New illustrated book from TIFR faculty sparks conversation on gender equity, bias, and inclusion in science

The first sequence depicts a student assuming a woman in Professor Roy’s office is an assistant; she turns out to be the professor herself. image, Illustrations courtesy/HBCSE, TIFR

One of the best ways to deliver a serious message is to make it relatable for the audience. Recently, two faculty members - Professor Vandana Nanal and Dr Deepa Chari - from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Colaba and Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Anushakti Nagar, respectively, have published a digital, illustrated book, Tuning Mental Frameworks (HBCSE, TIFR), illustrated by Prasad B Desai. Published on October 30, it contains 15 sequences illustrated in comic book-style, depicting various scenarios that students and professors in the field of scientific studies, particularly physics, experience regularly, revealing subtle biases of gender discrimination, self-doubt, and wrongful assumptions often plaguing these spaces.

The scene showing a male colleague making assumptions based on gender, leading to embarrassment and negative social image

We connected with both professors regarding the inspiration behind the book. "Many of the situations depicted are experiences one or both of us have faced. I can confidently say that the first two sequences, showing students assuming certain professors are male, reflect extremely common occurrences," says Professor Nanal, a senior academician working in experimental nuclear and accelerator physics. Even a scene showing a male colleague assuming a group of women are discussing shopping plans is something inspired from real life, she adds.

"We notice that, generally, students and teachers alike, are much more receptive to comments from male experts and professors, placing higher importance on their feedback and knowledge. We wanted to highlight this, mainly as it is often done unknowingly," Professor Nanal informs us.

Panels depicting the implicit bias regarding choice, based on gender

Dr Chari explains that the book will speak to anyone underrepresented in science, be it women, or those from different linguistic or socio-economic backgrounds. "Women comprise a minority of students, especially in physics. An illustration shows a female student's choice between computational physics and experimental techniques being assumed as the latter, which I've seen occurring frequently," she shares. "Even the scene wherein a female teacher rudely attributes the high number of girls scoring A+ to lenient marking is drawn from an actual incident."

Both opine that women themselves have deeply-ingrained biases, which brings us to another theme throughout the book: Impostor Syndrome. Described as the psychological experience of doubting one's own skills and accomplishments, and almost feeling like a ‘fraud', the book showcases these via interesting and amusing scenarios. Professor Nanal points out its final sequence: "The girl being hesitant to speak up, while the boy asks the very same question she had, is strikingly common too." This writer concurs, having witnessed similar incidents with children as young as 11. "These biases are rooted in our social upbringing, especially in households wherein predominantly [senior male members] take decisions," she observes.

Dr Deepa Chari (left) and Professor Vandana Nanal

Dr Chari tells us that she has seen even well-established women experiencing Impostor Syndrome or implicit bias from others. "We must get rid of these stereotypes, microaggressions, and seemingly innocuous prejudices. We need institutional changes for inclusivity, and policies implemented to ensure sensitivity towards others," she asserts. Both faculty members have worked with the Gender in Physics Working Group (GIPWG) of the Indian Physics Association.

To reach a wider audience, they reveal that they have conducted women-only workshops, using stories from the book to spark conversations, in order to make students aware of such scenarios, and encourage them to speak their mind. They also plan to translate the book into Hindi and Marathi. "It took us six to eight weeks to complete it, though the idea sparked a year ago," Professor Nanal recalls. "We've received a lot of positive feedback from readers who found the content relatable. That is what we intended: To showcase a serious topic through a light-hearted and simple medium," both sign off.

Log on to @tifrscience on Instagram (to scan the QR code and download the book)