Computer Vision News - July 2016

CVPR Daily: That’s very interesting because several times I’ve heard women saying that being the only woman was a limitation. But if I were the only man among many women, I wouldn’t feel isolated. Why is it so different? Danna: I would say the life challenges are different for men and women. Long term, a lot of us in academia think of our academic career and how to balance that with a home life. I also think there are other female aspects. There’s something intangible about having someone you can relate to that way. When I think about a role model, typically I feel more connected to a female. That story matches mine better . As a counterpoint, my father was a faculty in computer science . He was one of my main mentors. He’s been a strong male presence in my life, especially in computer science. CVPR Daily: What would you like to achieve in your career? Danna: I would like to have my work help save lives. I work a lot in the microscopy and the medical imaging space. My greatest wish is that something I do will in some way help save someone’s life . CVPR Daily: What are the chances that you give yourself to be able to fulfil this hope one day? Danna: I think it’s quite possible. As a mentor, I can be a voice that creates a movement for this area. Whether it’s me or someone I teach, both feel equally good. CVPR Daily: You may have noticed that CVPR Daily highlights the diversity of people who are part of our research community, in particular introducing the many brilliant women at this year's CVPR. What do you think of that? Danna: I trust those that are making the decisions. It’s interesting to me, and I don’t think I have the full picture. I just trust that there’s some value in trying to put a lot of female faces out there. Maybe it’s just a small thing of making the younger females coming to CVPR feel like they fit in. It could make a long term impact on females going forward. I’m not really sure of the intention, but I can imagine good outcomes from it. CVPR Daily: Thursday “ I worked in the industry for five years, and I found that I was typically alone as a female. That was harder ” Women in Computer Vision 5 BEST OF CVPR DAILY