We will be holding a high level roundtable that will explore the impact of gender/sex on innovation and novel technologies (iGIANT™) on Sunday, October 29, 2017 from 7:00-9:30PM at the residence of Dr. Nancy RG Church, 180 East Pearson Street, Unit 3301, Chicago, IL 60611.
Gender and sex impact every aspect of our daily lives on Earth and in space. According to the National Academy of Medicine, “gender” refers to a person’s self representation as male or female based upon social interactions and “sex” is based upon an individual’s genes.
Understanding and using these definitions correctly have become more complicated by the enhanced knowledge of the environment on gene expression (epigenetics).
Thus, sex and gender are sometimes used interchangeably. NASA as well as other agencies and organizations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have policies on the inclusion of gender/sex in research studies and programs.
The iGIANT program, designed at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and now a non-profit organization, consists of a series of roundtables, innovation challenges andprizes, scholarships, and a seal of approval for design elements to accelerate the translation of research into gender/sex-specific design elements, such as programs, products, policies or protocols.
The purpose of a roundtable is to establish a common dialog about best design practices and to inspire participants to serve as ambassadors for innovation. These events have convened stakeholders from government, industry, academia and advocacy groups. There have been over 25 roundtables since the July 2015 launch at the Department of Health and Human Services as well as a roundtable at NASA Headquarters in August 2016.
The roundtable will be moderated by Dr. Saralyn Mark, founder and president of iGIANT.