{"id":1838,"date":"2012-02-16T14:10:44","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T14:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/?p=1838"},"modified":"2015-08-27T16:42:40","modified_gmt":"2015-08-27T15:42:40","slug":"februarys-sonyc-on-science-and-social-media-this-is-what-a-scientist-looks-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/2012\/02\/16\/februarys-sonyc-on-science-and-social-media-this-is-what-a-scientist-looks-like","title":{"rendered":"February\u2019s SoNYC: On Science and Social Media \u2013 This is what a scientist looks like"},"content":{"rendered":"

Science Online\u00a0NYC\u00a0(SoNYC) is a monthly discussion series held in New York City where invited panellists talk about a particular topic related to how science is carried out and communicated online.\u00a0For this month\u2019s SoNYC we\u2019ve teamed up with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) for a special event for\u00a0Social Media Week<\/a>. We\u2019re looking at how social media can be used to communicate science, with the intention of concentrating on how the experiences can have educational value. More details about this month\u2019s SoNYC can be found\u00a0here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

To complement the event, we\u2019re running a series of guest posts, recounting experiences where social media has been a key part of an education project. To start the discussions,\u00a0Dr Alan Cann<\/a>\u00a0from Leicester University\u00a0gave us an\u00a0academic\u2019s\u00a0viewpoint <\/a>on how social media can be used as part of the curriculum. Next we heard from Ben Lillie, co-founder of\u00a0The Story Collider<\/a>,\u00a0revealing how social media can also be used to tell a\u00a0science\u00a0story. In our latest instalment we will be taking a look at the, “This is what a scientist looks like”\u00a0initiative.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In the previous guest post<\/a> here, Ben Lillie discussed the\u00a0#IamScience\u00a0<\/a>hashtag which is being used on Twitter by scientists to describe their personal scientific career trajectories and counter the notion that there is only one career path in science.<\/p>\n

Then, about three weeks ago, a science writer named\u00a0Kevin Zelnio<\/a>\u00a0tweeted this:<\/em> \"\"<\/a> And with that, he completely transformed what I thought was possible, and indeed what the point was, of social media.\u00a0<\/em>The tweet came from a discussion of how people had started their science careers, and Kevin\u2019s frustration that the path to a scientist was always depicted in one way: go to college, go directly to grad school. Hope it was a top-tier school, then, \u201cBam! You\u2019re a scientist.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But can social media really<\/em> be used to change the way people think?<\/p>\n

Putting this to the test is one initiative which has spread across the\u00a0blogosphere<\/a>,\u00a0twittersphere\u00a0<\/a>and has been snapped up by the media:\u00a0\u201cThis is what a scientist looks like.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Developed by science writer and multimedia specialist\u00a0Allie Wilkinson<\/a>, the concept is simple, a Tumblr\u00a0blog which collates pictures of scientists from all walks of life. Allie explains, \u201cthere is no cookie-cutter mold of what a scientist looks like. A scientist can look like you, or can look like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project aims to challenge the stereotypical view of a scientist, \u201cthere is no rule that scientists can\u2019t be multidimensional and can\u2019t have fun.\u201d The inspiration for this project was a blog post by Suzanne Franks<\/a>, in which she very honestly shared her negative reaction to Science Online 2012 keynote speaker Mireya Mayor, <\/a>a viewpoint which several other attendees also shared. Those who questioned Mireya as an appropriate choice, did so based upon her physical attractiveness, her past as a NFL cheerleader and the title of her keynote, \u201cThe Vain Girl\u2019s Survival Guide to Science and the Media.\u201d Suzanne recognized that her reaction was a sexist dismissal of someone she didn\u2019t even know and made her realize, that despite decades of education and effort to counteract them, the stereotypes still exist. After some introspection, Suzanne said of Mireya:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe child of Cuban immigrants, the former cheerleader, the person who did not look like a scientist<\/a>, was also the expert speaking to us that morning. Above all, she was speaking passionately about her science.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mireya commented on the post herself, sharing her lifelong battle to be taken seriously as a scientist given her looks and past, and how with each new milestone in her scientific career she thought, \u2018This is it, now they\u2019ll take me seriously.\u2019 Yet the reaction persists and even producers for her television show comment on her looks and how to best get her \u201cto look more like a scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allie was outraged by the negative reaction to Mireya. \u201cI really find Mireya inspiring, especially after reading her book,\u201d said Allie. \u201cShe started college late, made a last-minute decision to be a scientist and then got a PhD…and has done all of these awesome things.\u201d Allie adds, \u201cSometimes I feel like I\u2019m too old, or don\u2019t have enough lab experience to get a graduate degree in science. But then I think about Mireya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the fact that Mireya does not \u201clook like a scientist\u201d often shadows her scientific achievements. \u201cI do think that because of Mireya\u2019s looks, past and her role as a TV host, people do judge her,\u201d Allie wrote to team member Katie Pratt. \u201cWho says a scientist can\u2019t also be attractive, or personable, or feminine, or funny?\u201d Allie and Katie discussed how the point of Mireya\u2019s keynote wasn\u2019t to focus on her science, but rather to illustrate herself and her unusual path to a career in science.<\/p>\n

