diversity in science
jstemwedel | April 29, 2009Dr. Isis has some rollicking good discussions going on at her pad about who might care about blogs, and what role they might play in scientific education, training, and interactions. (Part one, part two.)
On the second of these posts, a comment from Pascale lodged itself in my brain:
I think a lot of impressionable girls, especially in that middle-school age group, get the idea that they can't be good at science or math if they like clothes, makeup, and boys. Is it the science/math sterotype that is the problem, or is it that girls make other choices to pursue these alternate interests? "I…
thusspakezuska | March 26, 2009
It's here! The second edition of the Diversity in Science Carnival! But it wouldn't be here today without the help of Dr. Free-ride and Dr. Isis. With all the time I have had to devote to my mother and her issues the past two weeks, there is no way I could have gotten the carnival up today without their help. Indeed they really get full credit. I haven't even managed to finish a special post I wanted to do for the carnival - so check back later. I'll update when I have it done and add it in here.
But enough of my travails! Let's get on to the really good stuff submitted to this…
jstemwedel | March 26, 2009
Maria Mitchell and the Sexing of Science: An Astronomer among the American Romantics
by Renée Bergland
Boston: Beacon Press
2008
What is it like to be a woman scientist? In a society where being a woman is somehow a distinct experience from being an ordinary human being, the answer to this question can be complicated. And, in a time and place where being a scientist, being a professional -- indeed, even being American -- was still being worked out, the complexities of the answer can add up to a biography of that time, that place, that swirl of intellectual and cultural ferment, as well as…
jstemwedel | March 25, 2009First about those carnivals:
*The deadline for submission to the second installment of the Diversity in Science carnival is midnight (EST) tonight. It's being hosted at Thus Spake Zuska and this month's topic is "Women Achievers in STEM - Past and Present."
I myself am trying to get a post up before the deadline. If you get in under the wire, or have already written a post that you think fits the theme, submit it here.
*The deadline for submission to the April installment of Scientiae, the women in science, engineering, technology, and math carnival, is March 29. The Candid Engineer is…
amillikan | March 2, 2009Come one come all! February is Black History Month, and to celebrate the diversity in science professions, DNLee from the blog Urban Science Adventures! has arranged a blog carnival titled 'Diversity in Science.' Many ScienceBloggers and other major contributors in the science blogosphere are enthusiastically supporting this blog carnival and have authored a plethora of posts. "There are a wealth of interesting blog posts, covering a broad swath of both semi-historical figures and current inspirational ass kickers," said ScienceBlogger DrugMonkey, who contributed four posts to the festivities…
sciencewoman | March 1, 2009 Liberal Arts Lady has ably hosted another fantastic edition of Scientiae. Head over there for some fantastic stories of role models and mentors, as well as some reminders that we have a ways to go before all aspiring scientists can find someone who looks like them.
I also wanted to draw your attention to an excellent post by Zuska. She says that "It's Difficult To Talk About Diversity When You Feel Ignorant And Are Afraid To Give Offense" but that it's really important to be an ally in practice and not just in (silent) principle.
thusspakezuska | March 1, 2009Well, February has come and gone, Black History Month is over for another year, and we've had the first round of the Diversity in Science carnival. I am sure some of you who blog may have thought about contributing to this carnival but didn't for a variety of reasons. Maybe, like me, you had family issues and/or health issues going on; I almost didn't make it to contribute to the carnival myself. Maybe your job was making you crazy. Or maybe you thought to yourself, "I am not an expert on diversity. I don't want to offend anyone. I don't really know how to go about writing on this topic…
sciencewoman | February 24, 2009Hear ye, hear ye. The first-ever and best-ever edition of the Diversity in Science Carnival has been posted.Read all about it at DNLee's Urban Science Adventures! There's some really fabulous stuff there and I can't wait to read those that I missed when they were first posted.
While you're being inspired by all of the great DiS posts, channel some of that inspiration towards this month's Scientiae call for posts. Liberal Arts Lady has asked us: "Who inspires you or motivates you? Who would you call your role models, at any stage of your career?" Posts should be submitted to scientiaecarnival…
sciencewoman | February 19, 2009Dr. Ashanti Pyrtle is an assistant professor in the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. She's a chemical oceanographer who studies the fate, transport and retention of radionuclides in aquatic ecosystems. Her PhD work investigated the marine distribution of radioisotopes from the Chernobyl accident, and she's currently doing work in Puerto Rico, off the Florida coast, and in the Savannah River. She's one of the first female African-American chemical oceanographers, and the first African-American to earn an oceanography Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Pyrtle…
gregladen | February 16, 2009So Amanda and I arrive at some public building in a largish Midwestern city. I'm a scientist, here to sit on a panel for a public discussion related to science and education. The building, a library, is not open yet but is scheduled to open in a few minutes. There are two groups of people standing in the flurries and chilly wind waiting for opening. The larger group is pressed against the door, seemingly anxious, and I (incorrectly, it turns out) attribute this anxiety to the cold. I'm thinking they want to go inside because it is cold. All but two people in this group are brown to dark…
jstemwedel | February 11, 2009(Written for the inaugural edition of the Diversity in Science blog carnival, with big thanks to DNLee for launching it.)
Back in the spring and autumn of 1992, I was a chemistry graduate student starting to believe that I might actually get enough of my experiments to work to get my Ph.D. As such, I did what senior graduate students in my department were supposed to do: I began preparing myself to interview with employers who came to my campus (an assortment of industry companies and national labs), and I made regular visits to my department's large job announcement binder (familiarly…
sciencewoman | February 2, 2009The February Scientiae is up at Fairer Science. Pat picked a great theme for this month's carnival "Our Dreams for a Better World." Go check out all the great ideas and then let's get to work turning them into reality.
And now for an exciting announcement, DNLee of Urban Science Adventures is kicking off a new monthly carnival focused on Diversity in Science.
Blogs of every genre are invited to write a special feature post about a person who is a pioneer and/or innovator in any of the amazing fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Tell us all about him/her?
How…