Space Race: Astrophysics is racist, says woke professor

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The field of astrophysics is built on a racist history, according to a Colorado College professor.

“As an astrophysicist, I am a product of institutions steeped in systemic racism and white supremacy,” said Natalie Gosnell, Ph.D.

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Gosnell, who is an assistant professor of physics at the college, made the comment in an interview published by the college earlier this month.

“The principles of white supremacy that manifest [in physics] individualism, exceptionalism and perfectionism, it’s one or the other, and there’s no subtlety, there’s no gray area,” Gosnell said.

This NASA-provided image shows the massive Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, captured in its entirety in this new image from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

Nasa

“All of this manifests in how we think about our research, and what counts as good research? What counts as important research?” she continued.

Along with acknowledging the racism inherent in her field, Gosnell said she also had to overcome the hypermasculine world of astrophysics, which dictated much of her career.

“I think because science and art have been so separated, and there are…systemic issues within science, the metaphors that are often chosen [to discuss science] are very violent and hypermasculine,” she said.

To combat the systemic racism and hypermasculinity underlying her field, Gosnell decided to change the way she taught astrophysics, she said.

The best example of his new approach seems to be his new immersive artwork titled The Gift.

According to the work published by Colorado College, the piece “exemplifies what Gosnell lacked in sharing science: creativity.”

The gift debuted at the New York Public Library on December 6 and depicts two stars orbiting each other.

“I felt like I was impersonating what an astrophysicist was supposed to be,” Gosnell said.

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“We can make different choices about the metaphors we use,” she continued, “in the stories we tell, where…the inspiration and purpose behind The Gift comes from.”

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