The Seeing Science Project seeks to study how life experience and sociocultural expectations influence 1) an individual’s choice to pursue a career in science and 2) how the individual experiences a life dedicated to science and discovery. The project focuses intentionally on the experiences of diverse scientists – individuals of underrepresented minority groups and international origin, LGBTQIA+ community members, women, individuals with disabilities, and more. We need more open discussion about biases in science and the challenges associated with pursuing a career that demands truth above all else. This project is one small way to start these necessary conversations.
The participants included in this exhibition come from all walks of life, but many were interviewed as part of a summer project at the Mayo Clinic in 2018. They study brain cancer and spinal cord injury, administrate programs aimed at increasing diversity in the sciences, and communicate their love for what they do with their peers and the public alike. It is my hope that their photographs and selected quotes will help to paint a picture of what the modern scientist looks like – diverse, brilliant, and unlike any previous generation has ever seen.
Questions about the project? Want to participate in an upcoming interview? Email Samantha Bouchal at smb116@duke.edu.
This exhibition was sponsored in part by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
