Code of Conduct

The community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free learning experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the organizers.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion.
  • Sexual images in public spaces
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
  • Harassing photography or recording
  • Sustained disruption of talks or other events
  • Inappropriate physical contact
  • Unwelcome sexual attention
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from OceanHackWeek with no refund.

Organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules at all the event venues and event-related social activities.

Reporting a violation

Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of OceanHackWeek for everyone. If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to one of the instructors. You can make a report either personally or anonymously. Anonymous reports can be made here.

This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the Geek Feminism wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers.

Group discussion

Q: What can each of us do to make an optimal learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming for everyone?

  • Be respectful to others’ views; whether it’s technical question or scientific hypothesis
  • Be inclusive regardless of technical expertise and career stage (emphasize the growth mindset)
  • Acknowledge contributions
  • Avoid irony and bad jokes
  • “Silent Capture”: a google doc for people who feel uncomfortable speaking, so that ideas get captured
  • Try to avoid a small number of people dominating the conversation
  • Moderator in small groups
  • Encourage quiet group members their opinion - give space for different styles of communication.
  • Ask rather than assume
  • Be aware of the time zones of your coworkers
  • Be mindful of how your verbal communication might be received without body language (yay virtual!)
  • Recognize we have different working environments right now (kids, partners sharing the internet, other pandemic/work - from home challenges)
  • Be aware that face-to-face interaction may not translate perfectly when we message each other Slack.
  • Don’t force others to turn on a microphone or webcam. There may be circumstances you are not aware of.
  • Get to know each other
  • Make sure people are on the same page and none is completely lost
  • Try to be gentle