Calling out Entitlement
Looking around for topical material beyond Euclid to include in tomorrow’s plenary presentation at the National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff in the session on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Astronomy and Geophysics I came across a story about Nobel Laureate Kurt Wüthrich.
Professor Kurt Wüthrich gave a talk at the Lindau Meeting last week during which he claimed there was anti-male discrimination in modern science. I have uncovered further relevant evidence. Here is a picture of four old white men from the same meeting being discriminated against by being forced to participate in a panel consisting entirely of old white men:
Setting aside Kurt Wüthrich’s ridiculously elevated sense of entitlement, the really serious issue is that it was a (female) early career researcher that called him out. One point that I want to make tomorrow is that those of us who are old white men have a vitally important role to play in calling out this sort of nonsense. More generally, whatever your scientific status it is important for you to ask yourself “what can I do to make the research environment as good as possible for people who are not like me?”.
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In the Dark 
July 4, 2023 at 12:09 pm
In the link about Kurt Wuthrich it was mentioned that “attendees to pass a rigorous application process”. Does this mean that early career researchers have to pass some sort of exam to be at the meeting? Just remembered that when I was a young Ph.D researcher it was enough to have a poster of your research to be able to attend a conference. I thought it was kind of the point to be unskilled, and to learn by attending such events.
July 4, 2023 at 2:52 pm
You can read about the application process here.
July 4, 2023 at 11:13 pm
Mildly amusing that they claim: “Applicants who have successfully mastered the application process undoubtedly represent the emerging generation of leading scientists and researchers.”
Yes, because the leading skill for scientists to acquire is how to handle meaningless bureaucracy…
Definitely not my kind of meeting, but people are different.
July 4, 2023 at 6:31 pm
I don’t quite see the point of the meeting. Are discussions with old (some are well in their 80s) Nobel laureates that useful for young scientists?
July 5, 2023 at 6:09 am
We’re scientists, so let’s coolly consider the evidence for and against any assertion of Wüthrich’s that goes beyond his personal feelings, and reach a conclusion.
Peter, your closing question for reflection is excellent.
I’m at a conference in Germany right now – MaxEnt 2023 is in Garching again! Before that I was at Lords for days 1-4 of the second Ashes Test, but missed the now notorious 5th day to fly out in good time.
July 5, 2023 at 9:39 am
I missed the coverage of the last day because I was travelling. Setting aside whether Australia should have withdrawn the appeal that led to Bairstow’s dismissal, what struck me most was how careless he was in wandering out of his crease without checking that the ball was dead…
July 5, 2023 at 10:54 am
That Bairstow was not trying to gain any advantage from his actions is decisive when considering the question you set aside. I recall a 90-year-old cable sent by the Australian Board of Control protesting that a form of bowling that was perfectly legal at the time was ‘unsportsmanlike’…
But clearly Bairstow isn’t the brightest bulb in the dressing room ceiling.
As for the fracas in the pavilion, I want to know what was said, whether any contact took place and if so then who initiated it. The most one can state without knowledge of those things is some theoretical criteria for expulsion from MCC.
July 5, 2023 at 10:36 am
This was embarrassing. Obviously it is too much of an adjustment for some of those who now have more competition than before! Young scientists should be accepted and empowered – not criticised for being different from the past.