3:30–4:30 pm
Maria Goeppert-Mayer Lecture Hall Kersten Physics Teaching Center
Room 106
5720 S. Ellis Avenue
Equity and Inclusion in Physics and Beyond
Meg Urry, Yale University
Many decades after anti-discrimination laws were passed here and abroad, practitioners of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics still look very different than the general population. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, military veterans, and other “outsider” groups lag far behind, with large differences by sub-field and by country indicating the role of culture and expectation. Demographic data and social science research confirm that ability is not the issue; rather, the driver is lower expectations and evaluations of outsiders as leaders, thinkers, do-ers. Sexual harassment is also a serious problem. After a review of the above, I offer some ideas about how to mitigate obstacles to equal participation, full utilization of available talent being critical to the health of STEM professions.