And thus, the idea for \u201cThis is What A Scientist Looks Like\u201d was born. Allie wanted to show the world that anyone can be a scientist. \u201cIn the movie Ratatouille<\/a>, the motto repeated throughout is, \u2018anyone can cook\u2019<\/em>. \u00a0Although initially frustrated by this motto, the critic in the movie eventually realizes that not everyone can cook, but a great cook can come from anywhere,\u201d explains Allie. \u201cI want people to realize the same for scientists. \u00a0Not everyone can be a scientist, just like not everyone can cook, but a great scientist can be anyone.\u201d Allie hopes that this project will help change stereotypes and inspire kids to realize that they have the potential to be a scientist.<\/p>\n

The impact of children encountering real-life scientists was illustrated in a study conducted by\u00a0Fermilab\u00a0<\/a>where seventh graders (aged 12&13) were asked to draw pictures of what they believed a scientist looked like. The results were not surprising: prior to meeting scientists, the students’ drawings matched the clich\u00e9\u00a0of a man in white coat and glasses, clutching a flask of coloured liquid. After meeting scientists, the students’ perceptions changed dramatically:<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Source: Results from\u00a0<\/em><\/a>Who’s the Scientist?<\/a>\u00a0Picture by\u00a0seventh\u00a0grade student Amy\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Allie hopes that her project will have a similar effect. \u00a0For further reading you can also check our\u00a0Soapbox Science guest post<\/a>\u00a0by Shreena Patel, Scientific Projects Manager for Exscitec which delves into similar themes.<\/p>\n

Dear Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stemming from the #IamScience and “This is what a Scientists looks like” \u00a0initiative and to tie in with Valentine\u2019s Day, Allie and her team have encouraged scientists to send their very own \u201cValentine’s Day love letters to science.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0You can check out their\u00a0Pinterest board<\/a>\u00a0collecting the love letters received.<\/p>\n

These \u201cDear Science\u201d love letters intend to emphasise that scientists are \u2018normal\u2019 people, dealing with the same ups and downs of everyday life, just like everyone else. Here is a\u00a0snippet\u00a0<\/a>from one of the love letters by\u00a0Ed<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Dear Science,<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was in elementary school I said I was going to grow up to be a scientist. \u00a0Back then we didn\u2019t have Tumblr, so I had to imagine what a scientist looked like. \u00a0I believe in my imagination I wore a lab coat and one of those headbands with a shiny disc. \u00a0It turns out I can dress like a normal person!\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Only time will tell whether this initiative can really change the way people think. However, if you are a scientist you can certainly help the cause by submitting your picture to the\u00a0project<\/a>, joining in the online conversation on Twitter (@LooksLikeSci<\/a>), or sharing your thoughts on their\u00a0Facebook page.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Science Online\u00a0NYC\u00a0(SoNYC) is a monthly discussion series held in New York City where invited panellists talk about a particular topic related to how science is carried out and communicated online.\u00a0For this month\u2019s SoNYC we\u2019ve teamed up with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) for a special event for\u00a0Social Media Week. We\u2019re looking at how social media can be used to communicate science, with the intention of concentrating on how the experiences can have educational value. More details about this month\u2019s SoNYC can be found\u00a0here.  Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8],"tags":[32,28,31,30],"class_list":["post-1838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science-communication-and-outreach","category-science-online-nyc-sonyc","tag-iamscience","tag-sonyc","tag-science-communication","tag-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}