Banneker and AztlГЎn students. (thanks to the Banneker Institute)
The Harvard program, using its focus that is explicit on justice, comes at a fraught time for astronomy. Final autumn, Buzzfeed’s Azeen Ghorayshi reported that famed exoplanet astronomer Geoff Marcy associated with University of Ca at Berkeley have been sexually harassing female students for years—even as institutional structures shielded him from repercussions. (Berkeley’s chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, simply announced he’ll move down within the wake associated with scandal.)
While awful, most of these high-profile tales may at the least bring a knowledge regarding the issues females face in astronomy. Since a 1992 seminar on feamales in astronomy in Baltimore, a sustained women’s motion has grown representation inside the industry. Yet due to the fact Marcy tale illustrates, there is certainly nevertheless much work to be performed. Furthermore, Johnson among others argue that what progress happens to be made so far has mainly offered to incorporate white ladies and perhaps perhaps not ladies of color.
Recently, frank talks about these problems empowered by Twitter, blog sites, Facebook groups, and meeting sessions have meant that most of the time, racial disparities are no longer being swept beneath the rug.
Some native Hawaiians are fighting the construction of a massive new telescope atop a sacred mountain for instance, in Hawaii. When a senior astronomer known those protesters as “a horde of Native Hawaiians who are lying,” other astronomers, including Johnson, fired back—forcing an apology and shaping future protection for the contentious issue. Read More
