Long overdue introduction

As a female science major (and gender, sexuality, feminist studies major!) at a fairly progressive institution, it is hard to believe that I know very little about women in science. Yes, I know who Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin are, but aside from those two astounding women, not a single female scientist has ever been mentioned in any of my courses throughout my four years here (at least that I can remember). Now whose fault is this? Is it my own for not pursing independent research? Is it my professors and teachers? I have no real answer, but I do know the fastest way to learn about women in the field, and feminist science studies in general, is to seek out the material myself. Hopefully, throughout my own journey, I can make the material more accessible to others like me who want to know more. 

My quest for more knowledge perhaps began earlier than I was even aware: during my sophomore year in Feminist Studies. This course not only led me to pursue a second major, but also changed my perspective on my beloved science. In Feminist Topics I learned read some great works by feminists like Luce Irigary (<http://www.egs.edu/faculty/luce-irigaray/quotes/>) and Donna Haraway (<http://www.egs.edu/faculty/donna-haraway/biography/>). These readings challenged me to question the objectivity of science: after, I began to look for the subjectivity in science, the socially informed assumptions and biases that are behind some disputably objective studies. 

This new perspective bled into my other seemingly non-related science courses in which I began to question the assumptions behind the science, the whys and so whats behind the research. Each disputable assumption I found, the more frustrated I became. And frustration led to more frustration when I realized that my professors and most of my peers were accepting the same assumptions as the papers were without noticing there were assumptions in the first place. The text that really pushed me over the edge however was John Alcock’s “Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach” (I will save the details for a later post/vent session). Luckily, I was able to channel my frustration in my independent research, which not only led me to question the content of the papers in question, but also led me to learn more about equity studies, another branch of feminist science studies. 

Throughout my process, the more I learned about women in the field and the limitations they have faced, the more I realized how important it is for everyone to learn. There are some pretty spectacular women out there who have surpassed many obstacles, in part due to their gender, and have tremendously succeeded in the field, despite any adversity they have faced. I want these women to be known. I want women like me, teetering on the edge of college and the ‘real’ world to be able to look to these women as an emblem of hope: If they can do it, so can we!