Comments on: Women in Physics, I http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:21:44 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Physicists at Work and Play | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10203 Physicists at Work and Play | Cosmic Variance Sun, 26 Mar 2006 03:14:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10203 [...] P.P.S On a more serious side-note, and in view of our discussions of women in physics not so long ago on this blog, notice how more balanced the demographic is in this subfield. Refreshing, frankly. Here’s to the future. [...] [...] P.P.S On a more serious side-note, and in view of our discussions of women in physics not so long ago on this blog, notice how more balanced the demographic is in this subfield. Refreshing, frankly. Here’s to the future. [...]

]]> By: Douglas http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10202 Douglas Wed, 18 Jan 2006 04:41:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10202 It might be of interest to you what the perspective is of a male undergraduate being introduced the woeful statistics on women in physics. On retrospect, I realize that at USC, almost all of my friends are women. This is true in both music and physics departments that I call home. When I first heard about the low statistics of women in physics, I didn't believe them. If I made a list of women physicists who have inspired me, I couldn't stop. Perhaps on a more personal note, I find that the book (and movie) by Carl Sagan "Contact" was the first story to provide me a role model in physics, and it featured a female physicist. Last semester, Dr. Johnson brought over Dr. Hewett to give an illuminated talk, and I still look back at her as an example of the kind of physicist I would like to become. At least in my experience, women have had a significantly larger role than men in my perspectives of physicists. Now that I know that this is not the case for the majority of my colleagues, I'm somewhat appalled. Maybe it's because I was raised after the civil rights movements, but I can't believe I live in such a biased society. When Sheila Tobias listed off the dates when critical laws were made to equate women in our society I was shocked: it was only 30 years ago when the environment was so different! And I admit that I feel a lot shame that I have ventured into a field that is so unwelcoming to female colleagues. But luckily now that I see the problem I can change my environment. Sheila Tobias' suggestion of providing a gender equality group to help people who are unfairly treated is duly noted. It is brilliantly clear to me that I must take responsibility in cultivating a welcoming environment to all people wherever I follow my studies. All I can say is that I am amazed by the work Katie and Amy did, and I am proud to be part of a department that bore the Women in Physics Conference 2006. It might be of interest to you what the perspective is of a male undergraduate being introduced the woeful statistics on women in physics.

On retrospect, I realize that at USC, almost all of my friends are women. This is true in both music and physics departments that I call home. When I first heard about the low statistics of women in physics, I didn’t believe them. If I made a list of women physicists who have inspired me, I couldn’t stop. Perhaps on a more personal note, I find that the book (and movie) by Carl Sagan “Contact” was the first story to provide me a role model in physics, and it featured a female physicist. Last semester, Dr. Johnson brought over Dr. Hewett to give an illuminated talk, and I still look back at her as an example of the kind of physicist I would like to become. At least in my experience, women have had a significantly larger role than men in my perspectives of physicists.

Now that I know that this is not the case for the majority of my colleagues, I’m somewhat appalled. Maybe it’s because I was raised after the civil rights movements, but I can’t believe I live in such a biased society. When Sheila Tobias listed off the dates when critical laws were made to equate women in our society I was shocked: it was only 30 years ago when the environment was so different! And I admit that I feel a lot shame that I have ventured into a field that is so unwelcoming to female colleagues.

But luckily now that I see the problem I can change my environment. Sheila Tobias’ suggestion of providing a gender equality group to help people who are unfairly treated is duly noted. It is brilliantly clear to me that I must take responsibility in cultivating a welcoming environment to all people wherever I follow my studies.

All I can say is that I am amazed by the work Katie and Amy did, and I am proud to be part of a department that bore the Women in Physics Conference 2006.

]]> By: Radioactive Banana » Blog Archive » Physicists on the spectrum? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10201 Radioactive Banana » Blog Archive » Physicists on the spectrum? Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:21:48 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10201 [...] Nothing inflames passions in the physics blogosphere like a mention of why are there so few women in that branch of science. (See here and here over at Cosmic Variance.) I’m still very interested in the topic myself, over eight and a half years since I left, mainly because I’m still trying to sort out all of the reasons I became a physicist and then come to terms with why I left. [...] [...] Nothing inflames passions in the physics blogosphere like a mention of why are there so few women in that branch of science. (See here and here over at Cosmic Variance.) I’m still very interested in the topic myself, over eight and a half years since I left, mainly because I’m still trying to sort out all of the reasons I became a physicist and then come to terms with why I left. [...]

