The Uhura Effect

"The Uhura Effect" research project aims to specify if and how the character of Lt. Uhura of Star Trek (1966) may have influenced young Black and Indigenous female audiences to pursue careers in STEM.

Films like Hidden Figures (2016) and Black Panther (2018) brought Black female brilliance into mainstream consciousness with STEM icons like Kathryn Johnson and Shuri. Audiences marveled at the real-life heroism of the NASA "computers" and lamented that this story wasn't widely known outside of the STEM community. Shuri and the women of Wakanda provided a vision of possibilities. Today, through conscious and deliberate efforts, parity is being reached in terms of women being represented in entertainment media. However, the dynamic representation of BIWOC in American broadcast entertainment seems restricted to a few archetypes despite unprecedented numbers of women in front and behind the camera.

Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison is the first Black woman in space and credits Nichelle Nichols's portrayal of Lt. Uhura for encouraging her to literally reach for the stars. Recently, seejane.org has released "The Scully Effect" report which studies the impact Dr. Dana Scully of The X-Files (1993) had on young female audiences of the time. But research studies have not often turned their investigative lenses toward gender representation in relation to race.

This study focuses on self-identified BIWOC (Black and Indigenous Women of Color) and their experience with Star Trek: The Original Series during its original airing and syndication during the 1960s and 1970s and their pursuit of STEM education and careers.