The Shippensburg University Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the PAGE Center cohosted the annual screening of the film “Picture a Scientist” this Friday along with a Q&A panel that followed.

“Picture a Scientist” is a documentary directed by Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney that follows female scientists of different concentrations practicing their work, and it depicts the gender-based inequalities they faced throughout their careers. As the women open up about their personal experience, they become vulnerable and express insecurities caused by the discrimination, which makes the audience feel empathetic toward their situation. 

A moment in the film that builds the emotion is when chemist Raychelle Burks expresses concerns in not receiving credit or recognition in her role as a scientist, yet she also stands out as a woman and person of color in a profession dominated by white men. 

The stories of the female scientists in the movie capture true determination and motivation to earn the recognition they deserve. All these women demonstrate a passion for science and pride in what they do for a living. 

That pride is seen in Shippensburg’s STEM faculty, too. 

As the film rapped up, a panel including members of the university’s STEM faculty discussed the role of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and answered questions from the audience. Members of the panel included physics Associate Professor Kathryn Shirk, biology Professor Heather Sahli and biology Associate Professor Sherri Bergsten, who also is department chair. 

When asked what advice they would give to young women pursuing careers in STEM, they shared the importance of motivation and finding the right people as a support system. 

“You have to set your priorities,” Bergsten said. “You have to keep yourself motivated not only for your career but for your full life.”

Shirk added, “Your partner really matters. [Someone] who will share the roles and who recognizes that what you do is important to you.” 

In discussing their own encounters with gender disparities, they expressed how it mostly came from stereotyping and put-downs. This was something the film commented on with a statistic that 90% of sexual harassment comes in the form of put-downs. 

Although these differences lead to negative interactions, there are some positives in highlighting diversity within STEM. Shirk expanded on the benefits with her background working in different engineering teams. 

“When you have a team and diversity within it, you can tackle a problem from so many perspectives,” Shirk said. “The final product is often better with more perspectives, coming to a better solution to serve more people.”

As Women’s History Month continues, Shippensburg University will host several other events surrounding the importance of fighting against gender discrimination as well as in celebration of strong women who have endured such challenges. 

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