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As the 2024 Event Fund Fellowship draws to a close, we reflect on a year of programming, community events, and challenges in the DEI space. Across diverse projects, fellows designed and delivered community gatherings that pushed the boundaries of research software engineering. Meet our 2024 fellows and learn more about their events.
Some key takeaways from the 2024 fellows’ events:
1. Flexibility is Key
Many fellows had to pivot their original plans due to logistical challenges, participant preferences, or shifting goals. Whether transitioning from in-person to virtual formats or scaling down ambitious ideas, adaptability proved essential for success. For example, Sam redesigned his event to a virtual format, focusing on introducing alternative career paths in tech to computer science students. Bria scaled her book competition into an interactive workshop that explored anti-Blackness in tech and Georgiana shifted from a fellowship showcase to impactful panels and portfolio reviews, helping students navigate creative tech careers.
2. Engaging Participants Requires Creative Solutions
Engagement challenges were common across events, particularly with virtual formats and scheduling conflicts. Fellows found that smaller breakout groups, clear communication, and strategic scheduling helped create more meaningful interactions. Chris emphasized the importance of building relevant, “data business” skills that connected participants’ existing expertise to digital opportunities while Georgiana leveraged industry partnerships, like Pixar, to draw interest and provide valuable portfolio reviews.
3. Representation and Accessibility Matter
Events tailored to underrepresented communities highlighted the importance of representation and inclusive access. Fellows addressed barriers like internet costs, time zones, and knowledge gaps to reach their target audiences. For example, Chris redefined what it means to “build” in tech, empowering linguists and language users to see themselves as active contributors to AI and language technologies. Sam focused on internet data-conscious programming and targeted marketing to engage university students in Ghana.
4. Successes Beyond the Numbers
While attendance varied, the fellowship’s success is reflected in the impact on participants and the creation of lasting resources. Outputs include recordings, toolkits, and GitHub repositories, which will continue to serve as educational materials for broader audiences. Henri-Count's hackathon generated tools and scripts for climate change data analysis and computational linguistics, with plans for further development. Elizabeth's reinforcement learning event left participants eager for more in-depth learning experiences, with a plan to expand to a hackathon format in the future.
5. Sustained Engagement is the Goal
Many fellows plan to build on their 2024 events, iterating on feedback and lessons learned to create even more impactful programs in the future. The commitment to long-term community engagement and capacity building is a hallmark of this fellowship.
As we wrap up this year’s fellowship and close the Event Fund program at CS&S, we want to celebrate the 2024 cohort. Their work has laid a foundation for continued innovation and connection within the research software engineering and broader tech communities. Thank you to all the fellows, participants, and supporters, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Grant G-2023-20907), for making this journey possible.
Photo by Jude Infantini on Unsplash