Inclusive Science: Articulating Theory, Practice, and Action

This cluster of articles is not the first to examine the intersections of Women's Studies and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). For example, the 2000 Women's Studies Quarterly issue "Building Inclusive Science," edited by Sue Rosser, recounted the recent history and status of women in science and engineering, and focused on classroom and curriculum as a means of transformation. In 2004, the NWSA Journal published a special issue on "(Re)Gendering Science Fields," edited by Jill Bystydzienski, which grew out of a National Science Foundation-sponsored conference on "Retaining Women in Early Academic STEM Careers." The articles in that issue represented a shift in thinking, away from how to fit women into STEM to looking at systemic barriers and analyzing how these fields must change at the institutional level to attract and retain women and those in minority groups.

The inspiration and motivation for the current cluster of articles in "Inclusive Science: Articulating Theory, Practice, and Action" came from a June 2008 conference by the same name (www.stkate.edu/inclusive_science), focused on the intersections of science, gender, race, and class. The conference was greatly enriched by three keynote speakers. Dr. Marlene Zuk, Professor of Biology and the Associate Vice-Provost for Faculty Equity and Diversity at the University of California-Riverside, addressed "Sex and the Scala Naturae: The Use of Males as a Model System." She cautioned that our preoccupation with the use of model systems could bias the way we see nature, preventing us from understanding the full diversity of natural systems, and urged scientists to look at problems from more diverse perspectives. Dr. Sue Rosser, Professor and Dean of the Ivan Allen College, Georgia Institute of Technology, in her talk, "Are Women Included in Leading Edge Trends in Science and Technology? Gender and Patents," presented information about global underrepresentation of women in obtaining patents, and suggested how applying theory from Women's Studies could be helpful in closing this gender gap (see her article in this cluster). Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman College, drew on relevant psychological literature on stigma and stereotyping as well as life histories of black women in science and observations at two women's colleges for her presentation: "The Psychology of Persistence: Facilitating the Success of Underrepresented Women of Color in Science." In her address, Dr. Tatum highlighted promising practices for facilitating the success of underrepresented women of color in science.

The intention of the Inclusive Science conference was to bring together scholars in STEM and Women's Studies to discuss critiques of science from multiple perspectives, to examine pedagogies that engage those typically underrepresented in STEM fields (particularly white women and men and women of color), and to develop strategies for transforming the ways we learn, teach, and practice science—admittedly a broad set of goals. But, in actuality, the conference did more than that—it brought individuals with a common passion for addressing issues of inclusion in STEM together in space and time to address topics of pressing importance so often neglected in their own fields. This sense of community countered the isolation expressed by many and articulated by Anne Fausto-Sterling in 1992 that "there is no intellectual community, be it the community of scientists or the community of feminist scholars, to which I can fully belong" (336). The synergy which resulted from this intellectual and practical exchange of ideas and strategies left us with a sense that by working together, we can make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics more inclusive.

So what would inclusive science look like? The answer to this question obviously depends on who answers it, so before I answer, I will identify my perspective. I am a white, middle-class woman, trained as an evolutionary and behavioral biologist, and currently Professor of Biology at a Catholic liberal arts college for women. Although I have identified as a feminist for more than thirty years, I have no formal training in Women's Studies. I am a member of the core faculty in our interdisciplinary Women's Studies program, and have come to feminist...