Ben Barres
Encyclopedia
Ben A. Barres M.D., Ph.D. is an American
neurobiologist who teaches at Stanford University
. His research focuses on the interaction between neurons and glial cells in the nervous system. He is currently Chair of the Neurobiology department at Stanford University School of Medicine
.
, a medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School
, neurology residency training at Weill Cornell, and a doctorate in neurobiology from Harvard University
.
that addressed issues of sex and intelligence
. He is attracted to men.
and others who have claimed that one reason there are fewer women than men in science and engineering professorships might be that fewer women than men had the very high levels of "intrinsic aptitude" that such jobs required. Barres wrote about personal experiences of being treated differently as a female scientist versus a male scientist.
Steven Pinker
, a Harvard psychologist who has defended Summers, said Barres "should learn to take scientific hypotheses less personally." Barres argued there is a lack of scientific data to support the hypothesis. More recently, Barres directed a series of "open questions" to Pinker and Harvey Mansfield
in a formal address at Harvard, challenging the data supporting their arguments.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
neurobiologist who teaches at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His research focuses on the interaction between neurons and glial cells in the nervous system. He is currently Chair of the Neurobiology department at Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine is a leading medical school located at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California. Originally based in San Francisco, California as Cooper Medical College, it is the oldest continuously running medical school in the western United States...
.
Education
Barres has a degree in biology from Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, a medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
, neurology residency training at Weill Cornell, and a doctorate in neurobiology from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Personal life
Barres, a transsexual man who transitioned in 1997, made headlines in the mainstream press in July 2006 after writing an article in NatureNature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
that addressed issues of sex and intelligence
Sex and intelligence
Research on sex and psychology investigates cognitive and behavioral differences between men and women. This research employs experimental tests of cognition, which take a variety of forms. Tests focus on possible differences in areas such as IQ, spatial reasoning, and emotion.Most IQ tests are...
. He is attracted to men.
Experience of sexism in the scientific community
Barres was critical of Lawrence SummersLawrence Summers
Lawrence Henry Summers is an American economist. He served as the 71st United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He was Director of the White House United States National Economic Council for President Barack Obama until November 2010.Summers is the...
and others who have claimed that one reason there are fewer women than men in science and engineering professorships might be that fewer women than men had the very high levels of "intrinsic aptitude" that such jobs required. Barres wrote about personal experiences of being treated differently as a female scientist versus a male scientist.
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author...
, a Harvard psychologist who has defended Summers, said Barres "should learn to take scientific hypotheses less personally." Barres argued there is a lack of scientific data to support the hypothesis. More recently, Barres directed a series of "open questions" to Pinker and Harvey Mansfield
Harvey Mansfield
Harvey Claflin Mansfield, Jr. is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1962. He has held Guggenheim and NEH Fellowships and has been a Fellow at the National Humanities Center; he also received the National Humanities Medal in 2004 and...
in a formal address at Harvard, challenging the data supporting their arguments.