It's tempting to think that scientists are judged based solely on their science, and nothing else. But science is a part of society, so biases and prejudices are there, from both outside and inside. These are stories from The Story Collider about those biases.

These are a mix of stories. Some of biases preventing people from going into science, and finding refuge there. Some are stories of the prejudices of scientists themselves, and the ways those keep people from succeeding, and hold back science. Some have happy endings, some don't. It's a vast and complex topic, and this is a small, but hopefully eye-opening sample.

Bias and the sciences

Environment and Climate Sciences

To celebrate Pride Month, here's our playlist of ten stories about LGBTQ+ pride in STEM.

Pride in STEM

Adventure stories from badass women scientists

While studying bioengineering, Craig Lehocky discovers he's different from the other students.

Craig Lehocky's tinkering runs deep. He currently develops surgical robots as an M.D. / Ph.D. student at CMU and University of Pittsburgh. Before that, he worked on prosthetic limbs controlled by the brain at the University of Pittsburgh. And even before that, he restored cars, houses, and guitar amplifiers at the University of his Dad. He doesn't know what tinkering his future holds, but hopes it unfolds in Pittsburgh.

Every week the Story Collider brings you a true, personal story about science. Find more and subscribe to our podcast at our website: http://storycollider.org/

Help keep us going! If you love the podcast, please donate here: http://www.patreon.com/thestorycollider

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Craig Lehocky: Do you always talk like that?

As a science teacher, Marjorie Winther has both entertaining and troubling times with her students, but when she brings them to the South she discovers a whole new side of them.

Marjorie Winther has been performing stories and comedy for over ten years. She is the winner of the 2012 First Person Arts Grand Slam. Marjorie has been voted audience favorite at numerous First Person Arts story slams.  She recently performed at the WHYY Connections Festival, The Women in Comedy Festival at Plays and Players and at the Risk! Show in the Free Library Author’s Event.  She also performs stand-up comedy in clubs and at fund-raisers and corporate and community events.  She was a finalist in Laff-A-Lot productions Philly’s Funniest contest. Veteran comic Paul Lyons calls here “warm, real and disarmingly astute.”  When not performing, Marjorie designs and delivers corporate training programs and leads professional workshops. Before moving into the corporate world she taught middle and high school science in the Chicago Public Schools.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Beloit College and a Master’s Degree in English from Southern Illinois University.

Help keep us going! If you love the podcast, please donate here: http://www.patreon.com/thestorycollider

Marjorie Winther: Lighting A Fire

Marine biologist Shayle Matsuda adapts to his new identity as a transgender man while on assignment in the Philippines. 

Shayle Matsuda researches sea slugs as an MSc candidate at the California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco State University.  When not in the lab, he hosts the interactive science happy hour series “Science, Neat” in San Francisco. He uses watercolors and digital media to make science more accessible to wider audiences, and creates and facilitates unique research experiences for high school students underrepresented in STEM.  Shayle’s science communication footprint includes the California Academy of Sciences, Nerd Nite SF, Ignite at AGU, and regional winner of NASA/Nat Geographic’s FameLab competition

Shayle Matsuda: My First Expedition As A Man

On the first day of grad school for her PhD, a fellow student tells Bianca Jones Marlin that she doesn't really belong there.

Bianca Jones Marlin is a neuroscientist and doctoral candidate at New York University, School of Medicine. She received dual bachelor degrees in biology and adolescent education from St. John's University. Her time as a high school biology teacher led her to the laboratory, where she now studies the neurochemicals that govern communication and dictate social memories. Bianca investigates how the brain changes in the presence of the "love hormone," oxytocin. Her research aims to understand the vital bond between mother and child, and uses oxytocin as a treatment in strengthening fragile and broken parental relationships.
Bianca, a native New Yorker, lives in Manhattan with her scientist husband, Joe, and their cat Santiago Ramon y Cajal, who is named after the famed neuroanatomist.

Bianca Jones Marlin: It's Because She's Black

An offhand sexist comment enrages Renee Hlozek, and leads her to dig into how her colleagues really view people who aren't the stereotypical scientist.

Dr. Renee Hlozek is the Lyman Spitzer Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow in Theoretical Astrophysics in at Princeton University; the Spitzer-Cotsen Fellow in the Princeton Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and is currently a Senior TED Fellow. Her research focuses on theoretical cosmology; as a member of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope she measures the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation to decipher the initial conditions of the universe. When not investigating the cosmos, she loves to sing (loudly), read and bake. She makes a mean Negroni.

Renee Hlozek: Who Looks Like A Scientist?

Ecologist Evon Hekkala travels to Madagascar to help protect a village from a man-eating crocodile.

