Ben Barres: Neurobiology Pioneer and Champion for Equity in STEM

This two-part lesson is about introducing students to Ben Barres (1954 – 2017), a successful neurobiologist and gender equity activist. Students will learn about his life and experiences as a female-to-male transgender scientist through excerpts and a review of his posthumously published book, The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist (2017).  Additionally, students will read his famous commentary in Nature, titled “Does gender matter?,” and discuss Barres’ arguments for why women are not advancing in science as quickly as men.  Students can also explore the Queer in Stem online research project to collect information about LGBTQ+ scientists’ career experiences. The guide is divided into two parts, which can be used together or as independent lessons: (1) an introduction to Ben Barres’ life as a scientist and activist, and (2) resources for understanding LGBTQ+ experiences in STEM and increasing their visibility in the scientific community.