Diversity within the computer science community is a major priority for the Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI). Its Women and Computer Science specialist group, in particular, does valuable work in this area. Diversity has also become firmly established as an important issue among the students involved in the GI. The online event series STEM Girls offers workshops for women and non-binary people, encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM while providing a safe space in which they can exchange ideas and build networks.
Initiatives such as Informatica Feminale make an important contribution to making computer science more accessible to everyone.
For this reason, the Executive Board of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. adopted the following recommendation as early as 1999:
“The Gesellschaft für Informatik recommends participation in the Informatica Feminale summer programme as a measure to support and promote women at universities and universities of applied sciences. It therefore asks all faculties and departments to draw their female students’ attention specifically to the summer programme, to recognise the academic certificates issued by the University of Bremen as part of the students’ respective degree programmes, and to provide financial support for their participation in the summer programme, for example by covering their travel expenses.”
Supporting students is more important today than ever, as demonstrated by the Archive of Subtle Discouragements.
This makes becoming part of a strong network all the more important. Incidentally, GI membership is free for students. Early-career professionals pay just EUR 25 in their first year of membership.