Meet the 2024-25 CS-IDEA Committee

In both the workforce and educational pipeline, computer science remains one of the least diverse fields, particularly in terms of the involvement of women and underrepresented minorities.

Launching in 2019, the Computer Science Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (CS-IDEA) Committee is committed to supporting and recruiting a diverse community of students, staff, and faculty and helping everyone in this community to thrive. This requires deliberate work to build an inclusive and supportive environment for those from historically underrepresented and non-traditional backgrounds in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering.

Each year, students, faculty and staff are elected to the CS-IDEA Committee based on their passion for inclusiveness and willingness to do the work to build a better environment within the department for diverse voices. Learn more about the 2024-25 Committee and why they joined!

Eman Ramadan - IDEA Committee Chair/Lecturer and Research Associate (she/her) 

I am dedicated to enhancing the inclusivity of the computer science (CS) community, ensuring that individuals at all levels, including undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, staff, and faculty, have an equal opportunity for success by dismantling barriers. My commitment is reflected in my continuous involvement with this committee since its inception in 2019. This year, our focus is on fostering awareness regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues. We aim to achieve this by organizing engaging events and activities that unite the community. Additionally, we actively generate innovative ideas and propose initiatives to our highly supportive leadership, laying the groundwork for future improvements. Soliciting feedback from our community is a priority, as we value their input on crucial matters and welcome suggestions on how we can collectively transform the CS environment into a more inclusive and equitable space for everyone.

Nuredin Ali - Graduate Student (he/him)

I think today most people are already aware of the significant representational gap that exist in computing. We also know that to develop technologies that serve the entire society, we need diverse and representative voices in their creation, evaluation, deployment, assessment, etc. I strongly believe that such initiatives play a crucial role in steering the department’s direction towards reducing this gap and creating more welcoming environment, and I want to contribute to this effort.

John Bartucz - Teaching Specialist (he/him)

The field of computer science represents the most powerful tools in history, and for decades, it has struggled to represent the population at large, both academically and professionally. If we are going to live up to our ideals of providing equal opportunities for all students, we need to understand why this is happening and how we can improve. Systemic and systematic change is not easy, and requires a dedicated group of people to push for change. I am excited to be a small part of the group that is working on Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy. 

Favonia - Assistant Professor (any pronoun)

Because DEI cannot protect itself.

Mattia Fazzini - Assistant Professor (he/him)

I believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to the strength and health of our department. I would like to play a role in designing and deploying our efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.

Maria Gini - Professor (she/her)

Diversity, equity, and inclusiveness are under attack, but there is still much work to do to get to the point where the population in the computing discipline is diverse across multiple dimensions. Academia is a necessary path for leadership and innovation, so if there is no diversity in academia there will be no diversity in the profession. We, students, faculty, and staff, need to work to increase diversity in the department at all levels and roles. Things can be changed if we coordinate our efforts.

Elizabeth Jensen - Faculty (she/her)

I think this is a very important aspect of promoting our department, and it is important that we encourage a broad range of people to engage with computer science at all levels. It takes work to support and increase inclusion and diversity in the department, and I am committed to helping achieve these goals and activities.

Marissa Pederson - Staff (she/her)

I joined the CS-IDEA committee to promote the values of diversity within the department. Diversity helps ideas thrive within any space, and it is especially important that the computer science community embraces inclusion for all. When everyone is represented, technology and innovation can better serve society. 

Ebasa Temesgen - Graduate Student (he/him)

I joined the CS-IDEA committee because I believe that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science is essential for innovation and creating a welcoming environment where everyone can succeed.