Evon Hekkala was born just outside of Fossil, Oregon, population 200. How she ended up living and working in NYC and traveling around the globe studying wildlife is all a bit of a big crazy fluke, set in motion by a mixture of really good, bad parenting and the naive ability to never see her own boundaries. Now she spends her time teaching and researching at Fordham University and the American Museum of Natural History where she and her students explore a century of change in the wild world of animals.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on March 17, 2017, in an episode titled "Habitat Loss." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/3/17/habitat-loss-evon-hekkala-stan-stojkovic

Evon Hekkala: Catching a Man-Eating Croc

When Joe Normandin begins to question his sexuality as a teenager, he turns to neuroscience for help.

Joe Normandin earned a B.A. in Biology with a Specialization in Neuroscience from Boston University, where he worked as an undergraduate research assistant in labs studying the behavioral genetics of sexual orientation in people and female sexual behavior in a rat model.  He earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences - Neurobiology and Behavior from Georgia State University, where he explored how the brain regulates sexual reflexes.  He found evidence of a brain circuit that provides an anatomical/functional basis for the oft-reported side effects of delayed orgasm in those taking antidepressants. He is now a Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University. Dr. Normandin values the wonderful public education and support he received as a young gay man growing up in Massachusetts.  Even with that education and support, he struggled with his identity as a gay person.  In high school, a psychology class introduced him to neuroscience, which led to a search for research that he thought would validate his sexual orientation.  This search set him on a path towards becoming a neuroscientist, and ultimately led to questions he explores in the classroom: Are people born gay?  Does it matter?  Dr. Normandin is also an avid gamer and has saved the universe many times.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on January 12, 2018, in an episode titled "Origin Stories." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/1/12/origin-stories-stories-about-paths-to-becoming-a-scientist

Joe Normandin: The Gift of Feeling Okay

As a pediatrician in the 1980s, Ken Haller comes across a disturbing X-ray.

Ken Haller is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. He is President of the Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves on the boards of the Missouri Foundation for Health and the Gateway Media Literacy Project. He has also served as President of the St. Louis Pediatric Society; PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT civil rights organization’ and GLMA, the national organization of LGBT health care professionals. He is a frequent spokesperson in local and national media on the health care needs of children and adolescents. Ken is also an accomplished actor, produced playwright, and acclaimed cabaret performer. In 2015 he was named Best St. Louis Cabaret Performer by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and he has taken his one-person shows to New York, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. His special interests include cultural competency, health literacy, the relationship of medicine to the arts, the effects of media on children, and the special health needs of LGBT youth. His personal mission is Healing. Ken is also a member of The Story Collider's board.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on August 4 2017, in an episode titled "Epidemics." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/8/4/epidemic-stories-of-medical-crises

Ken Haller: My People in the Time of Plague

Louisianan scientist Estelle Robichaux struggles to deal with the massive oil spill affecting her state while also balancing personal problems.

Estelle Robichaux, a native Louisianian, is a senior restoration project analyst at Environmental Defense Fund. A broadly-trained scientist with a passion for wetlands conservation and restoration, Estelle has a background in natural and social sciences as well as extensive experience in science education. Her field and research background spans wetlands, marine environments and wildlife, from Costa Rica to South Africa to South Caicos. Estelle advocates for the implementation of science-based restoration projects and leads project-related efforts for Restore the Mississippi River Delta. Estelle also works on science communication and tracking the development of scientific and research programs in the wake of the Gulf oil disaster.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on June 23, 2017, in an episode titled "Working Memory." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/6/23/oil-stories-from-the-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill?rq=oil

Estelle Robichaux: My Louisiane

When Lousiana fisherman Robert Campo receives news of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, he knows his life is about to change.

Robert Campo is the owner of Campo's Marina located in Shell Beach, Louisiana.  He's a fourth generation commercial fisherman and the great-grandson of the late Celestino Campo, the founder of Campo's Marina started in 1903.  He's the grandson of the late Frank Blackie Campo (a true legend) and the son of Frank J. Campo Jr.  Campo's Marina is the oldest family-owned business in St.Bernard parish and it's one of the top ten oldest family owned businesses that still exists today in Louisiana.  He owns and operates his oyster business with two oyster boats and a farm of nearly 1500 acres of oyster grounds.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on June 23, 2017, in an episode titled "Oil." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/6/23/oil-stories-from-the-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill?rq=oil

Robert Campo: Saltwater in My Veins

Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students.

Charlie Cook is a non-binary stand up comedian by night and a non-binary science educator by day. Their favourite topics include queer theory, entomology, and outer space. For more information on their work and to find out where they're performing next, visit them on Instagram @onmygnome

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on June 27, 2018, in an episode titled "Pride." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/6/27/pride-stories-about-coming-out-in-science

Charlie Cook: The Swarm of Bees

Marine biologist Liz Neeley is excited to be a part of a coral conservation project in Fiji, but her colleagues keep forgetting her.

