The Athena Group is a safe space for all members of our institute to discuss topics including but not limited to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Regardless of your personal or professional identity, we encourage you to join and participate in our events and discussions. Through the informal and regular meetings of the Athena Group, we want to foster an inclusive and supportive environment and allow individuals to share experiences about their career paths, benefit from a supportive and safe community, and work together to address relevant issues. Please join us if you are interested in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in science and engineering.
The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) currently has Athena Groups in both Stuttgart and Tübingen. Our neighboring institute in Stuttgart, the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, also has an Athena Group; more information can be found on their website.
Announcements for the groups' meetings are advertised through the joint MPI-IS Athena Mattermost channel. If you are an MPI-IS employee and do not yet have access to Mattermost, please consult this guide. Furthermore, if you are a scientist at another MPI or are passionate about supporting DEIB in science and engineering and want to become more involved with the Athena Group, please contact us at athena@is.mpg.de. We also encourage you to consult the MPI-IS resources on equal opportunities.
The Athena Group at the Stuttgart site of MPI-IS was founded in 2017, and Tübingen Athena Group was founded in 2019. These groups were initially organized to promote gender equality at each site of MPI-IS. Starting in 2023, we began to discuss parenting in academia, mental health resources, and a wider range of topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in academia.
Each site meets monthly, discussing topics proposed by members and also bringing external speakers for special events. Our meetings and lunches are open to the entire institute. If you would like to be more involved, please join our Mattermost channel.