ThinkHer

In my academic years, I often found myself in heated discussions with colleagues about the paradoxical nature of scientific pursuit. We would marvel at how some of our peers, despite their rigorous training in science, held onto deeply irrational biases—especially against women and marginalized groups. “ What’s the point of doing science if you can’t rise above prejudice? ” we would ask. But the reality is that science and scientific training do not exist in a vacuum. It is shaped by the social and political biases of its time, and scientists, no matter how brilliant, are not immune to these influences. This realization hit me hardest when I learned about Kamala Sohonie’s encounter with the legendary C.V. Raman.   During my PhD, I used Raman spectroscopy as the primary tool to study phase transitions in condensed matter systems. My thesis introduction paid homage to his groundbreaking ideas and his legacy as an experimentalist. So, it was both shocking and ...