Jedidah Isler: The Untapped Genius That Could Change Science for the Better | TED

翻译人员: Hong Li 校对人员: Jiawei Ni

Great things happen at intersections.

交点是个产生奇迹的地方。

In fact, I would argue that some of the most interesting things

实际上，我想说，人类历史上 许多最伟大的事情

of the human experience occur at the intersections,

都发生在交点，

in the liminal space,

发生在中间地带，

where by liminal I mean the space in-between.

所谓中间地带，意思是 位于交汇处的空间。

There's freedom in that in-between,

那里有自由，

freedom to create from the indefiniteness of not-quite-here, not-quite-there,

这种自由，来源于不确定性，

a new self-definition.

是一种全新的自我定义。

Some of the great intersections of the world come to mind,

说几个世界上最有名的交点吧，

like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris,

巴黎的埃菲尔铁塔，

or Times Square in New York City,

还有纽约的时代广场，

both bustling with the excitement of a seemingly endless stream of people.

两者都人潮涌动，热闹异常。

Other intersections,

还有其他的交点，

like the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama,

比如阿拉巴马州塞尔玛市的 埃德蒙佩特斯大桥，

or Canfield Drive and Copper Creek Court in Ferguson, Missouri, also come to mind

还有密苏里州弗格森市的 坎菲尔德路和铜溪路交汇处，

because of the tremendous energy at the intersection of human beings,

那里是人类巨大能量的交汇处，

ideologies and the ongoing struggle for justice.

上演了意识形态 和追求司法公正的斗争。

Beyond the physical landscape of our planet,

除了陆地上的物理景观，

some of the most famous celestial images are of intersections.

一些最著名的天体现象 也发生于交点。

Stars are born at the messy intersection of gas and dust,

恒星诞生于气体和尘埃的交汇，

instigated by gravity's irrevocable pull.

被万有引力拉拽在一起。

Stars die by this same intersection, this time flung outward

恒星的死亡同样来源于交汇， 但这次是向外抛出，

in a violent collision of smaller atoms,

比较小的原子经过剧烈碰撞，

intersecting and efficiently fusing into altogether new and heavier things.

互相交汇，发生高效核聚变反应， 生成新的更重的物质。

We can all think of intersections that have special meaning to us.

我们都能想到对自己 有特殊意义的交点。

To be intersectional, then,

而成为“交点的”，意思是

is to occupy a position at an intersection.

在交点占有一席之地。

I've lived the entirety of my life in the in-between,

我一直生活在向交地带，

in the liminal space between dreams and reality,

徜徉于梦想和现实，

race and gender,

种族和性别，

poverty and plenty,

贫穷与富足，

science and society.

科学和人文之间。

I am both black and a woman.

我是黑人，又是女性。

Like the birth of stars in the heavenlies,

就如同星辰的诞生一般，

this robust combination of knowing results in a shining example

（我的身份）是一种宿命的强烈结合，

of the explosive fusion of identities.

是多种身份的融合爆发。

I am also an astrophysicist.

我还是一名天体物理学家。

I study blazars, supermassive, hyperactive black holes

我研究耀变体，超大质量活跃黑洞，

that sit at the centers of massive galaxies

它们位于巨大星系的中心，

and shoot out jets nearby those black holes

从这些黑洞附近射出喷射流，

at speeds approaching the speed of light

速度接近光速，

in a process we are still trying to completely understand.

我们仍在研究这一过程，尚未完全搞懂。

I have dreamed of becoming an astrophysicist

成为天体物理学家一直是我的梦想，

since I was 12 years old.

从我12岁那年就开始了。

I had no idea that at that time,

当年的我，还完全不知道，

according to Dr. Jamie Alexander's archive of African-American women in physics,

根据杰米·亚历山大博士针对 从事物理工作的非裔美籍女性的研究，

only 18 black women in the United States had ever earned a PhD

在美国，只有18名黑人女性 在物理学相关学科

in a physics-related discipline,

获得了博士学位，

and that the first black woman to graduate with a PhD in an astronomy-related field

而第一位获得天文学相关领域 博士学位的黑人女性

did so just one year before my birth.

是在我出生前一年才毕业的。

As I journeyed along my path,

在我的人生道路上，

I encountered the best and worst of life at an intersection:

我经历了生命的美好与残酷：

the tremendous opportunity to self-define,

既遇到了定义自我的绝好机会，

the collision of expectation and experience,

也经历了理想和现实的碰撞，

the exhilaration of victorious breakthroughs

既体验过取得成功的喜悦，

and, sometimes,

时不时的，

the explosive pain of regeneration.

还要品尝重头再来的苦果。

I began my college experience just after my family had fallen apart.

