field • 4 years in computational teaching and outreach • Currently working full time in community outreach and training 1
  5. 2

  6. Lack of “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering

    are more relevant globally than ever • the research focus around the world is different. 4 Adapted from: https://globalscience.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/global_engagement
  7. Lack of “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering

    are more relevant globally than ever • the research focus around the world is different. • Technical exchange facilitates advancement of the technologies • inaccessible to those who lack resources. 4 Adapted from: https://globalscience.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/global_engagement
  8. Lack of “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering

    are more relevant globally than ever • the research focus around the world is different. • Technical exchange facilitates advancement of the technologies • inaccessible to those who lack resources. • Inclusion of diverse skills, background and experiences impacts outcome • lack of inclusive technologies. 4 Adapted from: https://globalscience.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/global_engagement
  9. Lack of “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering

    are more relevant globally than ever • the research focus around the world is different. • Technical exchange facilitates advancement of the technologies • inaccessible to those who lack resources. • Inclusion of diverse skills, background and experiences impacts outcome • lack of inclusive technology. • Training facilitates skill transfer and use of technologies • not everyone is benefitting from the technical solutions. 4 Adapted from: https://globalscience.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/global_engagement
  10. Improving “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering •

    should address more problems. • Technical exchange • shouldn’t be limited by resources. • Inclusion of diversity • develop inclusive technologies. • Training opportunities • builds wider user-/learner-/contributor-base. 4
  11. Found a compromise in Open Science “Make research resources available

    online without price barriers and without most permission barriers.” – Suber et. al., 2012 5
  12. ‘Open Science is an umbrella term that involves various movements

    to remove barriers from sharing scientific resources at all stages of research’ (FOSTER Project, European Union) Image by @smile_97 on Unsplash 6
  13. ‘Open Science is an umbrella term that involves various movements

    to remove barriers from sharing scientific resources at all stages of research’ (FOSTER Project, European Union) Open Access Open Source Citizen Science Education resources Scientific Networks Peer Review Notebooks Open Data … 6 Image by @smile_97 on Unsplash
  14. “…inclusion of individuals or groups who were previously excluded” Ref:

    C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness is.. 7 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/joining-hands
  15. “…inclusion of individuals or groups who were previously excluded” “...measured

    in terms of eligibility, opportunities, and involvement in decision- making and leadership” Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness is.. 7 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/joining-hands
  16. “…inclusion of individuals or groups who were previously excluded” “...measured

    in terms of eligibility, opportunities, and involvement in decision- making and leadership” “...achieved when members share and not compete for resources or power” Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness is.. 7 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/joining-hands
  17. Image by @huuduong, on Unsplash 9 Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)

    go hand in hand Diversity is the about “attracting different people” of diverse skills, backgrounds, and experiences to work together
  18. Image by @huuduong, on Unsplash 9 Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)

    go hand in hand Diversity is the about “attracting different people” of diverse skills, backgrounds, and experiences to work together Inclusion is about “empowering them” by providing an environment that brings the best of combined skills, backgrounds and experiences
  19. Inclusion vs Inclusiveness 8 Ref: C. Talmage and R. C.

    Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Image by @aaronburden on Unsplash
  20. Inclusion • Process by which a community values, includes and

    involves diversity to improve its well-being Inclusion vs Inclusiveness 8 Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Image by @aaronburden on Unsplash
  21. Inclusion • Process by which a community values, includes and

    involves diversity to improve its well-being Inclusion vs Inclusiveness 8 Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness • Outcomes of inclusive policies and actions undertaken in a diverse community to improve its well-being Image by @aaronburden on Unsplash
  22. Inclusion • Process by which a community values, includes and

    involves diversity to improve its well-being • Aims towards providing access to community resources to achieve social equality Inclusion vs Inclusiveness 8 Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness • Outcomes of inclusive policies and actions undertaken in a diverse community to improve its well-being Image by @aaronburden on Unsplash
  23. Inclusion • Process by which a community values, includes and

    involves diversity to improve its well-being • Aims towards providing access to community resources to achieve social equality Inclusion vs Inclusiveness 8 Ref: C. Talmage and R. C. Knopf, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, New Dimensions in Community Well-Being Inclusiveness • Outcomes of inclusive policies and actions undertaken in a diverse community to improve its well-being • Aims towards achieving diversity in community leadership and decision makers Image by @aaronburden on Unsplash
  24. 12 Can we improve this? Perceived success of the current

    efforts Are (these) efforts making a difference?
  25. Open R&D efforts democratizes accessibility and engagement in research but

    it can’t assure that it will happen. In fact it is inaccessible and unwelcoming to many 14
  26. Open R&D efforts democratizes accessibility and engagement in research but

