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The second OVE Fem Meetup in online format on June 17 again met with great interest among female experts, innovators and female executives from the electrical engineering, information technology and energy industry. The event, held jointly with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, focused on the topics of women's careers, data science and artificial intelligence.
What measures can companies take to promote women's careers? Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, started the event by giving an insight into AIT's measures to empower women. Afterwards, two successful female researchers presented their undertakings and answered the interested questions of the participants.
Gender & Diversity at AIT
The topic of gender & diversity plays an important role at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, both in external and internal communication. Several working groups deal with the topic, and measures developed on this basis are implemented on an ongoing basis. Helmut Leopold, who has been responsible for gender issues at the AIT for the past two years, is convinced of the high relevance of the measures. "The question of competence and junior staff is becoming the determining success factor for many companies in view of the growing demand for IT experts in all areas of our lives. Women are urgently needed in IT. International leading excellence and innovative strength also in the digital sector can only be achieved through diversity and variety in order to make a sustainable contribution to the positive development of Austria as a business location."
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Two successful female researchers gave an insight into their projects at the OVE Fem Meetup. On what basis does artificial intelligence (AI) make decisions? And why is it important to keep AI controllable? Anahid Naghibzadeh-Jalali, Scientist at the Center for Digital Safety & Security at AIT, talked about this. Jasmin Lampert, also a scientist at the Center for Digital Safety & Security, then spoke about big data analysis and how it can contribute to a better understanding of the Corona pandemic, for example. Big Data analysis is literally the search for a needle in a haystack, and the researcher concluded that there is a need for ongoing research into new methods based on artificial intelligence.
Networking in virtual space
Like the previous network meetings, the second OVE Fem online meetup offered the opportunity to network in virtual rooms after the presentations. At the suggestion of OVE Fem Chair Michaela Leonhardt, participants discussed hybrid working and existing best practices. "Working online is efficient with good planning and preparation, as the pandemic has shown us. But personal contact must not be neglected. The next challenge is already waiting for us: with hybrid working, we will have to reconcile both and break new ground in leadership as well as teamwork. We at OVE Fem will continue to devote ourselves to these current topics. Because dealing professionally with new framework conditions can be a career turbo for women," says Leonhardt.
The date for the next OVE Fem Meetup has already been set: on October 4, Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler will speak about ways to successfully transform the energy system, energy policy and Female Power. Info and registration at: https://www.ove.at/ove-network/ove-fem