Category Archives: Gender Month

October 01

The Final Scientific Endeavor of Mary Putnam Jacobi

On June 10th, 1906, American physician Mary Putnam Jacobi died of a brain tumor. Her death, similar to her life, was not without careful contemplation. Dr. Jacobi detailed her own demise in an account, titled “Descriptions of the Early Symptoms of the Meningeal Tumor Compressing the Cerebellum. From Which the Writer Died. Written by Herself.” […]

June 04

Hormones: What Boys and Girls are Made of?

Once upon a time, a little boy named Bruce was born. The boy had the promise of a happy, normal life, until one day during a botched medical procedure his penis was destroyed beyond repair. His parents searched desperately for help, worried about little Bruce’s future. Their search led them to a psychologist who assured […]

May 28

Ben Barres: On Science and Sexism

Every May, the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program gathers students and faculty at a conference center on beautiful Lake Arrowhead for a weekend retreat of science and socialization. This spring, our keynote research speaker was Dr. Ben Barres of Stanford University. After a successful first day, a roomful of neuroscientists eagerly awaited Dr. Ben Barres’ keynote […]

May 21

Your Brain on Sex

What happens in the brain during sex? Are gender stereotypes a cultural construct? Or are there true neurological differences in how men and women experience sex—desire, arousal, orgasm?

May 14

Beyond Black and White: Gender Identity and the Brain

May is Gender Month here at NeuWriteSD! This is the second of four pieces exploring neuroscience and gender; you can read Melissa T.’s excellent post on subtle sexism here. It’s amazing how much of our culture is historically focused on binaries: issues are black or white, characters are heroes or villains, actions are right or […]

May 07

Subtle sexism: Stereotypes and how they shape us

Gender stereotypes are pervasive. Though Disney has recently come out with some kick-ass princesses (my personal favorites are the icy Elsa and fiery Anna, who don’t need a prince to save them in Frozen), enter any major toy store and you can still find row upon row of pink paraphernalia and sparkly tiaras. Trying to […]