Raychelle Burks

This week's radical is Dr. Raychelle Burks, an analytical chemist and self-proclaimed supervillain. She's also a science writer and educator, with articles appearing in ChemistryWorld and appearances on the Smithsonian Channel's The Curious Life and Death of... series.We discuss everything from Hercule Poirot's sleuthing skills (and the shocking murder rates of small-town fictional England) to how scientific research is skewed by sexist and racist biases, and how understanding these biases makes you a better scientist.Some Questions I Ask:What is analytical chemistry? (1:37)How did you find your way to forensic work? (7:26)Where do you draw the line between sticking it out in a toxic work environment vs. leaving for something better? (15:58)Where did your journey begin? (25:39)What are the main obstacles to people acknowledging systemic bias and oppression in science? (44:20)In This Episode, You Will Learn:How a love of detective shows led to a career in science (7:53)Why "going with your gut" is a bad idea in science (and detective work) (10:11)How standup comedy mirrors the scientific method (12:10)How systemic issues lock marginalized people out of STEM (15:07)Micro-aggressions vs. more overt prejudice, and who really has the emotional outbursts (20:52)How history is taught dishonestly (32:41)How science exists in context, and biases can lead to poor data collection (and poor results) (34:51)Connect with RaychelleRaychelle's TwitterRaychelle's Articles for ChemistryWorldCurly Hair Mafia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.