Not Your Grandma's Scientist

By Claire Eamer

The default image of a scientist used to be a white man -- usually with more fly-away white hair than was strictly necessary. Maybe a bit like the dude on the right...

Of course, we all know now that the image was never really accurate. After all, Crick and Watson's discovery of the nature of the DNA molecule owed a great deal to the remarkable work of Rosalind Franklin.

Our current awareness of the dangers of pesticides and similar chemicals was founded on the work and the riveting prose of biologist Rachel Carson. And the great 19th century astronomer, William Herschel, had an equally talented little sister, Caroline, who did much of his math for him and discovered three nebulae and eight comets on her own.

But still, the public face of science has all too often been a white man. Well, the times are changing (and none too soon!).

Take, for example, Evan Johnson-Ransom, a young Black grad student at Oklahoma State University whose delightful Twitter feed I discovered recently.

It's full of dinosaurs, fossils, recreations of ancient beasties, and lots of fascinating palaeo content. Especially, T. rex and its relatives -- which Mr. Johnson-Ransom hopes to spend the next few years studying. As I told him online, he is living every 8-year-old's dream!

Or how about the four young women who just started an organization called Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS)? They're all passionate about sharks and hope to recruit more enthusiasts to join them.

But why sharks? One of the founders of the group, Carlee Jackson, said in a recent interview that she has been fascinated by sharks since the age of six, even though she grew up in shark-free Detroit. She studied marine biology in Florida, where she finally saw her first live shark in the wild. She thought it was...er...cute. But sharks are not just cute, she said. They're a vital part of the ocean ecosystem.

Sharks not your thing? How about birds? Actually, how about Dr. Letícia Soares. Originally from Brazil, she's working at the Advanced Facility for Avian Research at Western University in London, Ontario, where she studies the transmission of avian malaria in birds.

I discovered Dr. Soares on Twitter, where she was talking with great enthusiasm about birds, research, online conferences, and a certain Turquoise-fronted Amazon parrot that sings in one of the indigenous languages of Brazil. Her enthusiasm about all these topics and more is infectious.

You might notice a theme here -- Twitter. For all that it can be a nasty, poisonous place, Twitter can also open up worlds. It's a great place to find and sometimes interact with scientists of all shapes, sizes, colours, and preferences. There are even some very cool white-guy-scientists there. If you're interested in diversity in science, take a look around.

I should add, however, that diversity in science can often be found even closer to home. And it's not just the young folk. Take, for example, the president of my local university, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo: Dr. Deb Saucier, a neuroscientist of Métis heritage and a recent recipient of the Indigenous Women in Leadership Award.

And from a previous generation, we in Canada have The Honourable Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck. Daughter of a Chinese immigrant father and a Cree mother, she is a member of the Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan. After a distinguished career in neuropsychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan, she was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2005.

Finally, if you're curious about diversity in science, here are a few articles or websites to browse:

• 6 Black Archaeologists and Anthropologists You Should Know About
• 6 Women Scientists Who Were Snubbed Due to Sexism
• 9 Black Chemists You Should Know About
• 14 Inspiring Innovators From Asia
• These Powerful African Scientists Are Changing The World

You can probably think of more examples and more sources. If so, just add them in the Comments below. I'd love to learn more!