We agree that women in science are systematically shafted by deep-seated biases. On the one hand, there have been giant improvements in our lot over the last several decades (thanks, feminism!)
On the other, the bias that exists today is often subtler than in years past--and that much harder to eradicate. How do we create a social cost for the under-the-radar daily problems: Dr BigShot treats female trainees as helpmeets, and male trainees as colleagues?
One solution I've recently heard proposed is as follows: Create a RateMyPI.com website, akin to RateMyProfessor, but for graduate students and postdocs. Trainees would be encouraged to post judgments of PIs they've interacted with, with special attention to equal treatment issues.
The downside: these anonymous forums can end up dominated by the dissatisfied, with gripes exceeding praise (the same way letters to the editor are more commonly complaints than attaboys). A PI who was unfairly trashed by one or two angry trainees could have trouble recruiting nice people. Also, it could be hard to maintain anonymity, although if people were careful to post about many PIs they interact with (first year rotations, conference meetings, etc), any one grouchy grad student will be hard to identify.
The potential upside: a repository of information about Dr BigShots the world over, with comments ranging from "He always impressed me with his respect for women and minorities" to "He always depressed me with his sexist put-downs." If commenters regularly disparage a given PI, grad students and postdocs might think twice before joining that lab. It'd be sort of like letters of recommendation (the currency by which PIs help or hinder their trainees), in reverse.
What do you think?
15 years ago
7 comments:
Damn, you're onto something! I have a few PIs I'd like to rate - BADLY. WAYYY BADLY. FLAMES! WARNING BELLS !!1!!1!1!
Maybe it's something that can be added to RateMyProf as a "relationship to prof" subdivision..... students can continue to gripe or praise courses and teaching styles (PIs wearing their teaching hats), but grad students and postdocs can check a different button (PIs wearing their research hats)instead of class, and talk about (mis)management and (un)friendliness.
Unfortunately, I think anonymity concerns would quell most participation. But it is one reason to always always make sure to talk to current and former grad students/post-docs without the PI present before joining a lab.
SW, the anonymity issue is serious, and I think the only way it could work would be if people were strongly encouraged to note things about profs they met at conferences, collaborated with, or whatever--that is, so that many comments were from non-trainees, to provide cover. Dunno though.
Anon, that's a nice way to avoid any of us having to actually code up this sucker. FSM knows I won't!
My skepticism comes from the phenomenon where first year grad students completely ignore the advice of older students, and opt to work for horrible professors. The student thinks s/he is special and somehow will buck the trend.
I don't know if the same thing would happen with this idea, or if sexism is something harder to ignore.
CandidE, for sure there will always be pigheaded first years for as long as there are graduate programs. However, if this sort of tool were widely used, those first years would become viewed as willful idiots rather than as (willfully idiotic) victims--which they are now, because all too frequently nobody *does* tell them how serious the problems are.
I'm cool with it, just so long as there's a little chili pepper icon for particularly hot PIs!
Has been suggested before, and I still think it's a good idea in theory.
I like your potential solution to the main concern, which was the anonymity issue. Unfortunately, I think the question of whether one was actually IN the lab vs. just interacted with the PI would have to be removed from the equation if you want to make anonymity a real option.
Another point I've heard, but wouldn't trust, would be a secret passcode given only to students and postdocs. One key problem right now is that you'd have no way of verifying who was accessing the site and who was posting. We have enough trolls on our blogs.
Anyway, keep brainstorming. Eventually there might be a way, and then look out sistah! We really do need more tools at our disposal.
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