Linnea Noeldner-
On March 19th, 2025 starting at 7:30 p.m., the Moe Visiting Lectureship has Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein stepping on stage in Alumni Hall to give some words of experience, wisdom, and encouragement to Gustavus students. The talk is free not only for Gusties but also staff members, peers, and other people of the public who are interested in the realities of diversity in the STEM field.
The Moe Visiting Lectureship allows for the Gender, Women, Sexualities Studies program (GWSS) to bring in key feminist speakers to Gustavus to help educate them on their experiences in their fields of work and study which includes but is not limited to physics and astronomy, as Dr. Prescod-Weinstein teaches, as well as anthropology, biology, philosophy, and many more areas of study.
This focuses on the interdisciplinary and intersectional essence of the department and opens up the floor to the people they bring in to share the diversity they’ve experienced with Gusties.
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a Black, Jewish, queer scientist and is a very decorated and devoted individual, being heavily involved as a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of particle physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. She is a founding member of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Dark Matter Working Group and is the lead axion wrangler for NASA’s STROBE-X Probe Concept Study.
Following her upbringing, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein has been involved from the start, as her mother, Margaret Prescod, was a journalist and activist whose investigative work helped expose the Southside Slayer, a serial killer who targeted Black women in Los Angeles from the 1980s to 90s. Having gone to Harvard when she was only 17, where she earned her M.S. in Astronomy and completed her Ph.D. in Physics, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein has excelled in the ways of STEM as well as being an advocate for social justice.
“She shows that science, society, and justice are not separate. Not only excluding people, but how people have misused science to treat people badly and she is able to recognize that,” Gustavus professor in astrophysics, physics, physics education, and space science, Darsa Donelan said.
In this way, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s lecture serves as both a lesson in scientific inquiry and a vital conversation on social justice. The insights she shares will encourage Gusties to think about the broader implications of their work, not only in terms of academic achievement but also in terms of the values they uphold and promote in their interactions with others. By drawing connections between the personal and the academic, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein exemplifies how the sciences can be a tool for change and progress in society, and how inclusivity in STEM leads to a richer, more innovative scientific landscape.
Several organizations and involvements Dr. Prescod-Weinstein has been a part of include, but are not limited to Particles for Justice, Cite Black Women in Physics and Astronomy Bibliography, National Society of Black Physicists, National Society of Hispanic Physicists, SACNAS, American Astronomical Society Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA), all involvements that push towards inclusion in STEM.
Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is the first physicist to be invited to the Moe Lecture in its 25-year history, signaling a recognition that science is deeply connected to issues of race, gender, and justice. Her book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, was previously referred to in courses taught at Gustavus, including Dolelan’s J-Term of prior years. The book gives a deeper dive into what it’s like to be a black woman in predominantly male and white fields of physics.
“When we have more inclusion in the sciences, we get more diversity of thought, we get better sciences. And having someone that can really speak to that is really powerful,” Donelan said.
With the information and insight Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will be bringing in, it is recommended for Gusties to take away the action of open thinking, especially on “how they treat each other and how they view themselves,” as Donelan mentioned.
As Professor Donelan suggests, embracing these ideas can foster a culture of open-mindedness that is essential for creating meaningful change—whether in the sciences or in society at large. It’s a chance for students, staff, and others to engage with critical ideas that challenge the status quo and to consider how they can be part of a movement that reshapes the future of science and society in a more inclusive and equitable direction.
“Everyone is capable and has the right to study what they want to study,” Donelan said.
Each Gustie has a different goal and pursuit and Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s speech will provide an open-minded space for a broader perception of what students are capable of within their identity.