Computer Vision News - November 2016

Ralph: You know already the section that our publications, Computer Vision News and now ECCV Daily, dedicate to Women in Computer Vision. Do you know of young women who found it difficult to be a woman scientist and gave up just because of that? Octavia: No, I don’t know of anyone. I think that we have come a long way. When I started computer vision and then started coming to the conferences, you had maybe 3, 4, 5 women in the community. That was it. We are still a minority, but you see a lot of young women. I, personally, I have to say, I never felt discriminated because of being a woman. Ralph: Are you embarrassed to be the only woman in a man’s team? Octavia: You get used to it. In my country, when I did my undergrad, we were like 300 students, and there were maybe 5 women in that generation, but I always was “one of the guys”… [ she smiles ] Ralph: Did you notice some discomfort among younger ladies? Octavia: Yes, but I think the more women there are in advising roles or as role models, of course that helps them feel more comfortable in the room. Ralph: Something that comes up again and again is a lack of confidence. What would you advise to a young woman starting today to help acquire more confidence in this setting? Octavia: I think at things that we are already doing: networking, having women talk to other women, seeing that there are successful women, that they can be confident, and they are accepted. That’s important. Also having a mentorship. Ralph: Is there anything that you would like to add to what you already said? Octavia: We need to keep working on problems that are relevant, that have real application, and that have an impact. It shouldn’t be just about one more paper, but really what are we trying to do with all of this to help us. Ralph: Are you optimistic for the future? Octavia: Oh yes. Ralph: What will science look like in a few years from now? Octavia: Who knows? That’s the beauty of it, right? If people would have said 10 years ago what we are doing today, we couldn’t dream of it. We could dream about it, but it was hard to believe it would happen so quickly. The limit is the stars. Who knows? Interview with Octavia Camps 27 “When I started computer vision and then started coming to the conferences, you had maybe 3, 4, 5 women in the community” BEST OF ECCV