For the first time, Hochschule Luzern (HSLU) will officially sponsor Switzerland’s first women-friendly hackathon, Hack’n’Lead 2023, an event organised by women++ and designed to give women starting or transitioning into tech the chance to experiment and improve their skills in a safe and supportive environment.
As a volunteer at women++ and a student at HSLU, I was eager to understand HSLU’s motivation in supporting Hack’n’Lead and its commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. This led me to interview Shaelom Fisher, Docent and Deputy Head of the AI/ML Bachelor program and the leader of the project addressing the underrepresentation of female lecturers and students within the Lucerne School of Computer Science and Information Technology.
Shaelom holds a master’s degree in psychology and maths and has been a docent at HSLU for over four years now. At HSLU she teaches statistics, maths, philosophy, art, and AI. Growing up, Shaelom considers herself privileged to have been shielded from the gender math stereotype. Instead of being put off, her father encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree with a specialisation in maths, which led to a successful career in academia. During our pleasant conversation, Shaelom shared HSLU’s current efforts to increase the number of female lecturers and how she came to be the Project Lead.
Could you share the current female participation ratio in HSLU’s IT and AI programs?
We had a researcher come in to analyse the stats for our programs and compare them to other institutions, The results showed that, in the Information Technology program, we do not have a lot of female students, we have like 13% on average and in the Artificial Intelligence degree, we have even less; it is 9% or something.
Although we are on par with other schools, we recognise that we could do better.
How did the findings of that research lead to HSLU supporting Hack’n’Lead?
The research showed a correlation between the number of female students and the number of female lecturers. And, although correlation does not mean causation, we thought, what if we increased the number of female lecturers? And that is why I started this project to kind of get more female lectures in. And then, when I heard about this hackathon, I thought: “Oh, that’s exactly what we need.” Not only, will we be able to advertise HSLU programs to potential students taking part in the hackathon, but also to professional women who might be interested in working with us.
Why aren’t women applying for the lecturer positions at HSLU and how can Hack’n’Lead help with that?
To address this issue, we looked into the HR hiring process and identified potential issues that explained it. We found out that the positions were not advertised on the channels that women usually look at and that is why, we are now trying different channels, Hack’n’Lead being one of them. Also, another problem is that women are
just not hearing about the open positions which is linked to how we hire. Oftentimes, when we have an open position, the team first reach out to their contacts and then goes through there. Participating in Hack’n’Lead will create awareness about the opportunities within HSLU.
What is it like to be a lecturer at HSLU?
I am glad you asked that because one of the things that we want to somehow advertise to other women is that it is such an amazing place to work. As a woman with a young child, I can say, you have the flexibility, and it is possible to have a work-life balance.
Any other considerations about the partnership between HSLU and Hack’n’Lead?
Yes, I would like to emphasize that HSLU is thrilled to sponsor Hack’n’Lead because we genuinely align with its mission. By attracting more female students to our programs and hiring more female lecturers, we aim to increase the number of women in tech and help reduce the gender gap. HSLU mentors, including myself, will be on-site helping participants solve the challenges and answer questions about the AI/ML programs and discuss available lecturer positions at HSLU.
For me, it was a pleasure to hear Shaelom’s experiences and witness HSLU’s proactive approach to addressing the underrepresentation of women in academia. I strongly believe that by joining forces with women++, HSLU is helping to empower more women to start and advance in their tech careers confidently. As a women-friendly and inclusive initiative, Hack’n’Lead gives women and all genders, especially those starting or transitioning to tech, the opportunity to explore career paths, learn new skills, innovate with cutting-edge technology, and network with inspiring professionals. If you’re interested, please note that applications for Hack’n’Lead 2023 are open until the 22nd of October but act fast! Spots are limited and fill up on a rolling basis. Apply here!
