The event banner for the ‘The Objectivity of My Affection’ SGUO/Free Radicals collaboration.
Last week, several of our members had the pleasure of collaborating with the UCLA Society and Genetics Undergraduate Organization (SGUO) on a discussion about objectivity. Here are some of the highlights from the event!
Alexis Takahashi talked about how transphobia gets written into science and medicine and Art Li explained how MSG sits at the intersection of science and politics.
Sophie Wang led a reading of her comic series, Science Under the Scope. Thanks to SGUO for printing it out in zine form!
We talked to students about strong objectivity and science origin stories. Below are some of the ideas they shared with us!
…I want to find a midway point so I can give all of myself to both spaces.
— Free Radicals (@FreeRadsBlog) April 5, 2016
“I’ve always seen my work with HIV at the AIDS Institute as something completely separate from my involvement and views activism. However, the suggestion that there is an intersection between these subjects made me introspect a bit more, and has encouraged me to learn more!”
“At this moment, I believe that science and society go hand in hand. Refusing to see through the lens of one of the disciplines would be refusing to take in a whole perspective into understanding the very growth that we need in the world.”
“I felt that there was a divide between the sciences and the humanities and you had to choose which side you were on. I didn’t feel that you could truly use one without having knowledge of the other.”
“To the folks who do not have experience in the field of science, the science world can be cold and unfamiliar. For this reason, it’s important to teach science students the ways in which science interacts with society.”
A big thanks to everyone who came to the event and to the UCLA Society and Genetics Undergraduate Organization for helping us put it on!
To learn more about the UCLA Society and Genetics Undergraduate Organization (SGUO), visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/socgen.ucla/ or their website: http://socgenucla.wix.com/sguo
Photo Credit: Linus Kuo
