Contributors
Foreword–Congresswoman Louise Slaughter xv
Prefaces
From Rachel J. Whitaker xvii
From Hazel A. Barton xix
About the Editors xxiii
1 The Group Accomplishes More than the Individual 1
Bonnie L. Bassler
2 Exploring the Living Infinite 9
Antje Boetius
3 Oceans of Prochlorococcus 19
Sallie “Penny” Chisholm
4 Catalyst of a Quiet Revolution 29
Margaret Dayhoff
5 A Pioneer Among South American Scientists 37
Johanna Döbereiner
6 A Path of Creativity, Persistence, and Rigorous Testing 49
Diana Downs
7 A Force of Nature 57
Nicole Dubilier
8 A Force in the World of Environmental Microbiology 65
Katrina J. Edwards
9 The Shoulders Upon Which So Many Stand 75
Alice Catherine Evans
10 Groundbreaking Journey of a Microbial Matriarch 87
Mary K. Firestone
11 Turbulence and Triumph 99
Lady Amalia Fleming
12 A Renaissance Woman in Microbiology 105
Katrina T. Forest
13 Unlocking the Genetic Code of Emerging Outbreaks 113
Elodie Ghedin
14 A Woman of Grace and Acerbic Wit 121
Jane Gibson
15 Scarred Pioneer and Protector of the Biosphere 125
Millicent C. Goldschmidt
16 An Exceptional Scientist and Mentor 137
Susan Gottesman
17 Free Spirit 147
Carlyn Halde
18 Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend 159
Jo Handelsman
19 With Grace, Enthusiasm, and True Grit 171
Caroline Harwood
20 Lifelong Mentor 183
Marian Johnson-Thompson
21 Salt of the Earth 193
Carol D. Litchfield
22 The First African-American to Earn a Ph.D. in the Natural
Sciences 207
Ruth E. Moore
23 The Winding Path of a Brilliant Scientific Life 213
Nancy A. Moran
24 Ensuring That No Knowledge Is Ever Lost 219
Flora Patterson
25 Creativity through Freedom 233
Felicitas Pfeifer
26 An Early Mycologist 237
Beatrix Potter
27 An Almost Unbeatable Force 243
Abigail Salyers
28 Enthusiasm and Insight in the World of Archaea 253
Christa Schleper
29 An Early Voice for Bacterial Biochemical Experimenters
257
Marjory Stephenson
30 A Rewarding Career and Life in Balance 269
Michele Swanson
31 Broken Vials and Urgency 283
The Legacy of Patricia Ann Webb
32 It’s Never Too Late to Bloom 295
Donna M. Wolk
33 Pioneer in Microbial Genetics 305
Esther Miriam Zimmer Lederberg
34 Women Microbiologists at Rutgers in the Early Golden Age of Antibiotics 317
Department of Biology The University of Akron Akron, Ohio
At A Glance
Many girls want to become scientists when they grow up, just like
many boys do. But for these girls, the struggle to do what they
love and to be treated with respect has been much harder because of
the discrimination and bias in our society. In Women in
Microbiology, we meet women who, despite these obstacles and
against tough odds, have become scientific leaders and revered
mentors. The women profiled in this collection range from historic
figures like Alice Catherine Evans and Ruth Ella Moore to modern
heroes like Michele Swanson and Katrina Forest. Description
The title of this book makes it clear what it covers: the presence,
role, and achievements of women in the field of microbiology from
the early 20th century to present day, with all the obstacles,
fights, and other barriers that such a topic implies. Purpose
The goal of this collection of portraits is to motivate and
encourage women to engage in scientific careers and to pursue with
tenacity, however difficult it might be. The numbers are eloquent:
"Women obtain approximatively 50% of all doctorates in biology, yet
only 36% of Assistant Professors are women, a number that drops to
18% for Full Professors." Audience
One would think that the main readership of this book would be men
and women, generally speaking. Certainly, that is true, but the
reality is more complex. It might be an inspirational collection
for young students, kids in high school, and apprentice biologists
in the early phase of learning. But this book goes beyond: it is a
contribution to the writing of a history still in the making. It
probably cannot be read from cover to cover because of its format,
but it can be consulted on an episodic basis and could also be used
as a textbook, with the chapters used as a basis for discussions,
seminars, mid- or end-of-term papers, and other student essays.
Features
Addressing the question of women in the recent field of
microbiology with the objective to show that women were not
"relegated to supporting roles" whereas "the science of
microbiology has been propelled forward by male scientists"
probably posed a challenge to the authors: it is probably too soon
to write a history of women in microbiology as this history is
still unfolding. The authors chose a different strategy — offering
a series of 34 portraits. Each such portrait results in a brief
chapter (10 to 12 pages), written in a vivid way to share the
experience of the life of each of these women. Assessment
This series of enthralling multifaceted personal stories are like
pieces of a mosaic, the full image of which is not yet known. Color
and black-and-white illustrations complete the narrative, as do the
references to the publications by these women and about them,
resulting in a short, yet substantial and comprehensive, portfolio.
Just one regret: the portraits are ordered in the alphabetical
order of the women's last names, a classification that makes the
whole story impersonal and does not provide a sense of history.
Review Questionnaire Range/ Question/ Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 6
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 6
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant,
5=insignificant) 3
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant,
5=insignificant) 3
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 3
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 3
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 3
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 3
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 3
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of
the book N/A
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 6
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed?
N/A
—Alain Touwaide, PhD (The Huntington)
Ask a Question About this Product More... |