In
recent years, we got used to seeing movies where scientists have become
no less than superheros, saving humanity from natural disasters and
alien invasions. Whether it is the super engineer Tony Stark (Iron Man)
or the nuclear physicist Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk), scientists
are usually portrayed by males who lead their teams to that great
discovery or solution that will ensure the survival of the human
species. Is it any coincidence that studies have shown that children
aged 5 to 11 tend to draw scientists as men, not women [1]?
Only 30.9% of German scientists are women
In part,
this gender stereotyping seems to be promoting the (incorrect!)
reasoning that professions requiring higher cognitive abilities and
problem-solving skills (like the scientific ones) are not for girls.
Accordingly, recent research has demonstrated that girls as young as 6
tend to divert from novel games said to be for bright children, as they
see ‘genius’ and ‘excellence’ as male traits [3]. Further, the number of
women scientists holding a PhD in academic disciplines believed to
require higher levels of ‘brilliance’ (e.g. physics, math, philosophy)
is lower than the number of men [4].
Rain or Shine, Female Scientists Are Here to Stay!
As
an attempt to overcome these implicit biases instigated by gender
inequality in the scientific world, Nathalie Pettorelli and Seirian
Sumner (ZSL and UCL, respectively) founded the Soapbox Science platform,
an initiative that gives visibility to women scientists through
open-air public events that foster scientific discussion and public
learning. On June 4th 2017, Berlin hosted its first Soapbox Science
event at the Tempelhofer Feld. Twelve female scientists from all over
Germany took part of the Soapbox Science Berlin (SSB) 2017 and talked
about the science they do in the fields of psychology, biology or
engineering. Despite unexpected rain and wind, the first Germany-based
Soapbox Science event had over 150 participants from different
nationalities and educational backgrounds, whose contribution enabled a
dynamic exchange of ideas between female scientists and the public.
SSB promotes science gender equality in Germany
Yet,
the lively scientific discussions and the number of participants were
not the only predictors of this Soapbox Science event success – the
Berlin team was invited to organize another event as part of the Berlin
Science Week 2017. This second event took place at the Sony Center,
Potsdamer Platz and brought together 8 women scientists from various
research areas: biomaterials, neuroscience, ecology and biomedicine.
This time, 256 participants (12 to 89 years) craving for scientific
knowledge showed up. Given the goal of eliminating the biased
generalization that only boys can be scientists, the Berlin team invited
high school students to attend the event with the objective of
empowering teenagers of both genders to pursue scientific careers.
What's Next for the Team
After two amazing and successful events, the SSB team is preparing for the next happening and for further integrating the Berlin team into the worldwide network of Soapbox Science summer initiatives. Join the 2018 speakers in Berlin, June 1st (from 2 to 5pm; location TBD) and
challenge your scientific knowledge with some sun and fun! Besides
promoting science gender equality, the SSB team hopes to broaden girls’
views about their future career choices and increase the number of
German women scientists. Even though the proportion of female
researchers in Germany has already increased from 28.2%
in 2010 to 30.9% in 2014 [5], the gender gap is far from being closed.
Soapbox Science Berlin aims to close the gap and empower young girls to
be the scientists of tomorrow.
by Ana I. Faustino, Postdoc AG Judkewitz
Former Soapbox Science Berlin Co-head
Want to find out more? Get in touch with us!Twitter: @berlin_soapboxEmail: soapboxscience.berlin@gmail.com
[1] Chambers, Sci. Educ., 1983
[2] Mead and Metraux, Science, 1957
[3] Bian et al., Science, 2017
[4] Leslie et al., Science, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment