Journal article
Examining Cultural Structures and Functions in Biology
Integrative and comparative biology, v 61(6), pp 2282-2293
05 Feb 2022
PMID: 34151345
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Synopsis Scientific culture and structure organize biological sciences in many ways. We make choices concerning the systems and questions we study. Our research then amplifies these choices into factors that influence the directions of future research by shaping our hypotheses, data analyses, interpretation, publication venues, and dissemination via other methods. But our choices are shaped by more than objective curiosity-we are influenced by cultural paradigms reinforced by societal upbringing and scientific indoctrination during training. This extends to the systems and data that we consider to be ethically obtainable or available for study, and who is considered qualified to do research, ask questions, and communicate about research. It is also influenced by the profitability of concepts like open-access-a system designed to improve equity, but which enacts gatekeeping in unintended but foreseeable ways. Creating truly integrative biology programs will require more than intentionally developing departments or institutes that allow overlapping expertise in two or more subfields of biology. Interdisciplinary work requires the expertise of large and diverse teams of scientists working together-this is impossible without an authentic commitment to addressing, not denying, racism when practiced by individuals, institutions, and cultural aspects of academic science. We have identified starting points for remedying how our field has discouraged and caused harm, but we acknowledge there is a long path forward. This path must be paved with field-wide solutions and institutional buy-in: our solutions must match the scale of the problem. Together, we can integrate-not reintegrate-the nuances of biology into our field.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Examining Cultural Structures and Functions in Biology
- Creators
- Richelle L. Tanner - University of California, DavisNeena Grover - Colorado CollegeMichelle L. Anderson - University of Montana WesternKatherine C. Crocker - Albert Einstein College of MedicineShuchismita Dutta - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyAngela M. Horner - California State University, San BernardinoLoren E. Hough - University of Colorado BoulderTalia Y. Moore - University of Michigan–Ann ArborGail L. Rosen - Drexel UniversityKaitlin S. Whitney - Rochester Institute of TechnologyAdam P. Summers - University of Washington
- Publication Details
- Integrative and comparative biology, v 61(6), pp 2282-2293
- Publisher
- Oxford Univ Press
- Number of pages
- 12
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000755202100030
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85124435255
- Other Identifier
- 991019168998404721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Zoology