Scientists lambaste speech on gender
Canadian scientists and professors are among hundreds that have signed a statement condemning what they call a “fundamentally unsound” presentation by an Italian physicist on gender issues, and have voiced concern about prevailing sexism in science.
The statement, posted on the website Particles for Justice, was signed by members of the scientific community from around the world. It said that Alessandro Strumia argued in a recent speech to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) that in physics, women are less capable than men.
“As particle physicists, we are appalled by Strumia’s actions and his stated views on women in high energy physics,” the statement said, adding that the signatories believe “the science case presented by Strumia was fundamentally unsound.”
CERN, which hosted the seminar on High Energy Theory and Gender from Sept. 26 to 28, suspended Strumia on Monday because his talk risked “overshadowing” the message of the event, which focused on equal opportunities in physics.
A spokesman for the organization wrote in an email that Strumia is a “visiting scientist” and his “presentation, with its attacks on individuals, was unacceptable in any professional context.”
The presentation included the sentence: “Physics invented and built by men, it’s not by invitation.”
Heather Logan, a physics professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, said she signed the statement condemning Strumia’s talk because she found his comments “horrifying,” and she wants young people entering the field to know his message is “discriminatory” and not welcome. “There are truly excellent women in my field,” Logan said. “Without their contributions, we would be impoverished as a field.”
Strumia told the Associated Press he doesn’t believe men are better than women in physics and he thinks his suspension wasn’t warranted.
“There is a political group that wants women, and other people, to believe that they are victims,” he said. “They suspended me because it’s true and it’s contrary to the political line. I hope CERN will, at some point, understand.
“Somebody had to speak,” said Strumia, a professor at the University of Pisa in Italy.
Logan said she is “astounded” that Strumia could be trusted to teach physics and supervise students in science. “It’s a betrayal,” she said. “It’s a betrayal to the integrity of the field.”
Kristine Spekkens, an astronomer who teaches at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and the Royal Military College of Canada, said she signed the statement because she believes Strumia’s comments were “incorrect and insidious.”
“He used a platform to communicate a message that is unfounded,” said Spekkens, who is a member of the Canadian Astronomical Society’s equity and inclusivity committee.
Strumia’s message is “discouraging” for women in science and those who are just entering the field, Spekkens said.