我的大学生涯伊始，家庭就分崩离析。

Our financial situation disintegrated

随着父亲离我们而去，

just after my father's departure from our lives.

家里的经济状况急转直下。

This thrust my mother, my sister and I

我的母亲，姐姐和我，

out of the relative comfort of middle-class life

一下子从衣食无忧的中产阶级生活

and into the almost constant struggle to make ends meet.

掉入了勉强维持生计的生活状态。

Thus, I was one of roughly 60 percent of women of color

就这样，我与其他差不多60% 的女性有色人种一样，

who find finances to be a major barrier to their educational goals.

财务状况成为我们求学的主要障碍。

Thankfully, Norfolk State University provided me with full funding,

幸运的是，诺福克州立大学 为我提供了全额奖学金，

and I was able to achieve my bachelor's in physics.

我成功获得了物理学学士学位。

After graduation, and despite knowing that I wanted a PhD in astrophysics,

毕业以后，尽管怀揣成为 天体物理学博士的梦想，

I fell through the cracks.

但现实依旧不遂人愿。

It was a poster that saved my dream,

是一张海报拯救了我的梦想，

and some really incredible people and programs.

当然还多亏一些好心人和项目。

The American Physical Society had this beautiful poster

美国物理学会为了鼓励 有色人种学生成为物理学家，

encouraging students of color to become physicists.

设计了一张非常美的海报。

It was striking to me because it featured a young black girl,

它深深打动了我， 海报上是一个黑人小女孩，

probably around 12 years old,

也许12岁左右，

looking studiously at some physics equations.

在非常认真地解物理方程。

I remember thinking

这让我想起了

I was looking directly back at the little girl

曾经的自己，

who first dared to dream this dream.

那个曾经敢于梦想的小女孩。

I immediately wrote to the Society

我立刻给学会发了封邮件，

and requested my personal copy of the poster,

请他们给我一张海报，

which to this day still hangs in my office.

现在这张海报还挂在我的办公室里。

I described to them in the email my educational path,

我在邮件里讲述了我的求学之路，

and my desire to find myself again in pursuit of the PhD.

也表达了自己想继续攻读 博士学位，实现自我价值的想法。

They directed me to the Fisk-Vanderbilt University Bridge Program,

他们将我介绍到 “菲斯克－范德堡大学桥梁计划”，

itself an intersection of the master's and PhD degrees

这个计划本身就是个交点， 涵盖来自两所大学的

at two institutions.

硕士和博士学位。

After two years out of school, they accepted me into the program,

我在离开学校两年后，加入这个计划，

and I found myself again on the path to the PhD.

再次踏上了成为博士的道路。

After receiving my master's at Fisk,

在菲斯克大学获得硕士学位后，

I went on to Yale to complete my PhD.

我去了耶鲁大学，完成了博士学业。

Once I was physically occupying the space that would ultimately give way

看来，只要我占据了有利位置， 踏上通往博士之路，

to my childhood aspirations,

实现我的儿时梦想，

I anticipated a smooth glide to the PhD.

获得博士学位就是分分钟的事。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It became immediately apparent

但很显然，

that not everyone was thrilled to have that degree of liminality

并不是每个人都允许自己的领域

in their space.

出现像我们这样的人。

I was ostracized by many of my classmates,

我被许多同学排斥，

one of whom went so far as to invite me to "do what I really came here to do"

其中一个极为过分， 他要求我“去做我应该做的工作”

as he pushed all the dirty dishes from our meal in front of me to clean up.

然后把食堂的所有脏盘子都丢给我。

I wish that were an isolated occurrence,

我也曾希望这只是个别现象，

but for many women of color

但是对于许多非白人女性而言，

in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM,

尤其是那些在科学、技术、 工程和数学领域——简称STEM——工作的，

this is something they have long endured.

这种事儿对她们而言已是家常便饭。

One hundred percent of the 60 women of color

60名非白人女性参加了一项调查

interviewed in a recent study by Joan C. Williams at UC Hastings

由加州大学哈斯汀法学院的琼·C·威廉姆斯发起，

reported facing racialized gender bias,

她们全部声称自己遭遇过种族性别歧视，

including being mistaken for the janitorial staff.

包括被误认为是看门人。

This mistaken identity was not reported

而同样参加此项调查的白人女性

by any of the white women interviewed for this study,

从未遇到过类似遭遇，

which comprised 557 women in total.

而参加调查的女性共有557位。

While there is nothing inherently wrong with a janitorial position,

当然，看门人的工作并没有什么问题，

and in fact my forefathers and foremothers were able to attend college

实际上我的祖辈们能够上大学

because many of their parents worked these jobs,

多亏了他们的父母 有很多就是看门人，

it was a clear attempt to put me in my place.

