Exposing Discrimination in Science: The Story of Nancy Hopkins and MIT with Kate Zernike

For Women’s History Month we welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kate Zernike, national correspondent for The New York Times. Kate has been reporting since 2000 on education, national politics and more. She is also the author of Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America and The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science.

Kate’s latest book tells the inspiring and infuriating story of how a group of women scientists at MIT used data to expose gender discrimination and demand change. What started as a quiet frustration over lab space disparities turned into a landmark study that forced MIT’s leadership to confront bias. The university’s president publicly admitted to discrimination for the first time in the school’s history, sending shockwaves through the academic and STEM worlds. This moment proved the power of data, collective action and persistence in the fight for equality.

In this episode we will talk about how discrimination in STEM has evolved from outright exclusion to more subtle barriers that limit women’s opportunities. Kate’s insights will highlight the importance of representation, recognition and systemic change, and remind us that true equity goes beyond opening doors. It means actively supporting and amplifying women’s voices.

In This Episode:

[01:57] We're going to talk about Kate's book, The Exceptions, which focuses on Nancy Hopkins and a group of women at MIT who fought against discrimination.

[02:12] We learn about Kate's inspiration from her parents and her own experience. She met Nancy 20 years prior to deciding to do the book.

[04:37] Kate understood discrimination through the experience of her mother. She thought discrimination meant a door being closed in your face.

[06:17] Kate wrote a newspaper story about Nancy in March of 1999.

[07:26] MIT actually admitted that there was discrimination. This was after a study and gathering data that proves their point. They leaned into science. 

[08:48] Nancy measured the lab spaces and discovered that she had less lab space than men who didn't have tenure.

[09:41] Kate discovered that discrimination could be subtle and small and push women to the side.

[10:14] Leaders wanted to help the young ambitious men, but the women were mostly tolerated.

[12:23] Kate was struck by the intensity of Nancy Hopkins.

[15:06] Once the story became public, they were flooded with other female scientists who had similar stories.

[15:44] The power of collective action to try and achieve change. 

[16:40] This is the story that Kate wished she had when she first published the newspaper story. 

[17:17] Nancy becomes an extremely confident scientist. She assumed, if you do the work you'll get the job. She was alone for 20 years as she noticed little incidents of discrimination add up.

[18:30] She started to see how other women were treated and talked about. 

[20:26] 21st century discrimination is subtle, yet pervasive.

[23:29] Women often self-select out of STEM, they can also be pushed out.

[26:16] How The Exceptions is contributing to the broader conversation about women in STEM and changes to advocate for.

[28:30] As Kate's career evolved, she realized that the gradual marginalization over a career does happen.

[31:31] Some of the most significant strides made by women in science and challenges that need to be addressed. Women are doing incredible work. The issue is authority and giving women credit.

[34:10] We really need to recognize what