Event Details

Why are sexism, homophobia and racism still so prevalent in physics and STEM? In the FST talk, Dr Gagnon, a particle physicist from CERN, will explore why people from so many various groups have been historically excluded and suggest a series of easily applicable measures that could greatly improve diversity in STEM.

In this FST talk, we will explore why sexism, homophobia and racism are still so prevalent in STEM. Dr Gagnon will use personal experience to demonstrate that in fact the personal is political. CERN, the largest physics laboratory in the world, welcomes scientists from 112 nationalities but still about 80% of them are white and 80% are male. She will examine why people from so many various groups have been historically excluded and suggest a series of easily applicable measures that could greatly improve diversity in STEM. These measures would benefit all scientists, regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, physical ability or religion. It has been established that diversity benefits science by increasing the creativity potential, a key ingredient in scientific research.

The presenter, Dr Pauline Gagnon, is a particle physicist from CERN.