Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are central to the goals of the IEEE Computer Society and all of its conferences. Equity at its heart is about removing barriers, biases, and obstacles that impede equal access and opportunity to succeed. Diversity goals aim to progress towards a research community and conference population that reflects the diversity of society. Inclusion is about creating a conference program and environment that is free from discrimination and where every participant feels welcome, included, respected, and safe. ICSME 2021 is dedicated to promoting the above goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Supporting Inclusion of Diversity in Cybersecurity Workforce
by Dr. Ambareen Siraj
Abstract: A strong cyber workforce is a diverse cyber workforce. To get there, intentional efforts to enable diverse groups to find and advance careers in cybersecurity are essential. As founder of both, Dr. Siraj will speak about how her center, the Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech University and her non-profit organization WiCyS are undertaking initiatives to make diversity and inclusion a critical part of their missions.
Bio: Dr. Ambareen Siraj is a professor of Computer Science and the founding director of Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC). She has served as the leader on several NSF and DoD education and workforce development grants. As of today in 2021, she has secured external grants over 12 million. Dr. Siraj’s research focus is on security in cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things, situation assessment in network security, security education and workforce development. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Siraj is passionate about training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, and encouraging women and other minorities to pursue an education in Computer Science and other STEM programs. She is the founder of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) conference and organization, an initiative to recruit, retain and advance women in cybersecurity.
IEEE Computer Society Open Conference Statement
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are central to the goals of the IEEE Computer Society and all of its conferences. Equity at its heart is about removing barriers, biases, and obstacles that impede equal access and opportunity to succeed. Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing diverse talents. Inclusion is the active engagement of Diversity and Equity.
A goal of the IEEE Computer Society is to foster an environment in which all individuals are entitled to participate in any IEEE Computer Society activity free of discrimination. For this reason, the IEEE Computer Society is firmly committed to team compositions in all sponsored activities, including but not limited to, technical committees, steering committees, conference organizations, standards committees, and ad hoc committees that display Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
IEEE Computer Society meetings, conferences and workshops must provide a welcoming, open and safe environment, that embraces the value of every person, regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, religion, national origin, ancestry, or disability. All individuals are entitled to participate in any IEEE Computer Society activity free of discrimination, including harassment based on any of the above factors.