Changing the Face of Science Shattering Stereotypes and Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM
By Kyle Walsh
me.” Why is it, then, that research shows most people think that scientists are eccentric old white men with disheveled hair and lab coats? This stereotypical image (and misconcep- tion) has the power to dramatically influence attitudes toward science, often deterring young people from pursuing a sci- ence career and forming their own science identity.
T The first composite scientist image
The first visual imagery of scientists can be traced back to the late eighteenth century when artists and authors were creat- ing images of mythic beings, mad scientists, and alchemists who dabbled in sorcery or black magic. While those images have faded with time, their impact has not. To understand this issue, researchers have been studying the perception of the scientist image for decades and have noted several stereotypes. Mead and Metraux surveyed 35,000 high school students
across the country and asked them to complete open-ended prompts about what came to mind when they heard the word scientist and what kind of scientist they would like to be. After analyzing the results, the authors used the student responses to create the first composite image of a scientist: “The scientist is an elderly man who wears a white coat, glasses and works in a laboratory. He is surrounded by equip- ment: test tubes, beakers, Bunsen burners, flasks, and bottles, and always scribbling notes in a small notebook. The man is
HE QUESTION IS SIMPLE: “What does a scientist look like?” In a perfect world, the answer should be, “Anyone can be a scientist; they can look like you or
so involved in his work that he doesn’t know what is going on in the outside world. He has no other interests and neglects his body for his mind. He can only talk, eat, breathe, and sleep science in hopes of making a great discovery.”1
Draw-A-Scientist Test
Decades later, social scientist David Chambers introduced the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) in hopes that drawings could provide better insight into what perceptions students had of scientists. Using his method, teachers are to give stu- dents a blank sheet of paper and ask them to “Draw a picture of a scientist.” Then, the pictures are analyzed for seven key indicators that depict the standard image of a scientist: lab coat, eyeglasses, facial hair, symbols of research, symbols of knowledge, technology, and relevant captions such as “Eureka!” Before publishing his 1983 study, Chambers surveyed
drawings from 186 elementary school classrooms throughout the United States and Canada, and, with the help of gradu- ate students, analyzed each drawing for the indicators. Each drawing was ranked 1–7 depending on how many indicators were present. It was determined that the stereotypical indi- cators started to appear in the second grade, with lab coats and lab equipment appearing in many pictures. By third- and fourth-grade, most students drew at least three indicators, and by fifth-grade, some photos contained all seven. Overwhelmingly, one observation stood out among oth-
ers: nearly all the scientist drawings were of men. Out of 4,807 drawings, only 28 — less than 1% — showed a female scientist, and all of those drawings were drawn by female stu- dents.2
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This insight suggested that students had much to learn Page 9
Photos by Kyle Walsh
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