WISE in Media

The Science of Gender and Science: Pinker vs. Spelke

[5.16.2005]

A debate on the research on mind, brain, and behavior that may be relevant to gender disparities in the sciences, including the studies of bias, discrimination and innate and acquired difference between the sexes.

Full text of remarks, videos, and slides are available at the link.
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/debate05/debate05_index.html

"Impediments to Change: Revisiting the Women in Science Question"

Monday, March 21, 2005

To many women scientists, the promise of equity can seem like a receding mirage. Why have the advances been so slow, and why have the terms of the discussion changed so little? Is this because the scientific data remain inadequate, because political investments are so intense, or because the very questions are ill-posed?

Panel discussion hosted by Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​and ​​​​​​​​​​​​cosponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Panelists:


Mahzarin Banaji, Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor and 2004–2005 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics in the Department of Psychology, Harvard University

Nancy Hopkins, Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Evelyn Fox Keller, 2004–2005 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and professor of the history and philosophy of science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (moderator)

Mariangela Lisanti, President of Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe and Class of 2005, Harvard College

Charles Rosenberg, Professor of the history of science and Ernest E. Monrad Professor in the Social Sciences, Harvard University

Elizabeth S. Spelke, Professor of psychology and codirector of the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Interfaculty Initiative, Harvard University

Streaming audio of the panel discussion is available at the link.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

http://www.radcliffe.edu/events/calendar_2005impediments.aspx

Some Reflections on the Dearth of Women and Science

A talk by Ben Barres, Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford

This web page is an archive of a talk that took place on 3/17/08 at Harvard University. Professor Ben Barres gave a personal and intellectual analysis of the obstacles faced by women in academic science and what individuals and institutions can do to increase opportunities in the sciences for women. Professor Barres brings a unique perspective to this discussion: Professor Barres is transgender, and has experienced life as both a female and as a male scientist. His seminal article in the Journal Nature, “Does gender matter?” posits the challenge: “To paraphrase Martin Luther King, a first-class scientific enterprise cannot be built upon a foundation of second-class citizens. If women and minorities are to achieve their full potential, all of us need to be far more proactive. So what can be done?”

Slides and video are available at the link.
http://www.memdir.org/video/ben-barres-dearth-of-women-in-science.html