To support the Sensors Council in ensuring activities and policies are supporting a diverse and inclusive environment the IEEE Sensors Council Diversity & Inclusion Committee was established in 2020.
IEEE Sensors Council New Initiative for Supporting Under-represented Nations:
The overarching aim of the “Supporting Underrepresented Nations” New Initiative is to improve IEEE Sensor Council engagement with IEEE members in the technical areas and professions related to sensors who are resident in Africa and Latin America. The project will provide the resources (financial, educational and mentoring) to IEEE members in these regions to actively partake in IEEE Sensor Council activities. This will include support to attend the IEEE SENSORS Conference, publish in IEEE Sensors Journal and IEEE Sensors Letters, and to host local events. Through this initiative we will strive to identify committed volunteers and support them through mentoring to become a more active part of the IEEE Sensors Council, e.g. initially as sub-committee members, with increased leadership positions in the long term. With the encouragement of active participation in these events the Council can continue to grow its representation in these regions and to overall improve its geographical diversity.
The funding will be used in a number of ways to support researchers in these regions.
A travel grant scheme will be established to support early career researchers (Young Professionals and PhD students) to attend the IEEE SENSORS Conference. 4 grants will be available each year, covering conference registration and up to $1,000 travel expenses.
Authors from low-income countries are already eligible for waivers and discounts on open access article processing charges in fully open access journals. As the IEEE Sensors Journal and IEEE Sensors Letters follow a hybrid model, this support is not available for these journals. Authors from under-represented nations who have a paper accepted for publication in IEEE Sensors Journal and IEEE Sensors Letters can apply for a grant to support publishing their research as Open Access. 4 grants will be available each year covering the Open Access publishing fee. (Sensors Journal: 2 x $ 2195; Sensors Letters: 2 x $1850)
The New Initiative will support hosting local events. While we will encourage the development of virtual and hybrid events to reduce costs and ensure events can be accessible to as many as possible, we will support hosting local events particularly where there is a clear demonstration of sensors activity in the area and a chapter formation could be possible. Up to $5,000 will be available to support such events.