The Image of the Scientist

Leaving my postdoc also meant leaving my health insurance.  In Massachusetts, where health insurance is required, that means you’d better find some more, quickly.  So I got on the phone and made a few calls.  This is the exact conversation I had with an insurance salesman, no kidding:

Broker: “Let me ask you a few questions to help me understand what kind of coverage might be best for you.”
Me: “Sure, no problem”
B: “Who is your current health insurance provider?”
M: “Blue Cross Blue Shield”
B: “OK, and you are currently getting that through your employer?”
M: “That’s correct.”
B: “And who would that be?”
M: “MIT”
B: “OK, and you need insurance because you’re leaving MIT?”
M: “That’s right”
B: “What are you going to be doing next?”
M: “I’m going to work on a creating website for scientists”
B: “Oh yeah? Are you a scientist?”
M: “Yeah, I work in a research lab”
B: “No kidding- you don’t sound like a nerd”

Seriously?!  On a health insurance call?!  Oh man, that’s bad.

How did we get here?

Scientists play an essential role in almost every aspect of life- from determining the future of human health down to developing a more effective zit cream.  Yet somehow, our branding as a group in no way reflects these contributions.  Instead, we are regarded as an anti-social group of weirdos who, apparently, should even sound different.  As someone who has spent the last 15 years performing research, the real tragedy here is that lost amid the stereotypes are the incredible diversities of interests, personalities and backgrounds of the individuals working in labs around the world.

Are we stuck with this label forever?  Is there a new term that you’d rather be identified with?  Have any similar stories of your own?

It’s time to show society that the modern scientist has long since outgrown the stereotypes of the past.