Beauty and Brains–Women in the Sciences

Hello Welcome Visitors,

I’m Chika and the woman scientist I will be focusing on is Ada Byron who is also known as The Countess of Lovelace. I choose her because I was impressed to know that the first blueprint of a computer was made with a woman’s help. Also, the fact that her father was Lord Byron interested me because I thought “I wonder how his child turned out?” They both did work in completely different fields but they still influenced the world so my curiosity got the best of me. I think Ada Byron is a good role model because she strived to keep learning in a time period where intelligence was frownedupon in a woman. She also made an impact in the world with her Bernoulli number program even though she was acknowledged for her work long after her death. I will do my best to find out all I can on The Countess of Lovelace. I hope you will be impressed with my research.

Ada Augusta Byron, The Countess of Lovelace

Children of celebrities are assumed to have the best of everything in life. From schooling to clothes to access of money, in the eyes of normal people they seem to have it all. But in the case of Ada Byron, The Countess of Lovelace, her life was the exact opposite. She was born on December 10^th, 1815 to Lord George Byron and Anna Milbanke. Shortly after her birth, her
infamous poet of a father separated from her mother. Although Milbanke was extremely cautious when taking her daughter out of the house for fear of her being stolen away by Byron, her worries were of her own imagination because Byron could not even afford to take his legitimate daughter with him out of the country. Once he left England, he never saw Ada again. With Byron gone, Milbanke wanted to make sure that Ada would be nothing like her father so she was tutored in math rather than in literature. Even though, Ada never actually knew her father she sympathized with him and would not let her mother’s harsh remarks over his person and character affect her feelings toward him. When she turned 17, Ada was introduced to an older man named Charles Babbage who was developing what we now know is a computer. Interested in his findings, Ada continued to learn more about mathematics to assist Babbage in his work even after marrying Lord William King and bearing him three children. Her math tutors consisted of William Frend, Mary Somerville, and Augustus De Morgan.With their help she was able to develop her own theories and notes, mainly her notes on Bernoulli numbers, and translate Babbage’s work to the general English public (L.F. Menabrea wrote about Babbage’s work in French). Unfortunately, on November 27^th, 1852 she died of uterine cancer. Her last wish was to be buried beside her father who she had never known. Her contribution to Babbage’s work is the reason why people have access to computers today and she should be remembered fondly as the first woman computer programmer.

Augustus De Morgan vs. Ada Byron, The Countess of Lovelace

In a presentation I conducted last week, I chose Augustus De Morgan, a fellow mathematician, to compare Ada Byron, The Countess of Lovelace, with. Although the most logical choice for a male scientist comparison would have been Charles Babbage, I felt it would be more of a challenge finding another person who had been previously acquainted with Byron. Augustus De Morgan had, at one point of Ada Byron’s life, been her tutor. He was the person who actually taught Byron the Bernoulli numbers in the first place. It was with  his help that she can be called first computer programmer.

Compare and contrast of The Countess of Lovelace and Augustus De Morgan

During the 17^th century, women did not have any rights to their person and everything was handled by the men in their families. In Ada Byron’s case, since her father was dead then her mother was able to take care of everything including her education. However this meant that she as to get tutors or a governess. At the time there weren’t schools for just girls yet so
this is why Augustus De Morgan was able to go to private school while Byron did not. Although women did not have many opportunities for job, Byron could have been a governess but that would have been below her station in life. De Morgan, on the other hand, had to constantly have a job so he could provide for his family. Both of their awards came after their death, so in that particular category they are tied. So in the end, De Morgan benefited during his lifetime because he was male. Due to how the gender roles were assigned during their lifetime, men would have power in all things and that is why De Morgan could do more why Byron could not. Men could get more money while women could not. Men could achieve more things while women could not; the list goes on. However if Byron had lived in our time then she could have had a chance to develop her mathematical expertise. She could have really gone head to head with De Morgan and could have won but that is something we will never find out.

WITI: Women in Technology International and the Countess of Lovelace

Women in Technology International is an organization dedicated to advancement of women in technology. It began in 1989 as an email based network business by Carolyn Leighton. The organization has 140,000+ registered members which include men as well. The primary mission statement is to empower women. WITI is like a huge support group that asks for dues and gives classes on leadership and technology. Women in the group help each other with conflicts by providing advice and make sure to NOT bash men.  They want to be recognized as a formulation of women trying to better themselves and make connections on the way and not as women who are bitter to what other men receive in their working system. From what information can be found about WITI, Ada Byron would have been a part of the organization had she had been alive when it was created. Byron never had the chance to develop her computer skills so WITI’s values and principles would have benefited her in the field she was trying to branch out in.  Furthermore, without Ada Byron, WITI would have never been created so each side has a give and take aspect that contributes to the other. They both stand for stepping outside of the box and
differentiating themselves from anybody else; a motto we can all live by.