很明显，（我同学）这样做 是给我画地为牢。

While there was certainly the acute pain of the encounter,

尽管这样的遭遇让人极度痛苦，

the real issue is that my appearance

但问题的关键在于，我的出现

can tell anyone anything about my ability.

能让大家看到我的能力。

Beyond that, though, it underscores

除此之外，值得注意的一点是，

that the women of color in STEM do not experience the same set of barriers

在STEM领域工作的非白人女性 所遭遇到的阻碍，

that just women or just people of color face.

比单纯的女性或者 单纯的有色人种要大得多。

That's why today I want to highlight women of color in STEM,

正因为此，我今天才想要特别说说她们，

who are inexorably, unapologetically

她们因为自己的多重身份而遭歧视，

living as the inseparable sum of identities.

无法避免，亦被认为理所应当。

STEM itself is an intersectional term,

STEM本身就是个交叉领域，

such that its true richness cannot be appreciated

要感受它的丰富内涵，

without considering the liminal space between disciplines.

需要充分理解学科间的交叉。

Science, the pursuit of understanding the physical world

科学追求的是理解物理世界，

by way of chemistry, physics, biology,

采取的方式是化学、物理、生物，

cannot be accomplished in the absence of mathematics.

当然也少不了数学的帮助。

Engineering requires the application of basic science and math

工程学需要将基本的科学和数学知识，

to the lived experience.

应用到生活领域。

Technology sits firmly on the foundation of math,

技术则以数学、工程学和科学

engineering and science.

作为其坚实的基础。

Math itself serves the critical role of Rosetta Stone,

数学则扮演着罗塞塔石碑的角色，

decoding and encoding the physical principles of the world.

承担着对物理原理的编码和解码工作。

STEM is utterly incomplete without each individual piece.

STEM各学科相辅相成，缺一不可。

This is to say nothing of the enrichment that is realized

也就是说，当STEM与其它学科结合时，

when STEM is combined with other disciplines.

会迸发出无法想象的能量。

The purpose for this talk is twofold:

我今天演讲的目的有两个：

first, to say directly to every black, Latina, indigenous, First Nation

第一，我想告诉所有黑人、 拉丁裔人、原住民、第一民族

or any other woman or girl

或者其他任何种族的女人和女孩，

who finds herself resting at the blessed intersection

她们被搁置在种族和性别的交叉地带

of race and gender,

不受重视，

that you can be anything you want to be.

我要告诉她们，你们可以成为想成为的人。

My personal hope is that you'll become an astrophysicist,

我个人希望你们能成为天体物理学家，

but beyond that, anything you want.

但不强求，任何职业都可以。

Do not think for one minute

千万不要认为，

that because you are who you are,

因为出身的限制，

you cannot be who you imagine yourself to be.

你就不能成为自己梦想成为的人。

Hold fast to those dreams

紧紧抓住梦想，

and let them carry you into a world you can't even imagine.

它会带你进入一个美妙的世界。

Secondly, among the most pressing issues of our time,

第二，当今最为紧迫的问题中，

most now find their intersection with STEM.

大部分都能找到与STEM的交集。

We have as a global society solved

通过国际社会的合作，我们已经解决了

most of the single-faceted issues of our time.

当今面临的大部分单一问题。

Those that remain require a thorough investigation

而剩下的那些，则需要进行跨学科

of the liminal space between disciplines

的全面研究，

to create the multifaceted solutions of tomorrow.

才能在未来找到全面的解决方案。

Who better to solve these liminal problems

有谁能比我们这些 一辈子都生活在交叉地带

than those who have faced their whole lives at the intersections.

的人更适合于来解决这样的问题呢？

We as thought leaders and decision makers

我们作为思想领袖和决策者，

must push past the first steps of diversity

必须推动（人才）多样化向前进，

and into the richer and more robust territory

建立兼容并蓄，机会均等，

of full inclusion and equal opportunity.

兴旺发达的（学术）领域。

One of my favorite examples of liminal excellence

我最欣赏的一位 具有交叉才能的榜样

comes from the late Dr. Claudia Alexander,

是已故的克劳迪娅·亚历山大博士，

a black woman plasma physicist,

她是一名黑人女性，等离子物理学家，

who passed away this past July after a 10-year bout with breast cancer.

她与乳腺癌斗争了10年之久， 于7月份刚刚过世。

She was a NASA project scientist who spearheaded the NASA side

她是美国太空总署项目科学家， 在罗塞塔计划中

of the Rosetta mission,

带领美国太空总署的团队，

which became famous this year for landing a rover on a comet,

罗塞塔计划因为今年 成功登陆彗星而闻名，

and the 1.5 billion dollar Galileo mission to Jupiter,

还有耗资15亿美元的伽俐略木星探测计划，

two high-profile scientific victories

这是两项非常了不起的科学成就，

for NASA, the United States and the world.

