The DEC Equality&Diversity committee is hosting an event around the topic of mental health, with PhD students working on this topic giving a flash talk that day. The aim of the flash talks will be to highlight the work that is being done on this topic within and in collaboration with the DEC. A seminar will be given by an invited speaker, Dr Astrid Chevance.
Invited speaker:
Abstract: Are the brains of women and men the same or different? Or maybe it’s the wrong question? Sex-related variables affect brain structure and function and there are group-level differences between women and men in specific measures of brain and behavior. These are often taken as supporting the existence of ‘male’ and ‘female’ brains.
In an effort to address the gender balance at DEC and its evolution, an yearly evaluation of the gender of the members of the department (at different labs and positions) is made. The data collected can be used to develop strategies to improve gender balance at the department, and evaluate the impact of the efforts made.
Learning and decision making have hitherto been investigated almost exclusively in multicellular neural organisms. Yet, evidence for learning and decision making have been described in single celled organisms : ciliates and slime molds for instance. In this conference, in the first part of my talk, I will focus on decision making in slime molds and explore various frameworks: nutritional geometry, speed versus accuracy trade-off, Weber's law and social influence.
What do you hope the film will achieve?
The 11th of February marks the international day for women and girls in science. To celebrate this occasion, the DEC Equality & Diversity committee, in collaboration with the Physics and Geosciences departments of ENS, are organizing a Wikipedia edit-a-thon.
The DEC Equality & Diversity Committee is happy to present a virtual screening of the movie Picture A Scientist (https://www.
About the movie:
Negative stereotypes pervade people's lives. Its recognition is the first step towards fighting prejudice. A mindful awareness of your own implicit bias allows you to commit to positive actions to combat prejudice.
You can find bellow some concrete steps to diminish the impact of bias in your life.
FREE PASTRIES (with discussion of implicit bias in academia)
On Monday, January 20, the DEC Equality & Diversity Team will host a viewing of an online talk on practical advice for reducing implicit bais in academia (see abstract and speakers below), followed by a brief discussion. This talk was part of a 2019 online SFN workshop. Please note that without an SFN membership, watching this online would cost $150, so please take advantage of this free viewing. In addition, you will be able to take advantage of FREE PASTRIES AND COFFEE.
