ROSCon 2019 Diversity Scholarships: Applications Open
Whoever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you do it, if you’re interested in ROS, then we want you to join us at ROSCon in Macau October 31st – November 1st!
Scholarship
The ROSCon 2019 organizing committee aims for ROSCon to represent the entire ROS community, which is diverse and global. In addition to promoting technology that is open source, we strive to ensure that our community is as open and accessible as possible. Inclusion and diversity benefit the ROS ecosystem as a whole.
To help reduce financial barriers to conference attendance, the ROSCon organizing committee is offering a number of scholarships to members of traditionally underrepresented groups in the robotics community. Thanks to the support of the program’s sponsors, each scholarship includes one complimentary conference registration and three nights’ accommodation shared with another recipient*. Limited travel support is available for participants whose travel to the conference would otherwise be infeasible**. Please note that all other expenses (including any visa requirements) will be the responsibility of the participant.
*To maximize the impact of scholarship funds, scholarship recipients will be asked to share a room with another recipient. Under special circumstances alternative arrangements can be accommodated.
**Participants will be responsible for covering their travel expenses up front, as the travel support will be provided after the conference has been attended.
Eligibility
We invite applications from members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the robotics community, including but not limited to: women, people in LGBTQIA communities, people with disabilities, people from racial and/or ethnic minorities in the robotics community, and people from developing nations who may not otherwise be able to attend ROSCon.
Previous ROSCon Diversity Scholarship recipients are not eligible to re-apply.
We are proud to share this feedback from past participants of the Diversity Program.
The ROSCon Diversity Scholarship Program provided me with an opportunity that would have been completely impossible without it. I was able to attend my first robotics conference and feel empowered to keep working to try and make a positive impact on this community. Also, it was very encouraging to see so many companies stepping up to promote and enable diversity within their companies and the robotics community. Thank you!
ROSCon 2017 scholarship participant
ROSCon has been an incredible experience. It is really encouraging to see that everyone in the robotics community is really welcoming and willing to share their expertise. I learned a lot and I met incredible people. This experience inspired and motivated me to contribute more to the robotics community and make a positive impact.
ROSCon 2018 scholarship participant
We also have a blog post of the 2017 Diversity Program.
Sponsors
The ROSCon 2019 Diversity Program is made possible with generous support from the following sponsors:
Acutronic Robotics
Apex.AI
Autoware
Centre for Healthcare Assistive & Robotics Technology
Changi General Hospital
Locus Robotics
Tier IV
If your organization is interested in getting involved in the Diversity Program, please contact us: roscon-2019-oc@openrobotics.org
How to apply
To apply, fill out this form by June 2nd 2019, describing how you are involved with ROS and the robotics community, and what you hope to get out of attending ROSCon. Scholarships will be awarded based on a combination of need and impact. Every applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.
For more information about ROSCon 2019, including the program, code of conduct, and childcare options, please see ROSCon 2019.
Thank you to the conference Platinum Sponsor, Amazon, and to our Gold Sponsors: Acutronic Robotics, ADLINK, Apex.AI, ClearPath Robotics, EProsima, Fetch Robotics, iRobot, Microsoft, Silexica, Rapyuta Robotics, ROBOTIS, Tier IV, Toyota Research Institute, and Ubuntu.