对美国太空总署， 对美国，对全世界而言都是如此。

Dr. Alexander said it this way:

亚历山大博士是这么说的：

"I'm used to walking between two cultures.

“我曾经在两种文化间游走。

For me, it's among the purposes of my life

对我而言，我生命的意义之一，

to take us from states of ignorance to states of understanding

就是让我们从被忽略变成被理解，

with bold exploration that you can't do every day."

这需要极大的勇气和探索精神， 不是那么轻而易举的。”

This shows exactly the power of a liminal person.

这恰恰体现了“交叉人”的力量。

She had the technical ability to spearhead

她有非凡的技术能力，

some of the most ambitious space missions of our time,

能领导当代最雄心勃勃的太空任务，

and she perfectly understood her place

而且她非常明白自己的地位，

of being exactly who she was in any place she was.

无论在哪，她都能忠实的做自己。

Jessica Matthews, inventor of the SOCCKET line of sports products,

杰西卡·马修斯，是体育产品 SOCCKET的发明人，

like soccer balls, that generate renewable energy as you play with them,

SOCCKET像足球一样，你在踢它的时候 就能产生可再生能源，

said it this way:

她这样说过：

"A major part of invention isn't just creating things,

“发明的意义不仅仅在于创造产品，

it's understanding people

还在于理解人，

and understanding the systems that make this world."

理解组成这个世界的系统。”

The reason I tell my story

我之所以讲自己的故事，

and the story of Dr. Alexander and Jessica Matthews

还有亚历山大博士 和杰西卡·马修斯的故事，

is because they are fundamentally intersectional stories,

是因为从本质上来讲， 这些都是关于交点的故事，

the stories of lives lived at the nexus of race, gender and innovation.

关于种族、性别和创新 是如何联系在一起的故事。

Despite implicit and explicit questions of my right to be in an elite space,

我不知道自己是否能算精英阶层，

I'm proud to report that when I graduated,

但我很骄傲地宣称，

I was the first black woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics

我，一名黑人女性， 获得天体物理学博士学位，

in Yale's then 312-year history.

在耶鲁大学312年历史中是第一个。

(Applause)

（掌声）

I am now part of a small but growing cadre of women of color in STEM

我参加了一个很小，但是发展很快的组织， 成员都是在STEM领域工作的非白人女性，

who are poised to bring new perspectives and new ideas to life

我们集思广益，追求创新，致力于解决

on the most pressing issues of our time:

当代最为紧迫的问题：

things like educational inequities,

比如教育的不平等，

police brutality, HIV/AIDS, climate change, genetic editing,

警察滥用职权，艾滋病， 气候变化，基因组编辑，

artificial intelligence and Mars exploration.

人工智能，探索火星等等。

This is to say nothing of the things we haven't even thought of yet.

简而言之，我们的研究领域包罗万象。

Women of color in STEM occupy some of the toughest

可以说，STEM领域里的非白人女性，

and most exciting sociotechnological issues of our time.

在当代社会技术中最艰难、 最振奋人心的领域中占有一席之地。

Thus, we are uniquely positioned

因此，我们处于独特的地位，

to contribute to and drive these conversations

能够推动这些课题的讨论，

in ways that are more inclusive of a wider variety of lived experience.

往更加多元化的方向发展。

This outlook can be expanded to the many intersectional people

能吸纳更多处于交点的人才，

whose experiences, positive and negative,

他们的经历，无论是积极的还是消极的，

enrich the conversations in ways that outmatch

都能使我们的研讨更加精彩纷呈，

even the best-resourced homogenous groups.

甚至要超过那些最优秀， 但是同质化的群体。

This is not a request born out of a desire to fit in.

这不是因为渴望融入 某个群体而产生的需求。

It's a reminder that we cannot get to the best possible outcomes

而是一种提醒：如果我们缺乏合作，

for the totality of humanity

如果我们忽视交点处的人才，

without precisely this collaboration,

忽视他们与众不同 的人生和丰富的经历，

this bringing together of the liminal,

忽视他们的影响力，

the differently lived, distinctly experienced

那么我们的成果， 对人类这个整体而言，

and disparately impacted.

就不能算最好的。

Simply put, we cannot be the most excellent expression

一句话，如果不全面考量天赋人性，

of our collective genius

我们就无法完全体现

without the full measure of humanity brought to bear.

人类作为一个整体的智慧。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）