IT Carlow Faculty of Engineering and Department of Computing achieve Athena Swan Bronze Awards

Institute of Technology Carlow is delighted to announce its Faculty of Engineering and its Department of Computing have achieved Athena Swan Bronze Award in recognition of work in advancing gender equality in academia, and in promoting diversity and inclusion for staff and students.

The Athena Swan Charter was first launched in Ireland in 2015 in a major national initiative supported by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Following a broad consultation across the HEI sector, in 2020 a new Charter was launched which is unique to Ireland. The new Charter guides and informs action plans, which will accelerate progress towards equality in universities, technological universities and institutes of technology. 

IT Carlow’s Faculty of Engineering and Department of Computing undertook a rigorous self-assessment process and achieved the Athena Swan Bronze Awards in late 2021.  This achievement acknowledges and commends the work and leadership demonstrated by the self-assessment teams across computing and engineering, together with the leadership and support provided by the institute’s Office for People and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Dr Keara Barrett, Athena Swan Project Manager lead said, “This Bronze Athena SWAN award is a very welcome acknowledgment of the department’s staff and students’ ongoing efforts to understand our ever-evolving equality challenges. The award also encourages the realisation of our comprehensive four-year action plan to address barriers to equality, including gender equality, and to develop a more inclusive department culture, which is known to foster creativity and drive innovation.”

Institute of Technology Carlow is the first higher education institution across the technological sector to achieve faculty and departmental Athena Swan Bronze Awards.  The institute’s Computing Department joins Trinity College Dublin’s School of Computer Science & Statistics and University of Limerick’s Department of Computer Science & Information Systems as the three computing departments to have achieved this award to-date. The Faculty of Engineering joins University College Dublin’s College of Engineering & Architecture and Trinity College Dublin’s School of Engineering as the three engineering faculties/schools/colleges to have achieved this award to-date.

Responding to the achievement, Dr Frances Hardiman, Head of Faculty of Engineering said, “This Athena SWAN Bronze award for the Faculty of Engineering in IT Carlow cements our vision in achieving equality, diversity and inclusivity for all our staff and students. It has been an insightful process and I am proud of our faculty that participated in an honest and meaningful self-assessment and is willing take action to support EDI for all members of our community.”

Caption: Faculty of Engineering Self-Assessment Team L-R: Dr Frances Hardiman; Dr Stephen Scully; Michelle Brick; Dr Violeta McLoone; Manasa Hegde; Patrick Byrne & Dr David Allen

Caption: Department of Computing self-assessment team, from left: Ms Bernadette Power, Dr Hisain Elshaafi, Dr Yvonne Kavanagh, Dr Martin Harrigan, Ms Gráinne Mulvey, Dr Keara Barrett, Dr Diarmuid Ó Sé, Dr Chris Meudec, Mr Nigel Whyte, Ms Maria O’Toole