ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
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The excercise of having someone draw a scientist is interesting but I question
whether asking for a single drawing is representative of what the drawer 
actually believes scientists to be.    
Now even though I am a female neuroscientist whose lab doesn't even have 
test tubes if asked to draw a scientist I would probably draw a male in 
a lab coat holding a test tube (that is if I had any drawing ability at 
all since in reality I would probably only manage a stick figure).  I 
would draw this not because I think all scientists look like this but 
because I think this is the image most able to convey scientist to other 
people.  What I would be very curious to see is what would happen if you 
asked people to draw 5 different pictures of a scientist.  This way 
people take up one drawing on the traditional test tube picture and then 
there would be 4 other pictures to see if people have any concept of the 
diversity that does exist within science.  Has something like this ever 
been tried?

--Kristy

********************************************************
Kristy Sundberg
Graduate Student- UCSD Dept of Neuroscience
John Reynolds Lab- The Salk Institute
********************************************************


On Thu Jul 13 12:04 , 'Richard O. Brown' <[log in to unmask]> sent:

>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Re: depicting science:
>
>If you haven't done this exercise before, you might enjoy trying this 
>activity before reading on:
>http://www.the-aps.org/education/2006rts/pdf/Draw_a_Scientist_handout.pdf 
>(Or simply imagine and draw a picture of a scientist doing science.)
>
>
>This is the classic "Draw-A-Scientist-Test" (DAST), originally developed by 
>anthropologists Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux in 1957.  It's been widely 
>used since then to track public perceptions of scientists over time, and 
>across different ages, ethnicities and nationalities.  The consistent 
>finding is that people asked to "Draw a picture of a scientist doing 
>science" typically produce stereotyped drawings of a socially awkward, 
>bearded old white man in a lab coat, with accessories such as beakers and 
>equation-covered chalkboards.  (Picture the scientists in Gary Larson's Far 
>Side.)   But it's a matter of debate how much that stereotype really 
>affects public perception of science, or the likelihood of choosing science 
>as a career.
>
>I'd be interested to hear if anyone has used the DAST as an activity in a 
>science center.
>
>The test linked above comes from the website of the American Physiological 
>Society, which also offers this scoresheet: 
>http://www.the-aps.org/education/2006rts/pdf/DASTRatingRubric.pdf
>
>There was an interesting discussion of DAST and other measures of public 
>perception of scientists in the NSF's Science and Engineering Indicators 
>2002 
>(http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c7/c7s3.htm>http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c7/c7s3.htm).
>
>Oddly and peculiarly yours,
>Richard
>
>***********************************************************
>Richard O. Brown, PhD
>Staff Neuroscientist / Exhibit and Project Developer
>The Exploratorium
>3601 Lyon Street
>San Francisco, CA 94123-1099
>
>(415) 353-0483
>***********************************************************
>
>
>At 04:24 PM 7/12/2006, you wrote:
>
>>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>>*****************************************************************************
>>
>>It turns out (surprise!) we're not the only ones grappling with how to
>>depict science. This blog entry and its replies offer some scientists'
>>opinions on the issue. Here's a hint: enough with the photos of colored
>>liquids in Erlenmeyer flasks.
>>
>>http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2006/07/07/memo_to_the_public_relat
>>ions_department.php
>>
>>
>>Katherine Ziff
>>Exhibit Developer
>>Great Lakes Science Center
>>(216) 696-4058
>
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