Join us online as we livestream four stories about how science and being a scientist shaped people’s perspectives of themselves from the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, Massachusetts.

Hosted by Nisse Greenberg and Ang Buxton

Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta is a Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and neuroscience from Smith College and a PhD in social psychology from Yale University. She is a leader in research on implicit bias. Her work emphasizes the plasticity of implicit bias—identifying the ways in which changes in local situations modify people’s implicit attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. She is passionate about using the science of implicit bias to tackle real world social problems by designing and testing the impacts of psychological interventions both in the lab and also in naturally existing settings. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Boston Globe, National Public Radio, Wired, Slate, Boston Globe, Scientific American Mind, among others. Dasgupta’s work has been recognized by the Hidden Bias Research Prize from the Kapor Center for Social Impact in Silicon Valley, the Application of Personality and Social Psychology Award from the Society for Personality & Social Psychology, and by the UMass Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity.

Kerrita K. Mayfield has been an art and science educator her entire adult life, and since she is the big sister - likely longer. Recently, her science students made up a song (and accompanying dance) whose title and lyrics are: Dr. Mayfield was wrong. She likes it. It is on her bulletin board.

Jessie Baade is a stand up comic, character and voice actor, writer, former burlesque emcee and all round winning personality. She is from NY and lives in VT by way of MA.

Michy Bad Cakes practiced storytelling stand up comedy at Happier Valley Comedy School and has been performing stand-up comedy all throughout Western Massachusetts.