In keeping with the call for proposals issued last month, we have selected recipients for small grants to increase the diversity and inclusivity of the Julia community by targeting or benefiting underrepresented populations in computing. We had the pleasure of reviewing many fantastic applications and were able to fund fewer than 20% of the proposals received. Though we were sad to turn people away, we are happy to have received such a large response, as it reflects the Julia community's investment in and enthusiasm for improving the nature of our community.
In alphabetical order, the recipients chosen and their project descriptions follow:
-
Kevin Bonham
This project will create an introductory programming course in Julia at Wellesley College targeted at biology majors and disseminate data on the inclusivity of the course to the broader Julia community. The initiative not only addresses diversity goals by targeting students at an all female college, but also by creating open source content for a STEM field that is dominated by women.
-
Anna Lee Harris
This project will facilitate uptake of Julia in the math curriculum at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a historically black university where more than 90% of the student population is African-American. This initiative will help faculty to develop curriculum incorporating evidence based instruction and coding in Julia to increase the engagement and success of their students taking College Algebra.
-
Gracielle Higino
This project will create content for and host two study groups with four introductory Julia workshops each, in Goiânia and Maceió, Brazil. The meetings will cover basic syntax, functions, data management and data visualization, and are open to anyone interested in learning Julia, with none or basic knowledge in this programming language. There is no registration fee, and limited funds will be available for travel or local expenses.
-
Henri Laurie
This project will create an introductory MOOC on programming in Julia targeted at nervous beginners, with all content made freely available on Coursera. By targeting true novices to programming, the initiative will help to make Julia more accessible to a much broader population than currently reached by the language.
-
Elwin van't Wout
This project will create and deliver materials teaching mathematical modeling in Julia to public high school students in Santiago, Chile. The initiative will target women and other students of socially diverse backgrounds and will be orchestrated by the Mathematical Engineering student chapter of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile as part of an attempt to recruit more diversity to their School of Engineering.