    it can’t assure that it will happen. In fact it is inaccessible and unwelcoming to many - both who experience it and who can change it. 14
  27. Open R&D efforts democratizes accessibility and engagement in research but

    it can’t assure that it will happen. In fact it is inaccessible and unwelcoming to many - both who experience it and who can change it. 14
  28. Improving “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering •

    should address more problems. • Technical exchange • shouldn’t be limited by resources. • Inclusion of diversity • develops inclusive technologies. • Training • builds wider user-/learner-/contributor-base. 15
  29. Improving “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering •

    should address more problems. • Technical exchange • shouldn’t be limited by resources. • Inclusion of diversity • develop inclusive technologies. • Training opportunities • builds wider *-base. 15 Stuff you are awesome at
  30. Improving “global-ness” in tech communities • Science and engineering •

    should address more problems. • Technical exchange • shouldn’t be limited by resources. • Inclusion of diversity • develop inclusive technologies. • Training opportunities • builds wider *-base. Stuff you are awesome at Stuff you can learn and use to make your work even better
  31. European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Image copyright: EMBL EMBL is

    a Flagship in Europe that serves as a model for organisational structure in other research institutions
  32. Austria 1974 Denmark 1974 France 1974 Germany 1974 Israel 1974

    Italy 1974 Netherlands 1974 Sweden 1974 Australia 2008 Argentina 2014 India 2018 Switzerland 1974 United Kingdom 1974 Finland 1984 Greece 1984 Norway 1985 Spain 1986 Belgium 1990 Portugal 1998 Member States 24 Associate Member States Ireland 2003 Iceland 2005 Croatia 2006 Luxembourg 2007 Czech Republic 2014 Malta 2016 Hungary 2017 Slovakia 2018 Poland 2014 Lithuania 2015 Prospect Member States EMBL Member States
  33. Bio-IT – Bioinformatics community platform in EMBL Image by: Toby

    Hodges, Bio-IT, EMBL Training Technical exchange Bioinformatics 1 research D&I efforts
  34. Community Outreach & Training Deputy Training Coordinator of ELIXIR Germany

    • Provide training in computational skills and protein bioinformatics • Develop strategies for community engagements and equity • Cooperate with other computational and open source communities
  35. Bio-IT – Training efforts Course Overview • Introductory courses for

    biologists to gain computational skills • Advanced courses for learners to improve their skills
  36. Bio-IT – Training efforts Course Overview • Introductory courses for

    biologists to gain computational skills • Advanced courses for learners to improve their skills • Including external participants to connect with other researchers
  37. Bio-IT – Inclusive efforts Course Overview • Introductory courses for

    biologists to gain computational skills • Advanced courses for learners to improve their skills • Including external participants to connect with other researchers • Opportunities for volunteers to teach and gain experience • Teaching in external institutes to improve visibility
  38. Bio-IT – D&I efforts • Taskforce meeting with volunteers •

    Community Assessment to understand needs • Computational capacity assessment • Frequent social events (pizza & beer!) • Regular drop-in sessions • Coffee with individuals • Annual ‘Thank you BBQ’ • Hackathon!!!
  39. Bringing Global Perspective to Bio-IT Volunteer since 2015 Mozilla Open

    Leader 7 SSI Fellow 2019-20 Supporting since 2012
  40. Basic lab skills for scientific computing Skills to work effectively

    with Open Access data Foundational coding and data science skills for researchers worldwide Adapted from the slides provided by Tracy Teal, Director of The Carpentries For Library Professionals International Computational Community
  41. Data and images by Kari Jordan, Director of Assessment and

    Community Equity > 1500 instructors from 44 countries >37000 learners >1400 workshops
  42. Co-organized the 1st CarpentryCon conference for 125 international members “Feeling

    of belonging!” “We are all nerds wanting to help each other.” Join us as trainer, mentor, mentee, developer, CoC… https://carpentries.org
  43. Digital Storytelling for Shaping Culture • Creating more diverse opportunities

    • Understand the reward system for the community members • Create sustainable resources to facilitate participation
  44. Developing accessible training strategies in smaller communities • Developing central

    learning resources to enable peer-to-peer learning • Reducing dependencies on training conducted by advanced researchers • Contributing to the community engagement and sustainability
  45. 63

  46. 64 Brings isolated bioinformaticians together and creates space for them

    to feel welcomed and appreciated for their work and ideas!
  47. • Recruit diverse collaborators and employees. • Reach out to

    the members from external communities. • Understand your own limitations and list them out. • Be Genuine! https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/guide-web-content-accessibility/ What can we do to gain wider perspective? “[Aim to] give your users the best experience possible regardless of limitations or disabilities.”
  48. There are several ways! • Develop sustainable tools • Create

    accessible resources • Create learning materials • Teach a skill • Run a coding club • Learn about policy (specially about the different groups) • Support pro-open-research movements • …