Short Wave Fighting Bias In Space: When There's A New Telescope, Who Gets To Use It?
Jan 21, 2022
Nell Greenfieldboyce, an NPR correspondent, dives into the high-stakes world of the James Webb Space Telescope's time allocation. She discusses the intense competition among scientists eager to use the telescope and the steps being taken to ensure fairness in the selection process. Nell highlights efforts to combat biases, particularly gender-related disparities in proposal acceptance rates. Anonymizing submissions has shown promise in promoting equity, making the evaluation process more focused on science rather than the scientists behind the proposals.
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Gender Disparity in Hubble Proposals
- Neil Reid investigated gender bias in Hubble Telescope proposal selections.
- He used PI names to infer gender, finding male PIs had consistently higher acceptance rates.
Seek Expert Advice
- Address gender bias in proposal selections by seeking expert advice.
- The Hubble team consulted social scientists for a fresh perspective on their process.
Anonymous Proposals
- Social scientists recommended a fully anonymous proposal process for Hubble.
- This involved removing names and any identifying information from proposals.