Saturday, February 11, 2017

A Woman's Place is in the Laboratory, or the Field, or the Classroom

Via Shakezula, we have a reminder that today is the International Day of Woman and Girls in Science, and a link to a herpetologist's snarky takedown of a stupid piece about capping women's admission to science programs by Breitbart 'technology editor' Milo Youcangofuckyourself, who probably can't use any technology more complicated than a hair-gel applicator.

The role of women in the sciences has gotten a great deal of attention lately, with special attention being paid to the formerly neglected African-American women who crunched the numbers that put NASA's astronauts into space and onto the moon. In the previous century, women played a crucial role in crunching the numbers used by astronomers mapping the heavens. Ever since the dawn of the 'Scientific Age', women have been working in the 'STEM' fields, largely ignored by misogynistic assholes like the Breitbrats.

I decided that my particular contribution to the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science would be to link the various Secret Science Club lectures by women (it's worth noting here that the SSC is run by two talented, dedicated women of great intelligence and strong civic values).

Ichthyologist Dr Melanie Stiassny lectured on the incredible biodiversity among fish in the Congo River.

Primatologist Dr Patricia Chapple Wright lectured on lemurs and the conservation efforts being undertaken to protect them.

Astrophysicist Dr Priyamvada Natarajan lectured on dark matter and gravitational lensing on two nights.

Neurologist Dr Leslie Voshall lectured on the human olfacory system.

Cognitive scientist Dr Alexandra Horowitz lectured on the cognitive capabilities of dogs.

Neuroscientist Dr Diana Reiss lectured on animal cognitive capabilities, with a focus on dolphins.

Anthropologist Dr Helen Fisher lectured on attraction and amor.

Neurologist Dr Dr Susana Martinez-Conde lectured on human perception, specifically illustions.

Paleoanthropologist Dr Shara Bailey lectured on the study of hominin teeth.

Biologist Mandë Holford lectured on snail venoms and their possible pharmaceutical use.

Primatologist Dr Mary Blair lectured on primate conservation.

Neurologist Dr Anne Churchland lectured on the decision making process.

Dr Heather Berlin lectured on consciousness.

Friend of the Bastard and all around great person Dr Evon Hekkala lectured about crocodile behavior and genetics in one of my personal favorite SSC lectures.

Comparative anatomist Dr Joy Reidenberg lectured on whale anatomy and the process of performing a necroscopy on a dead whale.

Molecular geneticist Dr Alea Mills lectured on the role of specific genes in tumor suppression.

Neurologist Dr Daniela Schiller lectured on the role of the amygdala in human emotional responses.

Sadly, I began my lecture recaps in December of 2009, so I missed writing recaps for two years and three months of SSC lectures. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of women doing amazing work in the various scientific fields. As someone who believes in a meritocracy, the very idea of caps on the admission of women and minorities in ANY field is abhorrent to me.

I would much prefer a cap on the number of paid internet trolls spouting stupid, misogynistic garbage.

4 comments:

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

this is a true story

back in the 1960s i was acquainted with a young woman who was a math major at MIT - one time she got a B in a course, and when she asked the professor about it, he said, "i don't give girls As - they just get married and have babies and waste their education"

so far as i know, she did not pursue a formal complaint, despite being urged by her friends to do so

i wonder what happened to her afterwards

such a thing could never happen nowadays, of course, since sexism, like racism, has vanished into the mists of history

that last comment is snark, of course - what would have been called "sarcasm" in the mid-20th century america which was my homeland and to which i can never return

still, THIS is the future - you got to LIVE it, or LIVE with it, and eventually, at a time TBD, get out of the way

may the Creative Forces of the Universe have mercy on our souls, if any


mistah charley, ph.d. said...

i meant to say "LIVE it or LIVE WITH it" - the saying originated with the Firesign Theatre, although i have added the third alternative

mikey said...

Let me add Sabine Hossenfelder, a brilliant physicist and mathematician in the mold of Peter Woit. She writes at Backreaction and often contributes pieces to Starts with a Bang, Symmetry Breaking and other physics blogs.

And Michelle Thaller is a research astronomer at Goddard and a GREAT follow on the Twitter machine.

There's Amy Maainzer and Laura Danly and so many others.

It's actually pretty satisfying how many physicists, astronomers, consmologists and planetary research scientists are women these days.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

back in the 1960s i was acquainted with a young woman who was a math major at MIT - one time she got a B in a course, and when she asked the professor about it, he said, "i don't give girls As - they just get married and have babies and waste their education"

These assholes want to return to an age in which the deck was stacked even more against women and minorities. John Scalzi's lowest difficulty setting essay is required reading.

It's actually pretty satisfying how many physicists, astronomers, consmologists and planetary research scientists are women these days.

Janna Levin presented two lectures, but that was before I started blogging. My one big regret is not having started blogging in 2006, when the SSC started.