Representatives of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute took part in the "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2022", which took place in Warsaw on June 7 and 8, and gathered more than 10,000 participants from 50 countries in both online and offline modes.
It was attended by ambassadors of the largest technology companies (Intel, Google, Orange, Accenture, Electrolux, Allegro, Glovo, etc.), and the best technical universities in Poland and the world. The honor of opening this year's meeting was given to the mayor of Warsaw - Rafał Trzaskowski. About 100 representatives of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute took part in the event online and face-to-face. They participated in discussions about the introduction of the latest technologies and a scientific seminar for women researchers. It is worth pointing out that the Ukrainian students, post-graduate students and scientists were met with stormy applause. Everybody expressed understanding and support, and condemned russia's war against Ukraine.
It is known that "Perspektywy Women in Tech" is a part of the educational foundation "Perspektywy Education". It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that has been operating since 1998 and specializes in youth support. Events for women are aimed at career counseling, building an innovative ecosystem in Poland and Europe, and wide implementation of innovative solutions in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The idea of creating "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit" arose in 2017, when the IT for SHE project won the award for the best action in Europe for building digital competences. Over the years, "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit" has become the largest European conference for women in the field of information technologies.
"Recently, the number of women in the technical field has been steadily increasing," says forum participant, master student Khrystyna Halytska. "So, the meeting in Poland demonstrated the important role of women in the exact sciences and professions related to technology." Delegations from Poland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine were especially numerous. "During the summit, we had the opportunity to talk with representatives of the most successful international companies, including employees of Accenture, Amazon, Cisco, Corning, Electrolux, Google, HSBC, Infor, Intel, Orange, Bloomberg, etc.," - the student continued. – “They willingly answered our questions and invited us to participate in interesting and informative contests and intellectual quizzes." The participants also had the opportunity to visit workshops, exchange ideas, listen to interesting presentations by professionals, try their hand at graphic design and watch movies with virtual reality glasses. But the most important thing is , according to the delegate, these are new acquaintances and communication, because "Perspectywy Women in Tech Summit" is an event that "not only enriches knowledge and experience, but also gives new good friends."
Nadiya Talimonova and Tetyana Klymenko, associate professors of the Department of Printing Technology of VPI, recall their participation in the scientific meeting with no less emotion: "The impressions of participating in the "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit" are only positive! Thank you for the opportunity to join the workshops of leading IT companies, interesting discussions on educational and research technologies of the future and to share best practices of professional growth". They also paid attention to the eco-orientation of the event and focusing on the global problems of climate change.
Oleksandra Rodygina, a 1st category specialist of the Scientific and Technical Library, is overwhelmed with the impressions of participating in the summit and scientific communication: "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2022" is, without exaggeration, a gala day for women in IT. It is a brilliant opportunity to exchange knowledge, experience and views with girls and women from other countries, as well as the ability to enjoy simple live communication without borders and restrictions; we forgot what that luxury is like during the last quarantine years. In fact, the first vivid impression of the summit struck me even before it began - in the lobby of the hostel, from where a volunteer was supposed to pick up the participants from Ukraine and take them directly to "Expo XXI", which has become the home of "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2022" these days. When I went down there, it seemed as if I was at the celebration of Vyshyvanka Day: dozens of proud, beautiful Ukrainian women in embroidered shirts. It was both unexpected and completely expected and natural at the same time."
Next, the scientist reflects on the diversity of the scientific components of the event: "Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2022" covered an extremely wide range of issues: from ways to find inspiration and increase your productivity to consideration of the impact of the latest technologies on the financial sphere, from general discussions about what women can do today to solve climate problems, to the meeting dedicated to the challenges faced by Ukrainian women in IT during the war".
" EXPO XXI Warszawa," - she adds, - "is another source of bright and somewhat eclectic experiences for everyone who participated in the summit: original (sometimes very original!) stands, meaningful communication and unexpected activities. Extremely interesting and memorable! By the way, it was very nice to see the stands of Polish higher education institutions alongside the stands of Google and other international giants. This is really important and absolutely right."
The participants still have to think through what they saw and heard, but they are unanimous in one thing: everyone got great impressions and useful information.