Women and Girls in STEM Forum 2024

10 October 2024
Live-streamed from Budapest (Hungary)
 

The Women and Girls in STEM Forum is the annual flagship event of the Girls Go Circular initiative, led by the EIT Community, in cooperation with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Commission (DG-EAC).

Women in AI: Driving Empowerment and Innovation

Over the past four years, the Women and Girls in STEM Forum has attracted over 4,500 participants to identify key actions to bridge the gender gap in STEM and ICT, dismantle gender stereotypes and empower girls to pursue career dreams in science and technology.  

This year’s Forum highlighted AI’s transformative power in closing the gender gap in STEM. It brought together a diverse group of experts who shared insights, success stories, and strategies through engaging panels and speeches. Attendees learnt how AI can foster inclusive opportunities for women, from tailored education programmes to supportive professional networks, emphasising mentorship, representation, and policy reform.

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Women and Girls in STEM Forum 2024 Agenda

Time

Session

Description

9:15-10:00

Arrival and Registration

10:00-10:10

Agenda and Housekeeping

Welcoming remarks by the moderator, Magali Minet.

10:10-10:20

Opening plenary

Welcome and Keynote Speech by Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission, and Ilaria Tagliavini, Head of Operations at EIT.

Session 1: Overcoming Barriers – Addressing Gender Bias in AI

10:20-11:00

Panel Discussion

Speakers

  • Caitlin Kraft Buchman, CEO/Founder of Women at the Table & the < A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms.
  • Fatih Girişken, CEO of Dubme Soft.
  • Helga Sasdi, Chairperson of Board of Directors at WeAreOpen.
  • Orsolya Vasarhelyi, Assistant Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest, Center for Collective Learning.

This session will focus on the challenges and biases women face in AI, including how AI can both perpetuate and help dismantle these biases.

Session 2: Innovating for Inclusion – AI Solutions for Women’s Empowerment

11:00-11:30

Fireside chat

Speakers:

  • Veronica Stefan, Expert AI & Education and AI & Human Rights at the Council of Europe.
  • Ishita Barua, MD PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Health AI Officer at Livv Health.

This session will highlight groundbreaking AI applications that specifically address the challenges faced by women and girls in the crucial sector of education and healthcare.

11:30-11:50

☕️ Coffee break ☕️

Session 3: Exploring the Future – Girls Go Circular Student Challenge

11:50-12:55

Student Challenge finale

Jury Members:

  • Yalda Alhabib, Project Manager at Humans in the Loop.
  • Dana Kube, Research Manager at DIPF Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education.

The three finalist teams of the Girls Go Circular Student Challenge will pitch their idea for an AI tool reducing gender inequalities on stage in front of an expert jury and the public.

12:55-13:10

Audience Choice Award

Winner Announcement of the Audience Choice Award by Urska Bux, Senior Programme Manager at the EIT Work In Health Foundation.

13:10-13:25

Awards ceremony

Winner announcement of the Girls Go Circular Student Challenge by the Jury and Antonia Ciappara, 2023 Student Challenge Winner.

13:25-13:30

Closing plenary

Closing remarks by the moderator, Magali Minet.

[End of the live-stream]

13:30-15:00

🍽️ Lunch and EIT Educational fair 

The EIT Community Education will showcase some of its educational activities in an interactive exhibition [for on-site participants only].

Exhibitors:

Student Challenge 2024: AI for Gender Equality

This year, Girls Go Circular invited its students to explore the world of AI and its potential to solve real-life societal challenges. Our Challenge aimed to equip students with essential AI knowledge, boost their creative and problem-solving skills, and empower them to enact positive change. A total of 234 girls participated in 24 European countries. Check out their incredible work!

Participants were tasked with developing an AI tool to help reduce gender inequalities in the area of their choice (education, employment, sciences, arts, sports…, etc.). The finalists will pitch their idea on stage at the Women and Girls in STEM Forum in front of an expert Jury.