Our Top Picks for August 13th, 2018

⭃In Beryl Benderly's article, "Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment," Beryl explores the environment that Rosalind was making her discoveries in, and how things are both different and the same today. She speaks on the "Matilda effect," which is the practice of ascribing women's accomplishments to men, and how one of the things that may be holding women back and creating inequality is that women do not have the same "freedom to fail" that men enjoy. 

Flickr Image from Helios.

⭃Abstract: "As part of their efforts to increase the diversity of their workforce and student body, medical schools, academic medical centers, and individual departments are increasingly crafting public statements about their value for and commitment to diversity. In order for these statements to effectively enhance diversity, however, care must be taken, as research shows that some diversity-related messages can backfire. To avoid the pitfalls and realize the promise of diversity statements, this article presents recommendations based on experimental studies that investigate the impact of diversity messages. These studies suggest that diversity statements be aspirational, emphasize autonomy, and express a value for difference." Check out the full article here.


⭃Are you just beginning your career as an independent researcher and want some insight on how to run your very own research group? This guide: A career in research, could be just what you need. With input from over 100 researchers and interview panel members, this compilation of tips and tricks can help kick-start your career as a successful independent scientist! 


⭃In a world in which men dominate leadership roles, should we focus on changing the systems and structures that favor men at women’s expense? Or should we emphasize the tactics individual women can use to get ahead? Check out Harvard Business Review's research on this matter in the article, "'Lean In' Messages and the Illusion of Control."


⭃Tokyo Medical University's confirmed the allegations that they were discriminating against female prospective students by inflating scores on the entrance exam of male students. The university did not award any extra points to female students, but if a male was taking the exam for the first, second or third time, they would be given a bonus ranging from 10-20 points. Read more about how these allegations are unfolding in the article, "Tokyo Medical University admits subtracting points from repeat applicants' scores and boosting others to secure donations."


⭃BethAnn McLaughlin is a Vanderbilt University neuroscientist who has started online petitions calling on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science(AAAS) to revoke the memberships of those found guilty of sexual harassment or assault. Through her advocacy, she got the website RateMyProfessors.com—which lets college students rate their professors—to drop its red chili pepper professor "hotness” rating. In this article, McLaughlin speaks with The Scientist about how she got started on her advocacy, the various reactions to it, and why she’s made it a priority.

Flickr Image from Agang SA.

⭃Join hundreds who have signed the Gender Avenger Pledge that declares: "I will not serve as a panelist at a public conference when there are no women on the panel." Sign up here. 


⭃When young men and women come up against sexist stereotypes masquerading as science, Angela Saini wants them to be armed with the facts. “I call my book ammunition,” she says of her 288-page prize-winning work Inferior: The True Power of Women and the Science that Shows It. “There are people out there who insist that somehow the inequalities we see in society are not just because of historic discrimination, but also because of biology – the idea that there are factors within us that will cause men or women to be better at some things than others.” Check out this article, "The book that fights sexism with science," to see more about what drove Saini to write her book. 


⭃AI is often criticized for its tendency to perpetuate society’s biases, but it’s equally capable of fighting them. Machine learning is currently being used to scan scientific studies and news stories to identify prominent scientists who aren’t featured on Wikipedia. Many of these scientists are female, and their omission is particularly significant in the world’s most popular encyclopedia, where 82 percent of biographies are written about men. Check out this article, "AI spots 40,000 prominent scientists overlooked by Wikipedia," to see how AI can be used to literally write the wrongs left behind as a product of years of societal gender discrimination. 


⭃Check out the lastest NIH research, "Trends in Diversity within the NIH-funded workforce."