printable versionInternational conference to focus on 'gendered innovations'
The Institute for Research on Women and Gender is hosting an international conference April 15 and 16 in Wallenberg Hall to explore how the tools of gender analysis, when turned to science, medicine and engineering, can profoundly alter human knowledge.
"The firestorm of debate surrounding Harvard President Lawrence Summers' remarks on women and science have focused attention on the need to get more women into the hard sciences and engineering," said Londa Schiebinger, the Barbara D. Finberg Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. "But those debates have not touched one of the key aspects of recruiting girls and women into math, science and engineering—how gender impacts scientific thinking."
"Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering" will focus on specific ways gender has sparked creativity in research. Co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Gabilan Provost's Fund, the event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. For detailed information, go to http://www.stanford.edu/group/IRWG or call (650) 723-1994.
Gender analysis has been notably successful in medicine biology and archaeology, said Schiebinger, a professor of the history of science. "It will be the goal of this conference to highlight and analyze these successes. Questions remain concerning whether gender analysis has anything to offer physics, mathematics, computer science or chemistry—issues we will also address."
Understanding how gender operates in science and engineering may open new vistas for future research, Schiebinger said. "We need to be open to the possibility that human knowledge—what we know, what we value, what we consider important—may change dramatically when women become full partners. We need more investigation on how gender impacts scientific thinking, from the choice of topic to hypothesis proposed to modes of collecting data."
Some highlightsOn April 15, Professor Emerita Gloria Sarto, co-director of the Center for Women's Health at the University of Wisconsin, will deliver a talk titled "Women's Health: A Woman's Issue." Stanford's Marcia Stefanick, a professor (research) of medicine, will moderate the discussion.
Sue V. Rosser, professor and dean at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will speak about feminist theories leading to gendered innovations in biology and technologies.
Margaret W. Conkey, the Class of 1960 Professor of Anthropology and director of the Archaeological Research Facility at the University of California-Berkeley, and Alison Wylie, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University and professor of women's studies at Barnard College, will discuss gendered innovations in archaeology.
On April 16, Meg Urry, Yale physics professor and director of the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, will give "a woman's view of astronomy and physics," with the ensuing discussion moderated by Sarah Church, an assistant professor of physics at Stanford.
Tatiana Butovitsch Temm, communications manager for Volvo, will deliver a talk titled "If You Meet the Expectations of Women, You Exceed the Expectations of Men: How Volvo Cars Took Women Customers into Consideration and Made World Headlines with the YCC Concept Car." Stanford's Sheri Sheppard, associate professor of mechanical engineering, will moderate the discussion.
Sociology Professor Lucy Suchman, who co-directs the Centre for Science Studies at Lancaster University, will speak about gender and technology design, with UC-Berkeley's Charis Thompson, assistant professor of women's studies and rhetoric feminist theory, moderating.
A science policy roundtable will address issues of gender in government-sponsored research in the European Union, Germany and the United States.