Episode #303: Beyond the Disordered Cosmos: A Conversation about Feminism, Race and the Universe with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
On this week's episode, we're joined by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein to discuss her book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred, what it means to be a Black feminist physicist in an academic realm that has always and continues today to be dominated by Western, white, cis-gendered male perspectives, and what we can do to move toward a future where all humans have a fundamental right as Dr. Prescod-Weinstein puts it to “know and love the night sky.”
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter, and she is active in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Essence magazine recognized her as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.” She has been profiled in several venues, including TechCrunch, Ms. Magazine, Huffington Post, Gizmodo, Nylon, and the African American Intellectual History Society’s Black Perspectives. A cofounder of the Particles for Justice movement, she has received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics, as well as the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology.
Be sure to pre-order a paperback copy of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred - releasing May 10th, 2022!