LISA'12: Are we there yet?

Today I read an interesting article called Women in physics: Are we there yet? The author, Pauline Gagnon, looks at the gender gap in the field of physics, and she notes that the situation is improving:

In 2008, the fraction of women in the ATLAS collaboration was 15.6%. Four years later, we now account for 19.9% of the 1952 authors signing scientific papers and still active members of ATLAS. Half of these women are 36 years or younger, whereas only 33% of all men in ATLAS belong to this category. Below the age of 30, women account for 30% of all physicists in that age group, showing that more and more women are joining the field.

But then she asks, "So the representation of women is increasing steadily and encouragingly. But are women physicists getting a fair share?" Gagnon looks at the results of an American Institute of Physics study (PDF):

The survey showed that female physicists are invited speakers less often than their male colleagues. They get fewer opportunities to travel abroad, fewer resources (grant money, office space, hired staff) and fewer students to supervise. They are also less likely to serve on important committees, thesis committees or conference organizing committees. This held for all women, from developing countries as well as very developed countries. The differences were statistically significant in all cases given the large pool of respondents.

Gagnon's article stood out to me because we face a similar situation in the field of computer science. Fortunately, organizations and individuals are actively working to help increase diversity in computer science, and I think we're starting to see results. (The Ada Initiative, for example, is a relatively new non-profit organization that supports women in open technology and culture.)

Although I've only been with USENIX for about a year, I've had many opportunities over the past decade or so to work with USENIX members and its conference organizers, and to attend LISA (the Large Installation System Administration Conference) several times. The survey results Gagnon quotes made me think about our 2012 LISA event, which will be held December 9-14 in San Diego. Carolyn Rowland, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is the LISA '12 Program Chair, and like previous program chairs, she announced an impressive lineup. (Kudos to all our LISA '12 organizers for this great lineup of experts!)

Women in Advanced Computing

Carolyn was the program co-chair for our first Women in Advanced Computing Summit (WiAC'12), which was held in conjunction with the 2012 USENIX Federated Conferences Week last summer. We'll also be having a WiAC birds of a feather session at LISA '12, so put that on your calendar (Tuesday, December 11, 7-8PM).

This year, we announced LISA '12 Grants for Women, sponsored by Google. All female computer scientists from academia or industry are encouraged to apply. Five women will be selected from the applicants to receive $700 US to apply toward travel/accommodation costs. The deadline to receive applications is Monday, November 5, 2012, 11:59 p.m. PST.

LISA '12 Grants

In addition to seeing lots of familiar faces and old friends at LISA '12, we hope to see a bunch of first-time attendees, including students. With the help of our sponsors, USENIX offers student grants, but the student grant application deadline is almost here: Monday, November 5, 2012.

Are we there yet?

I don't expect any of us to kick back after LISA '12 and say, "We're there. Project 'Increase Diversity in Computer Science' is now complete." But I do hope we can look back on LISA '12 as our most diverse event yet. If you would like to help, please tell your friends and colleagues about our grants so they don't miss the application deadline.

Related article:
How a USENIX Student Grant Can Lead to a Career in Technology