I love listening to podcasts and I just remembered that Stuff You Missed in History Class did a podcast on Ada Byron!!! Can you say excitement??? So I am posting the link on here. Enjoy!

http://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffYouMissed/1314548-Who%20was%20the%20Enchantress%20of%20Numbers

Hello everyone,

I thought that while I was busy creating my extremely impressive (because I am making it) presentation that boredom might set in for you all. So while I was taking a much needed break from work, I found another podcast and this time the topic was on Women in Science!!! Basically it is like an overview of the class this blog is for and…guess what???? Ada Byron gets a shoutout in the podcast too.  So I am posting this for you guys!! Enjoy!

http://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffMomNever/2538951

Part I

I decided to research Winifred Goldring for my project because I wanted to learn more about her work as a paleontologist and her success in becoming a very prominent figure in a mostly male society.  She was born in 1888 in Kenwood, New York and was one of ten kids, with only one brother.  When she was just a few years old her family moved to a suburb of Albany where she went to high school and graduated valedictorian of her class.  She went to Wellesley College in Massachusetts where she first became interested in geology and botany.  After graduating she stayed to work on her master’s degree and assist the geology professor.  She went on to become professor of geology and petrology at Wellesley and worked with other scholars from renowned universities, such as Harvard and Columbia.

In 1914 she began work at the New York State Museum, where she spent most of her professional career.  While working for the museum Goldring published many books and articles, including the highly popular Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs. Like many other of her publications, this was widely circulated not only for its accurate information, but also for its ability to be easily understood by both experts in the sciences and complete amateurs.  Goldring also contributed to the scientific community through her research and discoveries, such as her identification of two new species of Devonian trees under the genus Eospermatopteris, which was created after she corrected the classification of fellow paleontologist Sir William Dawson.

Recognition for her work came in the form of being elected the first female New York State Head Paleontologist, first woman president of the Paleontological Society in 1949, and vice president of the Geological Society of America in 1950, which were both almost entirely comprised of men.  Goldring retired in 1954 after a long and inspiring career and died in 1971 at the age of 82.  Goldring is an excellent role model for budding scientists because she worked hard and became a prominent and respected member of a field that was almost entirely male.

Part II

In addition to Winifred Goldring, I have also researched and gathered information about one of her male colleagues in order to compare and contrast them.  I chose Rudolf Ruedemann to research because he was already working at the New York State Museum when Goldring first arrived and throughout their time there they worked together on many different projects.  They also held many of the same positions while working there but at different times.  Ruedemann tended to be Goldring’s immediate predecessor in many of the New York State positions. Here is a small table to show some of their positions and the years they held them.

The differences in their genders did seem to have a small effect on their careers at the museum.  While most of Ruedemann’s contributions to the museum were from field research, Goldring did her own research in the field but she also created many new and educational exhibits within the museum that made it more prominent.  Also while Ruedemann’s publications included more than 160 journal articles, Goldring had fewer publications and her most renowned were her guides and handbooks that both experts and amateurs could use. As far as being promoted gender really did not seem to be an issue and the only reason that Ruedemann was always promoted first was because he was there longer.  The major role that gender played on their careers was through their pay.  Winifred Goldring was paid significantly less then all of her male colleagues, even the ones who were not has high ranking as her.

Their family lives were also very different, but in a different way than most would think.  Ruedemann was married and had seven kids, who he often took hiking on Sundays and talked about frequently to his coworkers.  Goldring on the other hand had no children and was never married.  She spent most of her time after retiring with reading, crocheting, music and long walks.

Part III

In this project I also had to research an organization and give details about its history, membership, mission, and whether or not I thought my scientist would join.  I decided to research an organization called Federally Employed Women or FEW.

