Maybe we would do better if we required attendees to dress as furries. Their
conventions seem to attract a younger crowd.
Sent from my iPhone
-----Original Message-----
From: ietf-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
[mailto:ietf-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of
Phillip Hallam-Baker
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 7:07 AM
To: IETF Discussion Mailing List
Subject: Is the IETF aging?
A question arose on the RFC-interest list, I observed that 20 years ago
I was one of the youngest IETF participants and 20 years later that
still seems to be the case.
I see some grad students and some postdocs in their 20s but not as many
as I think there should be. By now at least a third of the organization
should be younger than me, preferably half. That is certainly not what
I see when I attend IETFs. And yes, the lack of women is also highly
noticeable.
If this is the case it should worry us greatly. But first I think we
need to determine if it is the case or not. I suggest an optional
demographic survey of participants in the next IETF meeting to be
repeated at regular intervals (no more than 5 years apart).
People can argue about process, RFC formats and governance but it
should be beyond argument that any institution that cannot recruit
younger members is going to die.
--
Website: http://hallambaker.com/