Queer STEM History

Queer STEM History: Live Podcast Recording was a National Science week event we ran with the help of A Gender Agenda, during which I chatted to a wonderful panel composed of Bryan Lessard, Tanya Junkers and Hannah Carle, about their experiences of being Queer in STEM.

You can also watch the recorded video at https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=3527189744009506 to put faces to the names!

Hear more from our panel members on twitter!

Bryan Lessard @BrytheFlyGuy

Tanya Junkers @polymerreaction

Hannah Carle @hj_whiterabbit

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

Join us for a live episode this Tuesday, 25th August from 6pm AEST. Sign up for the Zoom session at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/112752387426, or find it on our Facebook page. We'll be talking to a panel of LGBTIQ+ people working in STEM, about what inspires, excites and surprises them within their work and research in STEM fields.

In our last episode for the series we look at the life of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and the youngest American ever to go into space!

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/sally-ride

For more information about Sally Ride check out these links:

National Women's History Museum entry on Sally Ride - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sally-ride

Sally Ride's obituary - http://www.legacy.com/ns/sally-ride-obituary/158720182

The American Prospect article 'Astronaut Sally Ride and the Burden of Being The First' - https://prospect.org/culture/books/astronaut-sally-ride-burden-first/

Slate article 'Sally Ride's Secret: Why the First American Woman in' - https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/05/sally-ride-lesbian-why-did-the-first-american-woman-in-space-stay-in-the-closet.html

New York Times article about writing Sally's obituary 'A Deadline Call on Posthumous Privacy' - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/22/insider/sally-ride-obituary-posthumous-privacy.html

"Lesbian Space Crime" Article - https://www.space.com/nasa-astronaut-anne-mcclain-space-crime-claim.html

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

In this episode we share the story of not just one queer scientist, but two, in our historic lesbian power couple spectacular! Martha May Eliot and Ethel Collins Dunham shared an almost 60 year long relationship and were both recognised as pioneers in public health and pediatrics.

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/martha-and-ethel

For more information about Martha and Ethel check out these links:

"Public Careers and Private Sexuality: Some Gay and Lesbian Lives in the History of Medicine and Public Health" - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447383/

Centre for the History of Medicine profile on Martha and Ethel - https://cms.www.countway.harvard.edu/wp/?p=15181

Yale Alumni Magazine Dual-Career Couple - https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3912-dual-career-couple

16 Iconic Same-Sex Couples through History - https://www.advocate.com/love-and-sex/2018/8/13/16-iconic-same-sex-couples-throughout-history

'To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History' by Lillian Faderman

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

Welcome to Episode 4 of Queer STEM History. Today we are discussing the story of Dr Ben Barres, who was Stanford University neurobiologist and the first openly transgender scientist in the National Academy of Sciences.

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/ben-barres

For more information about Ben Barres check out these links:

Ben Barres' autobiography 'The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist' -

https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/autobiography-transgender-scientist

Ben Barres' 2006 Nature essay 'Does gender matter?' -https://www.nature.com/articles/442133a

Nature article 'Ben Barres: neuroscience pioneer, gender champion' - https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07109-2

Spectrum article 'Ben Barres: A transgender scientist shares his story' - https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/ben-barres-transgender-scientist-shares-story/

MITPress 'Transgender Day of Remembrance: Celebrating Dr. Ben Barres' - https://mitpress.mit.edu/blog/transgender-day-remembrance-celebrating-dr-ben-barres

Claudia M Astorino @claudistics Twitter thread about Ben Barres - https://twitter.com/claudistics/status/1147135162670600197

2012 study about science job applications 'Science faculty's subtle gender biases favor male students' - https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/09/14/1211286109

500 Queer Scientists - https://www.500queerscientists.com/

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

This week we are discussing George Washington Carver. Carver was born a slave, rejected from many schools but eventually became one of the most renowned agricultural scientists in America, and was highly regarded by Albert Einstein.

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/george-washington-carver

For more information about George Washington Carver check out these links:

American Chemical Society (ACS) profile on George Washington Carver - https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carver.html

Smithsonian Magazine 'In search of George Washington Carver's true legacy' - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/search-george-washington-carvers-true-legacy-180971538/

Christina Vella, George Washington Carver: A Life, Southern Biography Series, Louisiana State University Press, 2015

'A brief history of George Washington Carver: the greatest 'bisexual' black scientist of his time' - https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/george-washington-carver-facts/#gs.5abpa8

LGBT History Month profile on George Washington Carver - https://lgbthistorymonth.com/george-washington-carver?tab=video

George Washington Carver entry in the Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture - http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/carver_gw_S.pdf

'Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America' (1995) edited by Lynn Witt, Sherry Thomas and Eric Marcus.

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

This week we are discussing the life and work of James B. Pollack, an openly gay American astrophysicist who worked at the NASA Ames Research Centre.

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/james-b-pollack

For more information about James B. Pollack check out these links:

NASA Ames Hall of Fame about James B. Pollack - https://history.arc.nasa.gov/hist_pdfs/bio_pollack.pdf

The Planetary Society profile on James Pollack - http://www.planetary.org/connect/our-experts/profiles/james-pollack.html

American Astronomical Society profile on James Pollack - https://aas.org/obituaries/james-b-pollack-1938-1994

NY Times Obituary on James Pollack - https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/15/obituaries/james-pollack-a-top-researcher-in-space-science-is-dead-at-55.html

Davidson, Keay (1999). Carl Sagan A Life, John Wiley & Sons ISBN 0-471-39536-6 (This book is dedicated to Pollack)

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes

In this episode we share the incredible story of Lynn Conway, a computer scientist, electrical engineer and transgender activist.

The transcript for this episode is available at https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website/lynn-conway

For more information about Lynn Conway check out these links:

Lynn's personal website - www.lynnconway.com

2009 IEEE Computer Pioneer Award Biography - https://www.computer.org/profiles/lynn-conway

Lynn's Twitter - https://twitter.com/lynnconway

HuffPost Article written by Lynn 'The Many Shades of Out' - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-many-shades-of-out_b_3591764

Mark Smotherman's article about ACS - https://people.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/acs.html

A short memoir by Lynn 'Reminiscences of the VLSI Revolution' - http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/Memoirs/VLSI/Lynn_Conway_VLSI_Reminiscences.pdf

Stonewall Trans Heroes profile of Lynn - https://web.archive.org/web/20090615170758/http://www.impcourt.org/Trans40/LynnConway.htm

Please follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueerSTEMHistory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QSTEMHistory

Website: https://queerstempodcast.wixsite.com/website

Intro and Outro Music: Postcards mastered by Scott Holmes