One of the earliest critiques came from Steven Pinker, a renowned psychology professor at Harvard, who criticized the March’s diversity statement. But that upset other scientists who felt the organization was reproducing the status quo in science, in which women and minorities have been historically marginalized. The public conversations surrounding the march, she said, are an important step toward addressing discrimination problems within science. Another researcher, John Kotcher of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, found no evidence that science-related activism affected the science community’s credibility with the public, at least when applied to climate change. But a key factor, he said, was the continued efforts by the Tea Party activists to volunteer in their neighborhoods for their cause.

Source: New York Times April 17, 2017 21:37 UTC