Liz Neeley is the executive director of The Story Collider. She's a marine biologist by training, and an optimistic worrier by nature. As the oldest of five children, she specializes in keeping the peace and not telling Mom. After grad school, Liz stumbled into ocean conservation. She focused on coral reef management and restoration in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and dabbled in international trade policy on deep sea corals. Next, she spent almost a decade at COMPASS helping scientists understand journalism,  policymaking, and social media. Follow her at @lizneeley

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on October 13, 2017, in an episode titled "Invisibility: Stories about hiding in plain sight." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/10/13/invisibility-stories-about-hiding-in-plain-sight

Liz Neeley: Forgotten in Fiji

Research technician Jean Ansolabehere is surprised to find herself falling in love with a woman in her lab.

Jean Ansolabehere is a cartoon writer with past lives as a research technician at Stanford University and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She has loved biology since the first time she got stitches and, in her research and her writing, she strives to understand the human condition through the human body. She also strives to live by the philosophy of her four-year-old half-brother, who is pretty brave when it comes to anything, except his T-Rex toy. He's terrified of that thing.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on December 22, 2017, in an episode titled "The Science of Growing Up: Stories about coming of age" Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2017/12/14/the-science-of-growing-up-stories-about-becoming-the-people-were-meant-to-be

Jean Ansolabehere: The Keanu Reeves Test

Marine ecologist Kirsten Grorud-Colvert bonds with her diving buddy when they have an unexpected encounter with a hammerhead shark. 

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert is a marine ecologist at Oregon State University, where she has studied ocean organisms in the Oregon nearshore, the Florida Keys, and California’s Catalina Island, along with other marine systems from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. She uses data from different species and habitats to ask, What happens when you protect an area in the ocean? And what can we learn from those areas to design even better protection? She also directs the Science of Marine Reserves Project and loves learning from her creative colleagues in science, communication, and graphic design. Kirsten has always been obsessed with water—that’s what growing up in the 120 degrees Arizona desert will do to you!

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on February 9, 2018, in an episode titled "Heartbreak: Stories about times science breaks our hearts." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/2/2/heartbreak-stories-about-times-science-breaks-our-hearts

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert: A Prehistoric Feeling

Climate scientist Kim Cobb is exploring a cave in Borneo when rocks begin to fall.

Kim Cobb is a researcher who uses corals and cave stalagmites to probe the mechanisms of past, present, and future climate change. Kim has sailed on multiple oceanographic cruises to the deep tropics and led caving expeditions to the rainforests of Borneo in support of her research. Kim has received numerous awards for her research, most notably a NSF CAREER Award in 2007, and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2008. She is an Editor for Geophysical Research Letters, sits on the international CLIVAR Pacific Panel, and serves on the Advisory Council for the AAAS Leshner Institute for Public Engagement. As a mother to four, Kim is a strong advocate for women in science, and champions diversity and inclusion in all that she does. She is also devoted to the clear and frequent communication of climate change to the public through speaking engagements and social media.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on April 13, 2018, in an episode titled "Fight or Flight: Stories about confronting threats." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/4/12/fight-or-flight-stories-about-confronting-threats

Kim Cobb: The Gift of Mojo

Working in conservation, marine ecologist Madhavi Colton faces down despair as the challenges feel overwhelming.

Madhavi Colton is the Program Director at the Coral Reef Alliance. She oversees an international portfolio of community-driven conservation programs that are addressing local threats to reefs, including over-fishing, poor water quality, sedimentation, and habitat destruction. Madhavi is also spearheading new scientific research into how ecosystems adapt to the effects of climate change and is applying this knowledge to develop innovative approaches to coral conservation. Her expertise lies in building partnerships between academic researchers, non-profit organizations, governments and local communities to implement durable conservation solutions. She has worked in California, Hawai‘i, the Mesoamerican region, Indonesia, Fiji and Australia. Madhavi has a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on April 20, 2018, in an episode titled "Dream: Stories about ambition." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/4/9/dreams-stories-about-ambition

Madhavi Colton: Finding Hope for Corals

Journalist Arielle Duhaime-Ross finds common ground with an Alaskan community struggling with the effects of climate change.

Arielle Duhaime-Ross is the environment and climate correspondent for VICE News Tonight — the Emmy award-winning nightly newscast from VICE Media and HBO. Prior to joining VICE, she was a science reporter at The Verge, where she was granted the 2015 Herb Lampert Science in Society Emerging Journalist award for her coverage of a radical 1950s scientist who suggested memory could be stored outside the brain. Duhaime-Ross has previously written for Scientific American, Nature Medicine, The Atlantic, and Quartz. Originally from Canada, she has a bachelor's in zoology and a master’s in science, health, and environmental reporting.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on June 22, 2018, in an episode titled "Unfamiliar Territory: Stories about journey to new places." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/6/19/unfamiliar-territory-stories-about-journeys-to-new-places

Arielle Duhaime-Ross: Finding Common Ground

Whether we wear a lab coat or haven't seen a test tube since grade school, science is shaping all of our lives. And that means we all have science stories to tell. Every year, we host dozens of live shows all over the country, featuring all kinds of storytellers - researchers, doctors, and engineers of course, but also patients, poets, comedians, cops, and more. Some of our stories are heartbreaking, others are hilarious, but they're all true and all very personal. Welcome to The Story Collider!