Association of Women in Science - Southern Louisiana Update
Lisa M. Harrison-Bernard, PhD, AWIS-SL President
The AWIS-SL held a discussion of the documentary “Picture a Scientist” the morning of Monday, June 28. Fifteen faculty, fellows, and graduate students attended the virtual Zoom event. The feature-length documentary film chronicles the experiences of three women scientists who overcome brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science.
The LSUHSC medical library provided links for the attendees to watch the documentary free of charge over the prior weekend. The event began with a summary of the documentary, trailer, and introduction to the three women scientists.
Attendees contributed to a lively discussion of the following topics: What single word would you use to describe your reaction to this documentary? What are your thoughts on the male master student who did not speak up about the harassment in the Arctic? Which of these issues are present at LSUHSC? What can we do to reduce the impact of harassment and gender inequities?
The event ended with a quote by Professor Nancy Hopkins, “Despite all the progress,
and it is tremendous progress, women still struggle over these progresses… Such a
waste of time and energy, when all we want to do is to be a scientist.”