Federally Employed Women is a private, nonprofit organization that was founded in 1968. It was originally named TOO FEW— The Organization of Federally Employed Women.  It was created by a group of 13 women, who created a steering committee and elected Allie Latimer as first President. Their goal was to improve the conditions for women who worked within the federal government and to get more women involved in government.  Their official mission statement is:

“Federally Employed Women (FEW) is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1968 after the issuance of Executive Order 11375 that added “sex” to the prohibited discriminations within the federal government. Federally Employed Women works to end sex and gender discrimination, to encourage diversity for inclusion and equity in the workplace, and for the advancement and professional growth of women in federal service by:

• encouraging diversity and equity in the workplace
• enhancing career opportunities
• establishing and maintaining relationships with organizations to advocate the fair application of laws, policies, procedures and practices
• improving the quality of life for women by influencing legislative actions
• committing to maintain a unified and diverse membership
• providing opportunities for professional growth”

FEW has membership open for both women and men and there is even a male who is currently the Vice President of Congressional Relations. Most of the group’s membership consists of current or retired federal employees, although this is not required to join. There are three different types of membership within the organization: annual membership which requires $45 annual dues; lifetime membership, which requires three years of prior annual membership and a single payment of $300 along with the annual dues; and diamond membership which requires the same as lifetime but with an extra $200. There are over 4,000 members today and 98 chapters throughout the United States.

I think that if FEW had been an organization when she was alive, Winifred Goldring probably would have been a member of FEW because she was a woman who was employed by the government. She also thought that women were not paid nearly as much as a man in the same position, which is something this organization is trying to fix.

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources:

 Goldring, Winifred. “Annual Rings of Growth in Carboniferous Wood.” Botanical Gazette. 72.5 (1921): 226-240. Web. 10 Sep. 2011.

This is an article written by Goldring which was published in the Botanical Gazette, which is printed by The University of Chicago Press.  The article will be helpful to the research of Goldring because it gives information about some of her research.  It also shows that even though women scientists were discriminated against at the time she still managed to be published in a major publication, which only adds to the importance of her studies.  This specific article is about the rings of growth of Carboniferous wood and what they tell us about the extreme variations in the climate during the Triassic period. It is a good source of her work on paleobotany.

Secondary Sources:

Croneis, Carey. Rev. of Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs, by Winifred Goldring. The Journal of Geology 39 (1931): 173-175. Web. 10 Sep. 2011

This is a peer review by Carey Croneis, an associate professor of geology at the University of Chicago, on Goldring’s book Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs.  He discusses different parts of the book, its accuracy, and what criticisms the book acquired from others in the field.  Croneis also talks about how the book has become very popular with instructors and students of beginner paleontology. This source will give information on how Goldring’s contemporaries viewed her work and what theories about paleobotany were debated during this time.

C. L. F. Rev. of Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs. Part I. The Fossils, by Winifred Goldring. American Midland Naturalist 12 (1930): 140-141. Web. 10 Sep. 2011

This is a peer review of Goldring’s book, Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs, which gives a very flattering description of the book, much like Croneis’ review.  C.L.F discusses the accuracy of the material in the book, the how much time was spent on various types of fossils, and its usefulness to college students.   It also points out a couple discrepancies in the handbook and what parts could have used more attention.  This will again give information on Goldring’s contemporaries and their views of her work at this time.

Driscoll, Sally. “Winifred Goldring.” Winifred Goldring (2006): 1. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Sep. 2011.

This source is a brief biographical account of Goldring’s life and will be useful when finding out Goldring’s background information.  The article talks about Goldring’s education, career, research, and her role as the first woman elected president of the Paleontological Society.  The article specifically mentions her identification of two new species of fossilized tree stumps in the Gilboa area of New York.  It also talks about many of her writings including the Handbook of Paleontology for Beginners and Amateurs, and Guide to the Geology of John Boyd Thacher Park (Indian Ladder Region) and Vicinity.

Shepherd, G. Frederick. Rev. of Geology of the Berne Quadrangle, by Winifred Goldring. The Journal of Geology 44 (1936): 652. Web. 10 Sep. 2011

This was a peer review of Goldring’s book Geology of the Berne Quadrangle, by G. Frederick Shepherd.  He briefly talks about what the Berne Quadrangle is and explains what features Goldring describes most, the formations from the Ordovician and Devonian periods.  Shepherd also talks about how, like her other books, this book is useful to both amateurs and actual geologists.  He also describes how she uses historical and geographic details to make the information on the geologic formations more interesting to the everyday person.  This once again gives some information about the type of research Goldring did and the esteem that most of her peers appeared to have for her work.

Tertiary Sources:

Proffitt, Pamela. “Winifred Goldring.” Notable Women Scientists. 1^st ed. Farmington Hill, MI: Gale Group, 1999. Print.