]]> By: The Black Middle Classes | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10200 The Black Middle Classes | Cosmic Variance Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:17:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10200 [...] Well, while we’re on the subject of under-represented groups in science (see here and here), let me raise a (perhaps) even more taboo subject by pointing out a very interesting programme on the BBC’s Radio 4 entitled “The Black Middle Class”. (Beware, the UK defintion and the USA definition of the term have some differences, but you’ll figure out pretty quickly the UK definition by listening.) A Journalist (who by the way, I gather from her comments is black, female, British, and trained as scientist) Connie St. Louis interviews several people (from schoolkids to Members of Parliament) on the issue. [...] [...] Well, while we’re on the subject of under-represented groups in science (see here and here), let me raise a (perhaps) even more taboo subject by pointing out a very interesting programme on the BBC’s Radio 4 entitled “The Black Middle Class”. (Beware, the UK defintion and the USA definition of the term have some differences, but you’ll figure out pretty quickly the UK definition by listening.) A Journalist (who by the way, I gather from her comments is black, female, British, and trained as scientist) Connie St. Louis interviews several people (from schoolkids to Members of Parliament) on the issue. [...]

]]> By: James' Empty Blog http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10199 James' Empty Blog Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:50:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10199 <strong>Sexism in science</strong> Working in the same lab, at the same level, as my wife for the past decade has given us a fair amount of anecdotal evidence for this. I offer here one case as an example. Sexism in science

Working in the same lab, at the same level, as my wife for the past decade has given us a fair amount of anecdotal evidence for this. I offer here one case as an example.

]]> By: fh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10198 fh Mon, 16 Jan 2006 22:05:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10198 Lubos, why do you hate freedom? Lubos, why do you hate freedom?

]]> By: Arun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10197 Arun Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:49:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10197 FP, Motl made the claim that the market would have already made the correction, (and therefore the untapped talent pool of women is non-existent); I'm saying that the correction is in process, this conference is one visible manifestation of the so-called hidden-hand of the market. -Arun FP,
Motl made the claim that the market would have already made the correction, (and therefore the untapped talent pool of women is non-existent); I’m saying that the correction is in process, this conference is one visible manifestation of the so-called hidden-hand of the market.
-Arun

]]> By: Arun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10196 Arun Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:46:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10196 The thread on which the John Baez comment was made is here: http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=291 The thread on which the John Baez comment was made is here:
http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=291

]]> By: The wrong side of history | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10195 The wrong side of history | Cosmic Variance Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:05:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10195 [...] Here at CV we occasionally pat ourselves on the back at the high quality of some of our comment threads. So it’s only fair that we acknowledge our dismay at the depressingly consistent character of the discussions about women in science; posts by Clifford and me being just the most recent examples. What a depressing exercise to poke a finger into the turgid world of pseudo-scientific rationalizations for inequality that people will believe so that they can feel better about themselves. Among other things, it makes it nearly impossible to have a fruitful discussion about what we could realistically do about the problem; it’s as if Columbus was trying to equip his ships to voyage to the Indies and a hundred voices kept interrupting to point out that the world was flat. [...] [...] Here at CV we occasionally pat ourselves on the back at the high quality of some of our comment threads. So it’s only fair that we acknowledge our dismay at the depressingly consistent character of the discussions about women in science; posts by Clifford and me being just the most recent examples. What a depressing exercise to poke a finger into the turgid world of pseudo-scientific rationalizations for inequality that people will believe so that they can feel better about themselves. Among other things, it makes it nearly impossible to have a fruitful discussion about what we could realistically do about the problem; it’s as if Columbus was trying to equip his ships to voyage to the Indies and a hundred voices kept interrupting to point out that the world was flat. [...]

]]> By: FP http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/comment-page-2/#comment-10089 FP Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:50:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/01/14/women-in-physics-i/#comment-10089 Arun, you are exactly making the argument Lubos made already > The more the two fields are dominated by men, the more enticing the chance of finding additional talent among women. Arun,

you are exactly making the argument Lubos made already
> The more the two fields are dominated by men, the more enticing the chance of finding additional talent among women.

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