For most of human history, science has been a world of walls. Race, gender, wealth, and more have long defined not just who’s welcome in science, but who’s allowed to be present at all.
Today, queer representation in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) continues to lag behind societal progress, especially where the identities of women and gender minorities intersect with Black, Indigenous, and other person-of-color identities. Yet it’s this community that’s driving a sea-change within science: a shift away from gate-keeping and conformity, and toward valuing identity as a driver of insight and discovery.
The people you'll meet in New Science represent a range of backgrounds, career stages, and areas of work, but they share this: Each has hit old walls and made an entirely new kind of door, pulling others through with them. On the other side? A world that’s inclusive instead of exclusive, diverse instead of uniform, and powered by the communities we hold. A better place, in other words, for science itself.
This project was made possible in part by an IF/THEN® Gender Equity Grant Moonshot Award (funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies) to increase the visual representation of women and gender minorities in STEMM across museum content.
Peruse our New Science Profiles page for first-person narratives and video testimonials from 23 LGBTQ+ scientists representing a broad spectrum of STEMM fields.
Growing evidence suggests that LGBTQ+ people in STEMM are statistically underrepresented, encounter non-supportive environments, and leave STEMM at an alarming rate. Studies and surveys have found:
Founded by the Academy’s Curator of Arachnology, Dr. Lauren Esposito, 500 Queer Scientists is a visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEMM and STEMM-supporting jobs. Have a story to share? Contributions welcome.
Watch a recording of our June NightSchool livestream event featuring scientists whose queer perspectives are driving new science.
Explore New Science anywhere through our virtual Google Arts & Culture exhibit, or see our new, in-person exhibit on your next Academy visit.
Museum, school, library, or community center? Request New Science files via email directly through the ASTC's website, free! For file previews and suggestions on how to display the exhibit in your own space, find NS in their "Printable Panels & Banners" section, then click the "New Science Informational" document.
To learn more about the partners that helped make New Science possible, visit:
New Science is open daily during regular Academy hours. Find it on the Main Floor adjacent to the entrance to Tusher African Hall.
Explore IBSS's commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Academy and in their fields.
See how the Academy is advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access at the museum and in the field.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Diversity x Design poster contest. Meet our winners!
