The Perception of Scientists
There’s much to agree with in this piece, but I can’t accept the labelling of, e.g., Martyn Poliakoff as a “Stereotype” when he’s just a human being who isn’t afraid of being who he is. I suppose some would call him “eccentric” but that’s the way he is.
Accepting diversity means encouraging everyone to contribute in a way that reflects the person that they are, regardless of their gender, race, age or hairstyle. We should value our eccentrics for daring to be different. They’re the best kind of role models for an enquiring mind. Otherwise we run the risk of simply replacing one kind of conformity with another. So let’s keep it positive!
Now. Why aren’t there more science communicators with beards?
A response to Isabel Clarke’s blog post: ‘Have social media improved the perception of science?’
Mitchell Guest
Ask a primary school age child to draw you a picture of a scientist, and most of us know exactly what they will draw. Inevitably, they will sketch out a white, middle aged man with unkept hair, in a white lab coat and glasses. This impression is one that many scientists have tried to dispel, using a variety of mediums and concepts. In Isabel Clarke’s blog post ‘Have social media improved the perception of science?’, she argues that by making science more accessible, by simplifying world-leading research articles, the barrier between scientists and the general population can be destroyed. There are many people and organisations attempting to do just that, and Isabel points to the likes of Henry Reich, creator of MinutePhysics (YouTube Subscribers – 2.58million) and Elise Andrew…
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In the Dark 
January 2, 2015 at 12:43 pm
To me, a stereotypical scientist is under 35 and female, since that is the main demographic doing physics outreach, and the Leicester post grads were 11:1 female in X-ray astronomy when I finished my phd. I realise that is not typical, but it cannot be unique, surely?