Event Details

The Department of Chemistry at Lancaster University in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics & Statistics and LU Women's Network are pleased to present a free virtual screening of the award winning film Picture a Scientist!

The Department of Chemistry at Lancaster University in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics & Statistics and LU Women's Network are pleased to present a free virtual screening of Picture a Scientist!

PICTURE A SCIENTIST is a 93-min documentary film chronicling the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. A biologist, a chemist and a geologist, lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, overcoming brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science. From cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we also encounter scientific luminaries who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.

Scheduled to premiere at the postponed 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, Picture a Scientist paints a nuanced, emotional but unflinching portrait of the struggles women in science have faced, in recent decades up to today. The film challenges audiences of all backgrounds and genders to question their own implicit biases and move toward change.

The viewing is free and everyone is welcome.

This virtual screening has been arranged by Professor Joe Sweeney, Dr Natasha Blitvic and Rachel Beauchamp, with funding from the Department of Chemistry at Lancaster University.

We hope that this event will contribute to current discussions around inequality and underrepresentation in the academic environment.

Content warning: Some scenes from the movie feature first-hand stories of explicit and brutal harassment, implicit gender and racial bias, and entrenched institutional discrimination.