NIH Director Vows Not To Participate In All-Male Panels As He Calls For More Diverse Representation At Conferences
"Too often, women and members of other groups underrepresented in science are conspicuously missing in the marquee speaking slots at scientific meetings and other high-level conferences," National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said in a statement. Collins challenged other scientific leaders to take a similar pledge.
The New York Times:
N.I.H. Head Calls For End To All-Male Panels Of Scientists
The word “scientist” does not specify a gender. And yet, for eons — well, ever since conferences and symposiums emerged from the primordial academic soup — the majority of prominent scientific speakers and panelists have been men. This phenomenon has been documented in studies and spawned many mocking monikers: “manference,” “himposium,” “manel.” People have tried to understand why the Y chromosome so dominates the dais and explain that there really should be more X. (Belluck, 6/12)
The Hill:
NIH Director Will No Longer Participate In All-Male Panels
The director of the National Institutes of Health will no longer participate in all-male panels, he announced Wednesday. Francis Collins said in a statement that "it is time to end the tradition in science of all-male speaking panels." The decision comes in response to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine which identified a key role for scientific leaders to play in combatting gender harassment and disparities in women's visibility in science. (Rodrigo, 6/12)
The Washington Post:
NIH Director Will No Longer Speak On All-Male Science Panels
Collins speaks about 125 times annually, according to the NIH, often as a keynote speaker but sometimes as part of a panel. His announcement is more important as a signal that one of the world’s top scientists is addressing the issue, according to an activist working for women in science. (Bernstein, 6/12)