This was helpful because it was an encyclopedia, which had many articles on different female scientists including Goldring.  This source provided a brief overview of Goldring’s life and her contributions to the world of paleontology. It also provide a further reading section which helped in trying to find further information on Goldring and her research.  Overall this source was very helpful because it gave a starting point to begin the research from and also provided some useful information about her life.

Bibliography:

Part I

Primary Source:

Menabrea, L.F. Sketch of the Analytical Engine. Trans. Ada Lovelace. John Walker. Oct. 1842.Web. 11 Sept. 2011.

L.F. Menabrea had actually been astudent of Charles Babbage during his only presentation of the Analytical Engine which is how he came to know of his teacher’s blueprint to the first computer. He wrote Sketch of the Analytical Engine in Italian and so a translator was needed.  This is where Lovelace comes in. Along with translating the work, she also added in her own notes to the equation. Most noted are her notes on the Bernoulli numbers. This source is important in
understanding the way that Ada Lovelace worked. Her notes are her only evidence of being anywhere involved in the Analytical Engine and should always be referenced when discussing her life.

http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/sketch.html

Secondary Sources:

De Morgan, Sophia. Memoir of Augustus De Morgan. London: Longmans, Green, and CO, 1882. Print.

This biography on Augustus De Morgan’s life is the perfect secondary source to find information on him becuase his wife wrote it. She had direct contact with De Morgan she accurately describes his life and thoughts. Also there are letters written by De Morgan in this book to several influential people like William Frend, Sir John Herschel, and the like. Furthermore, De Morgan’s list of articles and novels written are put down in the bigoraphy in chronological order. Any information a person wants to know about De Morgan can be found in this book.

Kim, Eugene and Betty Toole. “Ada and the First Computer.” Scientific American. Scientific American, May 1999. Web. 11
Sept.2011

The article criticizes the use of calling Ada Lovelace the “first computer programmer.” In their eyes, Lovelace is only an interpreter of Charles Babbage’s work. Her mathematical notes interspersed within her translation of Babbage’s work brought Lovelace the prestige that people associate with her name now. However, the article does suggest that Lovelace is a female pioneer of the computing field. Overall, this source does bring a different perspective to the story of Lovelace and is
extremely useful to create a debate/argument of what her work has done for society and more depth to any research done on her in the future.

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Ada_and_the_First_Computer.pdf

Langley,Doris.  Ada, Countess of Lovelace: Byron’s Legitimate Daughter. New York: Harper & Row, 1977. Print.

Although this book has to be classified as a secondary source, it fulfills its purpose of bringing Ada Lovelace’s life to the forefront of a reader’s mind. Langley took it upon herself to find letters from, to, and about the Countess and proceeded to use them as evidence while describing the woman’s life. The biography contains the various experiences that Lovelace went through as well as insight to her work with Babbage. It is possible to also learn more about her childhood which could be its own book by itself. This biography is a stepping stone into getting accurate information about the woman.

Mattis,Michael. “Repurposing Ada”. Salon.com. Salon Media Group, 16 Mar .1999.Web. 11 Sept. 2011

His interpretation of criticism of Ada Lovelace does not seem professional at all. He talks about her lineage and also
of the article that Eugene Kim and Betty Toole did together instead of trying to make his own judgment of what Ada Lovelace was capable of. His article reads more like a gossip column than an informative piece of information used for
research purposes and the like.  After going through this brief article, any use of it can be deemed irrelevant.

Stein, Dorothy. Ada, a Life and a Legacy.  Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1985. Print.

Generally speaking, this book is not as helpful as Langley’s biography in getting information about The Countess of
Lovelace. Nevertheless, it has its own quotes from Lovelace, her family, and her friends. This biography as well as Langley’s contains pictures of Lovelace and all those close to her. Despite the fact that it is not on the same caliber as the other book when it comes to information, it is still useful in finding facts on Lovelace. If Langley’s biography could not be found then this book should be the next in command.  It also can back up most of what is said in Langley’s book.  So fact checking is possible when using both biographies which helps solidify Lovelace’s history.

Tertiary Source:

“Ada Lovelace.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d.Web. 13 Sept. 2011.

Although it generalizes whatever topic it has been searched with, Wikipedia does provide links to other sources related to
the subject. Finding information on Ada Lovelace was made easy using Wikipedia as a database. Besides that, then Wikipedia’s page on Ada Lovelace is mediocre at best, however, it is still a useful source. It gives out facts but with
references that makes finding more work possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace