Tuesday 14 February 2012

Geek Like Me?

Should scientists steer clear of identifying themselves as geeks in case it puts off ‘more rounded’ individuals from taking up a STEM (science technology engineering and mathematics) career?

Bristol alumnus Alice Roberts was recently made Professor of Public Engagement in Science by Birmingham University, and while accepting the role she made some comments expressing negative feelings both towards the specificity of A Levels in this country, and the term ‘geek’ as expounded by ‘a number of scientists’.

These two issues are more interrelated than they at first appear. Currently the UK’s A-Level system, although allowing more subject diversity than when I did mine a decade ago, still forces kids as young as 16 to in effect decide whether they want to go in to arts or science. It is of course possible to do an eclectic mix of sciences and humanities (I know because that’s what I did), but it narrows a student’s options of getting on their course of choice at University – a highly competitive undertaking as we all know, so most people stick to related A-Levels, and begin down the path one way or the other. Roberts suggested that people coming from the European Baccalaureate scheme, where students have to undertake more wide ranging topics right to the point where they leave school, were ‘more rounded’ as individuals, because they weren’t forced to specialise so early.

Maybe true, but where does geekery come in to this? Roberts believes a label like ‘geek’ will put off the teenager with a casual interest in science from wanting to learn more. If a teenager doesn’t self identify as being the cleverest, the most obsessive, the ‘geekiest’, will they pick arts and humanities A Levels, and avoid a STEM career? Some say that the emergence of ‘rock star’ scientists like Brian Cox have made science look less geeky and more cool, but the term ‘geek’ is still used as an insult in playgrounds, and if it’s at this age that people have to decide where their future lies, will hearing scientists use it to describe themselves put them off?

There is also ‘geek chic’ to consider. These days it is hard to tell whether a person in thick rimmed glasses is a (insert typical ‘geek’ occupation here) who still lives with his Mum or a hipster illustrator with a converted loft apartment in East London (to roll out another overused and perhaps unhelpful cliché). Has the acceptance of geek fashion led to an increase in applications to STEM subjects at University? Some say so, although it’s hard to assess this in a systematic way. There are also a number of social events utilising the ‘geek’ banner, whether explicitly or implied. However, these events are likely to attract those who are already engaged with science. No bad thing of course, but this is not the same as helping new people to become interested in science.

Does ‘geek’ still have the negative connotations it probably did when Roberts was at school? Wikipedia suggests so; phrases like ‘peculiar or otherwise dislikeable’ and ‘overly intellectual’ leap out of the first paragraph. Of course, this is why people may want to self identify as a geek. It is common for repressed populations to reclaim words used against them; as a more extreme example, racial and homophobic slurs have been reclaimed in this way. But there’s no doubting that this is divisive, creating an ‘us and them’ mentality that may indeed put ‘non geeks’ off science. And as with all labels, it’s reductive. Hardly anyone conforms to every aspect of the ‘geek’ stereotype, so how many boxes do you tick before you’re a geek? You can be a PhD student, enjoy knitting and reading, but go out of an evening and perform with your rock band or do extreme sports. Are you a geek, a rock chick, or a jock?!

So while it’s lovely as a scientist to be a geek and feel like you belong to an exclusive club with Brian Cox as posterboy, we should also be encouraging a new generation of future scientists and not excluding anyone who has an interest outside of the lab. It’s perfectly possible to be interested in high culture as well as cell culture.

An edited version of this article appears in University of Bristol's Epigram newspaper 17th February 2012.

2 comments:

  1. Can I vote for Cox not as posterboy? He's just not my type.

    While I self-confessedly labelled myself a geek as recently as last night, I'm more of the persuasion that although a geek label can create an ingroup/outgroup culture, so can any label. Sometimes I'm glad of the identity it gives me. It's an interesting question, I enjoyed the read and great point about the baccalaureate schemes!

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  2. Sorry go_rators, using Coxy was perhaps lazy shorthand. Who would you pick out of interest though?

    I agree that labels are not a bad thing per se, but we need to encourage more awesome people (like you) in to science, not put them off.

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