Q1: What was the purpose of WINART2?
A1: The main purpose of the WINART2 workshop was to bring together women and non-binary people to do research in various subfields of noncommutative algebra and in representation theory. A secondary purpose of the workshop was to help expand the professional network of its participants.
There were 8 research groups consisting of 4-6 participants total, each led by 2 research leaders. We had a variety of research topics present at WINART2, and we formed groups several months before the workshop so that participants had ample time to prepare for and share ideas for projects.
Q2: How did WINART2 run?
A2: WINART2 ran nearly in the same fashion as WINART1 (see Section 2 of the WINART1 BIRS final report), but with a couple of improvements as discussed below. In short, the vast majority of the week was set aside for research group meetings; there were few talks and there was some social/ professional development activities.
Q3: What improvements have been made based on experiences from WINART1? How did the organizers better aid the WINART2 research groups?
A3: We issued a survey at the end of WINART1 to get constructive and anonymous feedback. Resulting from this, the two changes that we introduced for WINART2 are (1) the matching system described in (A6) for group formation, and (2) we provided explicit tips on how the group could proceed (e.g., timeline for providing reading materials, remote meetings before the workshop, when would be a good time to have a concrete project in mind, post-workshop writing).
Regarding (2), we only provided some reminders before WINART1, but we were more explicit for this workshop. Also, we cannot and do not wish to enforce any guidelines on group leaders— we wanted the process to be as stimulating, creative, and productive as possible.
Q4: How do the WINART workshops compare with the other research collaboration workshops for women and non-binary people?
A4: The purpose of the collaborative workshops are the same, but the structure is slightly different from area to area. In the initial planning of WINART1, we modeled much of our planning off of WIT due to the proximity of our research areas. For instance, we had few talks at WINART1 and plan to have even fewer at WINART2 so that there was more time to work (as requested by some who replied to our survey). Also, we do not have a proceedings volume for WINART2; publications will go through the usual channels.
Q5: How and when were group leaders selected for WINART2?
A5: The deadline for group leader applications was May 20, 2018. Collaborative experience and reasons for wanting to lead a group were taken into account, along with the need for a good range of topics present at the workshop.
We confirmed group leader selection in late May/ early June 2018, so that we can advertise the workshop over the Summer 2018 and have participant applications due in early August 2018. This way, groups were formed before the start of the Fall 2018 terms.
Q6: How were participants selected and how much say did group leaders have in the formation of the group?
A6: We had an application process for participants in which they indicated preferences for research group leaders, with deadline August 1, 2018. After the deadline, we provided group leaders with the list of applicants interested in working with them. Group leaders specified their preferences to the organizers, and the organizers formed groups based on these preferences along with other factors. For instance, we wanted to make sure that the workshop was diverse in various ways (mathematically, geographically, ethnically, rank-wise, institution-type-wise). We also had a preference to accept applicants who did not participate in WINART1, nor had a prior/ current connection to a WINART2 group leader (e.g., student, postdoc, collaborator). We did not give firm numbers on how many of the applicants could the group leaders choose as the composition of the whole workshop needed to be considered.
Q7: When did applicants find out whether they have been accepted to the workshop and to which group they belong?
A7: The organizers announced the results in mid-August 2018.
Q8: Was a publication required at the end of WINART2?
A8: No. But as usual for participation in a research workshop, publications are an ideal outcome. Products will be posted on our site.
Q9: Were there travel and accommodation funding available?
A9: We were funded by the London Mathematical Society [Workshop Grant Ref. WS-1718-03], the University of Leeds, the US National Science Foundation [Conference Grant No. DMS 1900575], and the Association for Women in Mathematics [NSF Grant No. DMS-1500481], and also by a research fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan foundation.
The organizers reserved a block of hotel rooms in Leeds for the week of the workshop, using this funding.
Q10: Was there child-care (funding) available?
A10: We recommended UK participants to apply for an LMS Caring Supplement Grant, and we welcomed any requests for family accommodation and further information.