What’s the big deal about diversity in science? Why is it so important to encourage and empower women and underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM careers?

In this week’s episode, Jocelyn and Bradley argue that diversity is not just a buzzword, but a scientific imperative if we are to produce knowledge that is accurate, comprehensive, robust, and beneficial to society. In particular, the hosts discuss conceptions of “objectivity” in science and the philosophy of science; the importance of social and cultural factors in structuring scientific inquiry; and the role of metaphor in facilitating scientific discoveries. Jocelyn also shares her work as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador, and she explains how the program is working to inspire the next generation of STEM pioneers.

The IF/THEN initiative:
https://www.ifthenshecan.org/
https://twitter.com/IfThenSheCan

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-epistemology
Evolutionary Epistemology: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-evolutionary/

Objectivity by Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison: https://www.amazon.com/Objectivity-Zone-Books-Lorraine-Daston/dp/189095179X

The science and math of crocheting:
https://news.yale.edu/2017/11/13/mathematician-share-how-crochet-helped-her-understand-complex-geometry

https://www.ttbook.org/interview/crocheting-unknowable-geometry-spacetime

Harvard GenderSci lab:
https://www.genderscilab.org/

On the “gender-equity paradox”:
https://slate.com/technology/2020/02/women-stem-innate-disinterest-debunked.html

https://www.genderscilab.org/blog/gender-equality-paradox-monkey-business-or-how-to-tell-spurious-causal-stories-about-nation-level-achievement-by-women-in-stem

Middle-school girls in STEM:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/opinion/stem-girls-math-practice.html

Contact Science! With Friends (especially if you’re a scientist interested in a lively conversation about your science and science story) at Gmail or Twitter!
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Science! With Friends Podcast is created and hosted by Jocelyn Bosley (@SciTalker) and Bradley Nordell (@bradleynordell) , Produced and edited by Vince Ruhl.