The purpose of the GradSWE Awards are 1) to promote accomplished members and groups within the GradSWE community and 2) to prepare individuals and groups for successful Society-wide awards applications.

Awards Applications for FY22 are due February 10, 2022 at 11:59PM PST and the application templates for outstanding groups can be found here and individuals can be found here.

UPDATE: Access the judging rubrics here.

Questions about the GradSWE Awards program? Contact the Graduate Member Coordinator at grad-coordinator@swe.org. The GMC and GMC-E will be holding office hours January 18th at 5PM PST/ 6PM MST/ 7PM CST/ 8PM EST and February 3rd at 4PM PST/ 5PM MST/ 6PM CST/ 7PM EST  to answer any questions via zoom.

For more information about the SWE Awards programs, visit the SWE Awards homepage.
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“Diversity is being invited to the party, Inclusion is being asked to dance, and Belonging is dancing like no one’s watching,” this is a beautiful quote by Diversity and Inclusion expert Verna Myers. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are essential for uplifting society, organizations, and oneself. To this end, the GradSWE Diversity & Inclusion Team hosted an informative panel discussion featuring experts from industry and academia who are at the forefront of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. The panel shared their insights on the importance and ways of promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity in both the classroom and workplace. 

The panel consisted of: 

• Ms. Tamara Fields - Office Managing Director for Accenture in Austin and the Director of Operations for Accenture’s U.S. South Market Unit, 
• Ms. Devoreaux Walton - Global Diversity and Inclusion Learning Manager at IBM, 
• Dr. Sarah Fick - Assistant Professor of Science Education at Washington State University, 
• Dr. Stephanie Sisco - Assistant Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota,
• Dr. Amir Gilmore - Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education. Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion for Student Success and Retention at Washington State University.

The panel discussed the importance of DEI in the classroom, emphasizing that bringing a multicultural perspective to the classroom aids in improved learning and expansion of knowledge while helping students build character. The panelists also described the measures they took as the leaders in their fields to support DEI. The panel agreed that DEI initiatives would be successful only if everyone believed in their value. It is essential to ensure those initiatives or policies are deliberately implemented rather than merely represented on paper. They also discussed the importance of investing in DEI especially keeping the tech industry in mind. Technology is improving every day, and it will be deeply embedded into our lives in the future. The panel notes that DEI should be considered from the standpoint of the people involved and the product. For example, suppose we are developing face recognition software. In that case, it should be able to recognize people from all backgrounds and colors, which can only be achieved if DEI is incorporated at the individual, organizational, and product development levels. The panel discussion ended with a Q&A session, and it was both thrilling and enlightening. We live in a diverse world, and DEI education is crucial and needs to be taken very seriously.

Join the GradSWE D&I discussions in the future to learn how to create a more diverse and inclusive atmosphere for everyone to succeed. 

Signup for the GradSWE D&I email list: https://forms.office.com/r/5kLcue3XJS

Vishnupriya Jonnalagadda
Webinar Coordinator
FY22 GradSWE Diversity and Inclusion Team