Friday, November 15, 2013
Objectivity and neutrality are considered essential to scientific practice, but what gets to count as objective or neutral or even real? What biases still exist in our scientific communities? A 2012 study revealed that female professors were just as biased against women students as their male colleagues when recommending students for mentorships and jobs. Could the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in STEM fields be a consequence of a similar bias? This panel-led conversation explores the concept of “privilege” in the sciences; the roles and rights of those being studied - and for what purposes; as well as ethical questions about research topics.
This is a companion to the Office for Equity and Diversity's Critical Conversations about Diversity and Social Justice series at the University of Minnesota. Co-sponsored by the University Libraries.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, check out some of the highlighted resources.
- Brown, Bryan A. "Discursive identity: Assimilation into the culture of science and its implications for minority students." Journal of Research in Science Teaching 41.8 (2004): 810-834.
- Mason, Larry, et al. "Listening and learning from traditional knowledge and Western science: a dialogue on contemporary challenges of forest health and wildfire." Journal of Forestry 110.4 (2012): 187-193.
- Green, D., and G. Raygorodetsky. "Indigenous knowledge of a changing climate." Climatic Change 100.2 (2010): 239-242.
- Martínez, Alejandro José Gallard, and René Antrop-González. "Toward Latin@ revisionings of decolonizing Western science and math." Cultural Studies of Science Education (2013): 1-4.
- Barry Cordero, Principal Project Engineer, Medtronic and National Vice President, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Lee Penn, University of Minnesota Associate Professor, Chemistry; Penn Research Group
- Tamara Marcus, University of Minnesota undergraduate student, College of Biological Sciences
- Jim Rock, Science Educator and Member, Dakota nation; Phillips Indian Educators