Our team, besides the lab, modeling and human practices work, also created a podcast, available on Spotify, called HonoratoCast, where minorities in STEM could share their experiences and, not only show the barriers and difficulties that are imposed on these communities, but also give advice to help others who want to follow through the same path. In the interviews woman, LGBTQIA+ people, foreigners researchers and students in our country were heard, they talked about the problems they went through, the lack of representativity and the prejudices they had to live with, such as sexism, xenophobia and homophobia.
We interviewed Maira Martins da Silva, a PhD professor in STEM in USP-EESC, Gabrielle Weber Martins, a trans woman PhD professor in our university, Jefte Santos Lins, a student, member of the queer collective called Claudia Wonder, Lina Marcela Duran Miranda, a PhD student, Diana, a mexican Master’s student in our university, Mariana Martínez Noriega and Paola Abril Medina Flores, both members of the UAM iGEM team. They told us about the difficulties they faced in academia, and how prejudice impacts science and more specifically their research or their college lives.
The professors and researchers not only talked about the prejudices they face, they also shared advice for people in their communities who have the desire to work in academia, so as we know that research done by minority groups is often overlooked, we used the podcast as a means to give voice to these researchers. Furthermore, concerning the LGBT collective, it shared its experience in welcoming LGBT people in college, and also the challenges of doing so. Finally, Diana, Mariana and Paola shared their views on sexism and xenophobia towards latins in science.
Our episodes can be listened by the following links attached: Episode 1 - "A pluralidade de gêneros na ciência", translated as "Gender plurality in science", and recorded in portuguese; Episode 2 - "Engenheirando a inclusão", that can be translated as "Engineering inclusion"; Episode 3 - "LGBTQIAP+ na ciência", translated as "LGBTQIAP+ in science"; Episode 4 and Episode 5 - "Oportunidades internacionais com os mesmos problemas: como funciona a pós-graduação para quem vem de outro país?", translated as "International opportunities with the same problems: how does the postgraduate course work for those who come from another country?" and Episode 6 - "Latin American inclusivity with the UAM iGEM team", the only recorded in english, which we interviewed the UAM iGEM team.
The channel on Spotify platform from our podcast can be accessed by https://open.spotify.com/show/3C5RZiNSKDyZj95IMUfBvC?si=44fe87d99c98477c