Suzanne Loui
Lecturer in Environmental Studies
“This summer, the Science Communication team looked at the fact that science at Tyson has always been done during times of relative cultural stability. And I think ‘relative’ is the important word there because viruses and racism are always present, but they seem to hide in the shadows. Now we’ve been forced as a nation to acknowledge their existence. Other people have been hurting from them and have been affected by them far more than we’ve admitted. We're just being pushed to accept the fact that those diseases have always been with us.
Science is wondrous. But this acknowledgment of marginalized experiences suggests that the questions of science have been asked by the same people predominantly for so long, that the representation of what is actually being experienced in the world is partial. And so a focus of our work as science communicators has been made very clear to us. We need to elevate marginalized voices, understand marginalized experiences, and integrate them into the production of science to better the world.
We've lost sight of the fact that diverse human beings are the recipients of science. People are hearing all of these narratives about the world as reflected through science and they are thinking to themselves, ‘That's great, but right now I have to make sure that I can pay my rent. I have to make sure that my kids are healthy. I have to make sure that my kids have a school to go up to. Science is really not something that I can prioritize right now.’ And that's why I think we need to have a better understanding of the lives of the people that our science is touching and representing.”
What do you miss about being on-site this summer?
Whenever I reach the gate of Tyson, I turn off the music in my car, roll down all the windows and drive down the valley. I love the smell of the forest. I love the quiet. I drive slowly so I can see any animals alongside the road. I like pulling up to the headquarters and seeing different people walking in different directions, starting their days. There’s a flow and a beat to Tyson that’s just lovely to work in. I’ve missed that this summer.”