I'm pasting an interesting idea I found from the U of M Women's Center. They posted an announcement of a NWSA Journal call for articles. It seems that lately (or always?) the definition of what science is has been open for interpretation, and has been manipulated for politics. I think the questions (highlighted in blue, below) are really valid and necessary. Especially as resources for funding scientific research dry up.... I hope that the economic pinch will force people and institutions to be more critical of where dollars are going, and in turn the quality of science will be improved.
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It is no secret that there is a national crisis in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), particularly in terms of the involvement of women and people of color. A great deal of effort has been exerted in the past few years to patch the “leaky pipeline” – the educational and experiential pathway which leads to careers in the sciences. However, critics of science, often feminists, have pointed out that “it’s not just enough to add women [or people of color] and stir” (C. Bunch, adapted) – we must look at how science and scientists are portrayed, who gets to ask the questions, what questions are asked, what methods are used, and how data are interpreted and used. We must also teach all of our students, particularly women and those in under-represented groups, that the process of science is open to all and that, in fact, without a diversity of investigators and approaches, our sciences are incomplete. To this end, we convened a national conference this summer at the College of St. Catherine to address these issues which are critical to the success of Science, Mathematics, and Technology programs across the country. The conference brought together keynote speakers: Dr. Marlene Zuk, Dr. Sue Rosser, and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum along with scholars in and of STEM and Women’s Studies who shared their knowledge and ideas in the areas of theory, pedagogy and activism.
To encourage dissemination of these and other ideas to a broad audience, we call for papers for a special cluster in the National Women’s Studies Association Journal with the theme: “Inclusive Science: Articulating Theory, Practice, and Action”. We will specifically consider articles which address the following intersections of science and feminism:
- Multiple frameworks: critiques of science from multiple perspectives including gender, race and ethnicity, and class;
- Pedagogies that engage women, students of color, and students from a variety of social classes in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and
- Transformation: putting theory into action; changing the way we do, learn and teach science.
Guest Editors: Cynthia G. Norton and Deborah D. Wygal, Department of Biology and Women’s Studies, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN
