Florence Bascom (1862-1945), the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (1893). Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession number: SIA2007-0184.
Welcome to the Scientiae Carnival for October!
Here’s a great (and relevant to the theme of ‘It’s been a while -- what’s changed?‘ for this month’s Scientiae) -- The Bigger Picture presents us with Ph.D. Pioneers:
In 2009, for the first time in the history of U.S. universities, more women than men received doctoral degrees. Reported by The Washington Post yesterday, women hold nearly a 3-to-2 majority in both undergraduate and graduate education.
Looking through the Archive’s Women in Science set on the Flickr Commons, we can find some of the early “Ph.D. Pioneers.”
There (And Hopefully Back Again), the blog by BioChemBelle, writes on ‘What’s in a name?’ As she says, ‘With the Nobel Prize announcements just around the corner, it seems even more appropriate,’:
There is a dark side to the integration of biology, chemistry, and physics. Some have developed the attitude that if there is no biological application, then the work is unimportant. Poppycock! That is utter nonsense. Much of our understanding of the mechanisms by which enzymes act was originally based on analogies to well-characterized chemical reactions. We must take care not to stray into this form of scientific elitism.
Confused at a Higher Level brings a post that is sobering in its story of how we sometimes have to face the biggest hurdle -- ourselves and how feeling as if despite all your hard work and well-deserved success, it is somehow WRONG! to take credit for your efforts -- when it comes to promoting our career. On self-promotion:
James Lang’s Chronicle column from many years ago came to mind. He wrote, “For me, and I bet for many other academics, the need in such [review] documents to trumpet my work confidently — to argue why I am the best person for the job, or for continued employment, or for tenure and promotion, or for a course reduction, or for a grant, or a publisher — never stops feeling like shameless self-promotion.”
I think that should be read by many of those in the Australian skeptical-sphere as well, quite frankly! Here’s to taking credit for what you do and not being smacked down for it! 
Ruminations of an Aspiring Ecologist has a wonderful story of an ‘evolution’ -- of their very own! The Journey to Here is a beautiful must-read:
When I was twelve, other kids mocked me by calling me “nature girl”.
When I was thirteen, I had a great jr. high science teacher.
When I was fourteen, I started the advanced science track in high school.
When I was fifteen and sixteen, I mostly forgot about all that nature stuff. It was mentally on the back burner while I dealt with high school drama…
Head to her site to see how it continues!
Finally, Fairer Science is a regular contributor and I noticed this recent blog-post from them that is most definitely optimistic in tone: ‘You get paid to go to grad school!’:
Some things I’ve been learning are quite upsetting. One of those is that there are a number of STEM undergrads who would like to go to graduate school but say they can’t afford it. That’s right! THERE ARE NUMBERS OF BRIGHT STEM UNDERGRADS WHO DON’T KNOW THAT YOU DON’T PAY TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL IN THE SCIENCES, YOU GET PAID.
Thanks to Fairer Science, you can pass on that information to others. Certainly a welcome change that should be emulated by other countries.
And to finish -- a short video about the Geek Calendar - because this is certainly something that has changed over time: the promotion of scientists as unashamed of their passions and supporting the voice of scientific inquiry unafraid of libel laws in the UK.
“Geek Calendar showcases the UK’s geek heroes in ways you will have never seen before. This is not a ‘pin-up’ calendar in the traditional sense (and no, they are not naked), instead it features interesting photos of intriguing people, reminding us of each person’s ideas, achievements and creativity. Some of our geeks are famous, some are not, some are scientists, some are artists. All are nerds to the core.”
Next Scientiae will be held at EcoGeoFemme -- check out her site and the official Facebook page for Scientiae Carnival.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for hosting this month, Podblack. The Geek Calendar vid was fantastic–I nearly snorted coffee through my nose when watching it.
Great carnival, P! I’m looking forward to catching up on these posts.
Thanks for checking out Effie’s post, “PhD Pioneers” over at THE BIGGER PICTURE! So glad you enjoyed–thanks for passing along the great links and encouraging others to pursue their scientific passions.
Catherine Shteynberg
Smithsonian Institution Archives
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