The Central Library’s Pauline Foster Teen Center currently features an exhibit debunking pseudoscience of the past and highlighting its impact on present injustice.
From phrenology to hysteria, the MSG scare and social Darwinism, the second floor of the library includes artistic interpretations of these past myths alongside corrections from modern science.
Weaving history, science, art and sociology together, the student-created exhibit and accompanying book, “Misconception Manual: Where History & Science Got It Twisted,” examine how these myths have real-world consequences.
“Nowadays … doctors will misdiagnose or underdiagnose women for pain,” said 17-year-old Kiara, who found that while a hysteria diagnosis has been debunked, it still contributes to today’s medical sexism.
With two friends who also researched aspects of sexism, she created a wooden board with the outline of a woman’s body with myths painted on different parts of the body that can be flipped to reveal the truth underneath. The thigh, for instance, said the uterus can wander about the body while flipped open it revealed the uterus’ location is fixed. The interactive piece is part of the exhibit.
Junnelly Vital, 16, researched the so-called violence gene and racism within medicine for a page in the book. It made her realize racism-related stress contributed to family members’ mental health problems and alcohol abuse.
“All these misconceptions that were never proven to be correct are now impacting my family,” said Vital, who contributed to the book. “We need to show society that this isn’t true and it’s now impacting them medically.”
Kiara and Vital joined over 40 other juniors at High Tech High International who contributed to the project.
Each student had to find 15 peer-reviewed sources on their topic of choice before writing a page of the book on their research or creating an educational installation.
“During a year filled with other classes, jobs, internships, family responsibilities and everything else, they were able to make this happen. They were able to dream up the exhibits that you see here, the layout of the book. Every step of the way it is student created and student dreamed of,” said humanities teacher Chenoa Musillo at an opening night on May 22.
In an era of misinformation, the project gave students an opportunity to critically examine sources, from their methodology to the peer review process in order to sift through to find what is real and what was actually misapplied science.
Brian Mi, a biology teacher who oversaw the project with Musillo, drew upon Brandolini’s Principle, also known as the BS asymmetry law coined by computer scientist Alberto Brandolini in 2013, to demonstrate that it takes orders of magnitude more energy to refute disinformation than to spread disinformation in the first place.
“No one knows this principle … better than our students, who have spent hours and hours reading, analyzing, annotating scientific sources, historical sources … to look at how misconceptions have played into … systems of oppression that affect society every day,” Mi said.
Beyond just learning how to detect source credibility, the massive project had dozens of students working together.
Some gained leadership experience while others learned how their own unique skills could benefit a group — something students said will benefit them past graduation.
“When you go out in the real world, it’s all about working (together),” said Irene Lee. She researched race biology pseudoscience that thought different races were actually descended from separate species while also serving as a student leader making sure everyone met deadlines and putting together the final project.
Academic advisor Amber Hendren further explained Hight Tech High’s model: “It’s an integrated system where we bring people of all walks of life and learning models and special needs into the project, because that’s real life … It’s absolutely no different in our class.”
The pseudoscience exhibit will be on display through June. The book “Misconception Manual” can be purchased on Amazon.
The Teen Center rotates exhibits from local students every month or two, giving teens ownership of the space.
Cassarah Coffey, who runs the Teen Center, was impressed that the students did not avoid difficult truths.
“All history is not positive, but you can’t learn from the past if you don’t actually learn it all,” she said. “They didn’t skirt around being kind about things. It was just straight facts.”
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