The 6th LGBTQ+ STEMinar will be held online because of Covid-19, hosted by the University of Oxford on 8 January 2021. Follow along on twitter using the hashtag #LGBTQSTEMinar21.
The conference is designed for people who work or study in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and are LGBTQ+. We aim to use the day to showcase work from diverse fields and to encourage collaborations between different departments, universities, companies and disciplines. To keep up to date on developments, join our mailing list.
To register or submit an abstract, complete this form.
Abstract submission deadline: Friday 20 November 2020 EXTENDED TO 27 NOVEMBER 2020
Decision on abstracts: Friday 18 December 2020
Registration deadline: Monday 4 January 2021
We have a conference Code of Conduct.
Conference Programme
The conference will run from 0945-1700 GMT using Zoom and Gather Town. Links have been sent to registered attendees prior to the event. There will also be an online social gathering and Indie Classics Disco following the event.
Download the conference programme (PDF) here.
Download the abstract book and speaker biographies (PDF) here.
How are abstracts evaluated? All abstracts go through a two-stage review process. In Stage 1, 4-5 reviewers representing diverse fields and identities evaluate abstracts blind, assessing the following criteria:
| Criteria | Excellent (3) | Good (2) | Insufficient (1) |
| Topic | The topic of this abstract is very relevant to the STEMinar. | The topic of this abstract is somewhat relevant to the STEMinar. | The topic of this abstract is irrelevant to the STEMinar. |
| Is the abstract understandable to a broad audience? | The contents of the contribution are well communicated and audience-adapted for accessibility in terms of language as well as structure. The argumentation is convincing and adapted in order not to exclude relevant groups. | The contents of the contribution are well communicated and audience adapted for accessibility in terms of language as well as structure. | The contribution fails to communicate in one or several of these areas: audience-adaptation, language, structure, referencing. |
| Does it present conclusions that seem to be supported by the arguments made? | Conclusions well supported by arguments made | Conclusions generally supported by arguments made | No conclusions presented, or no arguments supported |
For each abstract, your maximum score is 9; the minimum is 3. Scores can be in increments of 0.5. These results are then paired with identity information so that we can create a diverse series of speakers. This includes trying to balance among the axes of sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity, disability status, field of study and career stage. While we try to achieve as much diversity as we can, we’re of course limited by the abstracts we receive. We will be encouraging BAME and disabled LGBTQ+ STEM students and professionals in particular to submit abstracts. Presentation formats People registering for the event have the option to submit a poster, as well as an abstract for one of three types of talks:
- Pre-recorded and 1-2 minutes in length to accompany a poster.
- Short talks: 8 minutes with 2 minutes for questions
- Long talks: 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions.
Please do not feel like you must give a particular type of talk owing to your seniority, age, or career stage; we would like to invite you to decide what kind of personal and/or scientific story you want to tell, and to think about how best to tell it using one of the four options. If you would happily accept one or more options you will have the option to submit ranked preferences and also tell us in a few words why and how you settled on your first preference.
LGBTQ+ STEM 