The

Pipeline

I’ve heard people describe undergraduate core courses as “the STEM pipeline,” but a pipeline does so little to describe my experience.

Speaking as a queer person in STEM, there is so much pressure. It can be from the institution, your family, other circumstances or even your own expectations. The “leaks” of people leaving are often particular demographics of students.

This is not a coincidence.

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The “pipeline” is operating

precisely as intended.

The pipeline metaphor might be more accurate if we contextualized it to the ocean. Like surfing a wave, staying in the pipeline requires developed skills.

Failing in such a high-pressure environment feels a lot like drowning. I often feel there’s no place for me between the waves.

Conversely, if conservation isn’t possible alone, why would we ever exclude anyone from it?

The real answer is a lot like real life ecological conservation.

We can’t go back to a pre-colombian “ideal”…

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We can only move forward: figure out how to live together with what we’ve got.

Someday we’ll collectively realize that, and move on toward a new balance, but until then…