If one of the goals of your event is to be inclusive, a diversity scholarship program may be perfect for your community. ROSCon has a well-established diversity scholarship program and invites students to apply, regardless if the conference is held in:

  • New Orleans
  • Japan
  • Madrid

Simply stated…”ROSCon invites applications from members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the robotics community, including but not limited to:

  • Women
  • LGBTQIA+ communities
  • Disabilities
  • Racial and/or marginalized groups

in the robotics community, and people from developing nations who may not otherwise be able to attend ROSCon.”

Event organizers have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others by giving them an opportunity to experience, connect, and learn. After all, isn’t that the goal of hosting an event to convene the community?

ROSCon 2023 Attendees

ROSCon 2023 Attendees

Daniel, a member of the Diversity Scholarship Program at ROSCon 2023, came up to our team daily, thanking us for everything. We asked if he could share with us how the scholarship impacted his experience, and this is what he had to say.

In Daniel's own words...

“The impact ROSCon makes on others is astonishing and so rewarding. I had the incredible opportunity to attend my first-ever robotics conference, thanks to the Diversity Scholarship Program of the ROSCON 2023. This program gave me the chance to visit New Orleans and fulfill a personal goal: diving into the world of the ROS community, connecting with fellow enthusiasts, and exploring exciting ideas of this huge and amazing field.

What made this experience even more special is that I lead a student group focused on learning and doing robotics with ROS. We’ve been working on creating a welcoming learning community and launching projects with ROS for nearly three years. We’re excited about the upcoming ROS2 migration we are planning and doing, and we are on a mission to make robotics accessible to people from various backgrounds, regardless of their level of expertise at our university.

This conference also marked my introduction to the robotics field. I was captivated by the talks and projects presented, especially those on autonomous navigation and dev containers. Connecting with different companies (like Ekummen, O3DE, Foxglove, Roboto AI, and more) and learning about their contributions to robotics was eye-opening. I discovered new tools and developments I hadn’t seen before. The best part was meeting and talking to other members of the ROS Community. It was amazing to hear diverse perspectives from roboticists, developers, and creators from around the world. We shared ideas and experiences that were truly enriching. I even had the honor of giving a lightning talk, where I introduced our community in Bogotá. This allowed me to connect with people who are passionate about teaching and learning ROS at the university level.

Getting to know other scholarship recipients was a pleasant experience. It revealed new approaches related to robotics and showed me how everyone contributes to this incredible community. Being part of the Diversity Scholarship was a wonderful experience. The program is an excellent opportunity that helps people from different parts of the world to get involved and connect with others, as it also gives the chance to develop new ideas.

I am very thankful for this incredible opportunity. Finally, I would like to thank the organizers and sponsors for this great event, which is key to the future of the community and robotics with ROS/ROS2.

I wanted to say thanks for all the help during the process, Kate, this was a wonderful event and I enjoyed it a lot, and without your help and instructions, maybe I wouldn’t be able to attend.” – Daniel