The “Women of Science and Faith” project:
I am a retired professor with research, teaching and administrative experiences at various U.S. public, land-grant universities.
I started this project because of observing a declining recognition and connection between personal values and integrity, and professional behaviors of senior academic administrators. The personal and the professional have seemingly been relegated to separate domains within our work environments and in our educational institutions and academic training. This widening gap appears to be more profound outside of academia.
To begin to understand some of this divergence, I began this project by interviewing and compiling personal narratives from women scientists. I wanted us collectively to consider our individual religious and spiritual beliefs, backgrounds and progression into professional careers and the world of science.
My hope by sharing these narratives is to stimulate discussion and engage others, especially students, in respectful dialogue about who we are as individuals, what we pursue and what we belief and champion in our personal and professional lives and how these underlay what we think, speak, feel, do and aspire towards in our search for meaningful existence.
I welcome your comments and suggestions for the evolution of this project. For instance, what is faith and do we need it? Can one have faith in science or nature, or is faith primarily about religious belief? Do atheists and agnostics have other forms of faith?
You can contact me at: wmnwsdm@gmail.com
Thank you,
Prema
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Some of the questions I used during the interviews included the following:
1. Tell me about your earlier years. Where did you grow up? What was it like to grow up in _______?
2. Tell me about the people who were important to you growing up, do you remember any particular conversations or activities especially those that stimulated your interest in science, in religion/spiritual pursuit?
3. How would you describe the terms ‘science’, ‘religion’, ‘faith’?
4. Tell me about your religious/spiritual faith, what is your religion if any? How did you come to have this faith, how did you practice it? Do you still practice? Were there particular rituals that were important to you, your family? What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life?
5. Do you belief in God, the afterlife? What do you think it will be like?
6. When did you know you wanted to become a scientist? Do you remember an event or life-changing experience that shaped this ambition, how old were you, do you remember where you were and what it was like, what you were wearing, who was with you, what was said, what else do you remember about that time/episode in your life?
7. Where did you go to college, and what was that like?
8. Did you have any thoughts about science versus your religious faith/spirituality early on? How did your family feel about your decision to be a scientist?
9. Is there some experience in science or the lab that you can remember that was a pivotal experience for you?
10. Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life? Tell me about them.
11. With science and your religious faith, did one affect or change the other. Did you find a time when you felt challenged, conflicted, or energized and strengthened by your position as a scientist and as a person of religious faith. Tell me about them.
12. Which one of your contributions are you particularly proud of, why?
13. Looking back from the present moment to say when you were 20 years old, in terms of your thoughts about the intersection of yourself as a scientist and as a person of religious faith, do you feel your views have stayed the same or changed? How?
14. When you think about the future and about the kind of work you’ve done as a scientist, what gives you a sense of hope? What makes you concerned?
15. What’s next for you, what are you looking forward to?