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E-PrinceLast night, Bonnie Bassler, the University’s Squibb professor in molecular biology, discussed the American aversion to science and the need for a more racially diverse population of scientific researchers before a crowd of more than 50 students and community ...(back to the article)
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There are many mol bio grad students from China, India, and the Middle East. Saying that they are "nearly all white" is insulting to the students in the program and insulting to the diversity already present.
I think the titlle and advertising for this talk were very misleading. The organizers chose to call the event "So you want to be a doctor?" in order to attract pre-med students to the event. In fact, the event had nothing to do with medicine, but rather basic science research. I though it was poor choice of title, and I am suspicious that it was done on purpose.
Great--nice to see that the mol bio program is no longer admitting people based on qualifications, but on superficial characteristics like race just for the sake of representing national demographics.
While we're at it, let's reserve some slots for the mentally deranged, for senior citizens and for felons. All these people are part of the demographics and are underrepresented in the mol bio program.
What a great disservice to academia. Do we think we'll be any closer to scientific breakthroughs by admitting less qualified candidates or by admitting those who have excelled above and beyond in their field?
I leave that question to you, Bonnie. You won't fix racial discrepencies by doing this--rather, this change needs to happen at the elementary/secondary level in order to effect real progress without damaging upper-level education.
To the first poster "What does 'White' Mean?" - no one disputed that there are many. Chinese and Indians at least are hardly ever thought to be minorities in science - you don't need to be so illogical and dramatic as to say that addressing the issue of underrepresented minorities is "insulting to the diversity already present".
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To Reality: I actually agree with you that affirmative action is most needed at a much earlier stage, but now you're just making up things "Bonnie" has said so you can get on your soapbox. You're the only one implying that AFrican Americans and hispanics are automatically less qualified candidates (seriously? talk about insulting and a disservice to academia to make such sweeping and unsubstantiated statements). Being black or hispanic is absolutely not synonymous to being mentally deranged, senior in age, or a felon. There are plenty of well-qualified people of all races who are just as good at science as your esteemed white scientist friends; it's a truth that some well-qualified people of some races face obstacles because of mindsets like yours, and these obstacles need addressing. When you stop being so indignantly contemptuous ("I leave that question to you, Bonnie"?? Who do you think you are?) maybe you'll see the purpose of the talk for what it was.
Sorry, left a bit of a previous thought in. What I meant to say --
To the first poster "What does 'White' Mean?" - Chinese and Indians are hardly ever thought to be minorities in science - you don't need to be so illogical and dramatic as to say that addressing the issue of underrepresented minorities is "insulting to the diversity already present".