I just returned from Cambridge, UK, where I filmed some impressive bioscience undergrad students for the Amgen Scholars Program at their European symposium. While there, I led a couple of round table discussions about science communications, publishing, and perceptions of scientists in society. To kick things off, I did a quick and pared back “Draw a Scientist” exercise with the students. Unsurprisingly, they drew lots of lab coats, flasks, pipettes. They also drew lots of #WomeninScience and also tried to encapsulate abstract concepts like thinking, frustration, and connecting ideas within their pictures. I love how such a simple exercise can capture so much data and spark such rich conversation.

For those interested, I discuss the “Draw a Scientist” studies in my book, Women in Science Now (Columbia University Press, 2023), and love to also share new data when I go give talks about the book on university campuses.