What Does a Scientist Look Like?

What does a scientist look like? The Saint Louis Science Center is addressing this question with a new series of informational posters funded by the Association of Science and Technology Center’s (ASTC) If/Then Initiative. Each poster starts with the sentence “This is what a scientist looks like” and profiles a different woman in STEM, including herpetologist Dr. Earyn McGee, astrophysicist Dr. Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil, molecular biologist and artist Dr. Beata Mierzwa and more.

The If/Then Initiative tells the stories of women in STEM through grants, posters and banners, an online project library featuring programs, activities and digital media, and more. Based on the mantra “If we support a woman in STEM, then she can change the world,” the initiative’s focus is on diversity in STEM—not just for women, but for people of color and various abilities as well.

In addition to social media posts, the Science Center is promoting this project in both the Oakland Building, where guests will be able to find six posters throughout the galleries, and the Taylor Community Science Resource Center. There, eight more posters will be on display.

After debuting over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the posters will be available throughout the summer. Come see if you can find them all!