Do women have the brains to be great scientists?
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Meanwhile, women faculty at MIT are now elected to the National Academy of Sciences at the same rate as men, and they have finally begun to win some of the most prestigious science awards. For example, yesterday a woman from MIT–the great chemist JoAnne Stubbe–received the National Medal of Science from President Obama, in part for developing a cancer-treating drug now in clinical trials. She has also worked to make science more welcoming for the young women who will come after her. Her accomplishments are off the charts.
Every time a female scientist wins one of these major awards, it is very emotional for me, reducing me to tears. Most are tears of joy at seeing these amazing pioneers recognized for their achievements after the decades-long struggle for women’s equality in science. But I am also sad, thinking of all the great discoveries that were lost when half the population was kept out.
My emotions may even include a trace of I-told-you-so. It’s shocking that as recently as 2005 Larry Summers could propose that women’s genetic inferiority might explain their small numbers at the pinnacle of scientific achievement. I walked out in protest. You'd expect Harvard to know better!
Maybe 2009 will be remembered as a watershed for women in science. At the very least it should mark the end of the nonsensical, outdated and damaging idea that women lack the interest or genetic ability to do great math and science.
Nancy Hopkins is professor of molecular biology at MIT and a founding member of The New Agenda.
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Women have the "brains" to be anything they aspire to be! It's misogynistic to believe anything else. In the past, girls were encouraged to catch a good husband, settle down and have kids. We need to assist our girls to reach their potentials. After all, who is going to bail out this world after the men have totally mucked it up? :->
My observations of life tell me that more women will be seen in the halls of science as more girls decide to go that route. Build the dream in the girl, let it bud in her teens and then watch it bloom as she decides when grown that math, science, exploration, experimentation and innovation are something she wants to do. More women will grace these endeavors as more women decide that is what they want to do. Has nothing whatever to do with "brain structure" or chromosomes. Has to do with women recognizing that doors are open.
Great article! Larry Summers is a putz, I read his lecture for myself a couple years ago and was offended. I hope we will get more women in the sciences in future generations. Congrats to the Nobel winners and I hope they will all mentor young women. I work in a male dominated industry too and it's tough sometimes.
I am quite surprised that an accomplished scientist like Nancy Hopkins is would resort to tactics usually seen on Fox News to smear Larry Summers. There are many reasons to have a negative reaction to Larry Summers Harvard speech (the one that Dr. Hopkins walked out on). Unfortunaly, almost none of the legitimate crticisms of his speech are included in Hopkins sad piece. For example Hopkins writes: "That achievement should put the nail in the coffin of the question Summers raised: Can many women really be great scientists? " Whether three nobel prizes for women can put any idea in the coffin the fact is that Larry Summers never raised the question that Hopkins supposedly quotes from his speech. I am unfamiliar with anyone seriously rasing that question, certainly not Summers in his speech. I suppose it is possible that since Hopkins didn't actually hear the speech she simply decided to make up what he said to suit her purpose. Not very admirable behavior for an acadmic star
A transcript is available of Larry Summers' conference remarks on 1/14/2005. This was not available when the boston.com article (referenced above) was published just three days after the event. The reader may find it a rewarding endeavor to form an independent opinion of Mr. Summers' remarks, rather than an opinion rendered by someone who attended but "walked out", or an opinion from a boston.com writer who had never had access to the remarks in question. Larry Summers' remarks are available for anyone to see here: (cut and paste, then remove the embedded space from the following URL) http://www.president.harvard.edu/ speeches/summers_2005/nber.php
